Highlander wrote:.... & maybe all I would need to do is to fuse both poss & neg wires to each panel & I,ll ask them what size fuse they would recommend & up-date...
How many panels do you have and what is the output of each? Do they all run separately to the charge controller or to a common spot and then to the controller? What size wiring are you using for the runs and how long are they?
I have the wire from the batteries to the controller fused with a fuse that is sized for that wire as there is the potential for very high amperage in the case of a short since the wire is going to the batteries.
If the wires from the panels to the charge controller are large enough to handle the maximum load the panels can put out then you don't need to fuse them as the panels could never put out enough to harm them. That is the case with the wiring for my panels on the Mac where the 200 watts is only capable of about 13 amps max and all the wiring from the panels to the terminal strip can handle that along with the much larger wire running from there forward to the charge controller.
On the Endeavour five of the six 80 watt panels are capable of putting out about 25 amps. The wires from the junction box to each panel are not large enough to handle 25 amps so each is fused in case one shorted and the 25 amps went to it.
From the junction box down to the charge controller where there could be about 30 amps present....
...... I used #4 wire which is capable of handling over 100 amps so there is no point in fusing that wire as the panels could never put out anywhere near that. So no fuse between the junction box and the controller, but a fuse between the charge controller and the battery as the battery is connected to that wire and is capable of many more amps than what is coming from the panels.
More on all of that wiring here....
http://1fatgmc.com/boat/end-1/endeavour ... age-7.html
You want to really oversize wiring between the panels and the charge controller and from it on to the batteries (the total run) to avoid voltage drop that will reduce the output of your panels. If one does that then a lot of the time your wiring is going to be so large there is no way the panel's output is a problem. One exception to that is my situation on the Endeavour. Another is where they recommend a GFCI (GFPD) because the output voltage from the panels is enough to be lethal to a human, that isn't the case with a 12 or 24 volt solar array.
As a side note, I have two arrays on the Mac that are capable of 560 watts total and they supplied all the electrical needs for the 3 month trip to the Bahamas and two 13-15 day trips since. There were a lot of clouds during some of that and we have a large portable fridge and other draws. We were just out about 5 weeks on the Endeavour and the 480 watts supplied all the power requirements for the fridge/freezer, a lot of computer use by both of us and all the lighting and other needs. Solar is great!!!
Sumner
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1300 miles to the Bahamas and back -- 2015
The MacGregor 26-S
The Endeavour 37
Trips to Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Canada, Florida
Mac-Venture Links
