Might be starting a project soon

[taylormoonxx]

hi
my friend and I were looking at buses, so we might be buying one soon. He is gonna let me buy the bus off him when we're done traveling so we're figuring out how much renovating we want to do considering we're only using it together for one purpose then after that it's all mine.

Right now I'm figuring electrical stuff out, I already did a general calculation of what all I want to run and how many solar panels I'd need but It's been a while since I did that so I'll need to do it again. I'm hoping to run a desktop computer and a efficient fridge and then a couple water pumps for shower and sink, and some lights. I'm thinking of buying a tesla battery. I know nothing about electrician work though lol. I'm hardly versed in electricity. I just know I'm gonna need a lot of power to run a desktop gaming computer. My current computer has a 650 watt power supply. I'm hoping to be as self sufficient as possible but am ok with spending a little money. If anyone has any way to help someone just starting out with electrical let me know what I need so I can figure that out.

[kazetsukai]

Originally Posted by taylormoonxx

Right now I'm figuring electrical stuff out, I already did a general calculation of what all I want to run and how many solar panels I'd need but It's been a while since I did that so I'll need to do it again. I'm hoping to run a desktop computer and a efficient fridge and then a couple water pumps for shower and sink, and some lights. I'm thinking of buying a tesla battery.

I use Tesla batteries (currently 2, previously 3) in my conversion so I'd like to give you some advice.


A couple years ago, these batteries were some of the best bang for buck, period. However even back then they had their drawbacks, and today you can get more capacity for less money with an arguably safer chemistry.

EV batteries leave zero room for error, unless you are very knowledgeable in lithium battery banks, balancing/bms concerns, etc, I don't recommend going this route anymore due to the drawbacks ( I can elaborate on what these are if you want ) and the availability of cheaper, more capable cells.

I am about to upgrade my battery bank to a LiFePO4 bank, which will be 4 times the capacity of my current Tesla bank for a little less than what I paid for the Tesla packs per watt-hour.

Originally Posted by taylormoonxx

I know nothing about electrician work though lol. I'm hardly versed in electricity. I just know I'm gonna need a lot of power to run a desktop gaming computer. My current computer has a 650 watt power supply. I'm hoping to be as self sufficient as possible but am ok with spending a little money. If anyone has any way to help someone just starting out with electrical let me know what I need so I can figure that out.

I have helped a few people here plan out their solar electrical, including explaining all of the options and even drawing up diagrams showing the components. We can talk if you'd like.

Full disclosure... I'm not an electrician, I just designed my system to be feature parity with typical residential electrical, and I've actually run 12V, 24V and 48V systems in my bus over 4 (soon 5) iterations. Electrical is just something I enjoy doing.


P.S. It would also help people here if you let others know your general location by filling out your profile page. You might find someone local that can help you that way.

[taylormoonxx]

Originally Posted by kazetsukai

I use Tesla batteries (currently 2, previously 3) in my conversion so I'd like to give you some advice.
Attachment 55620

A couple years ago, these batteries were some of the best bang for buck, period. However even back then they had their drawbacks, and today you can get more capacity for less money with an arguably safer chemistry.

EV batteries leave zero room for error, unless you are very knowledgeable in lithium battery banks, balancing/bms concerns, etc, I don't recommend going this route anymore due to the drawbacks ( I can elaborate on what these are if you want ) and the availability of cheaper, more capable cells.

I am about to upgrade my battery bank to a LiFePO4 bank, which will be 4 times the capacity of my current Tesla bank for a little less than what I paid for the Tesla packs per watt-hour.

I have helped a few people here plan out their solar electrical, including explaining all of the options and even drawing up diagrams showing the components. We can talk if you'd like.

Full disclosure... I'm not an electrician, I just designed my system to be feature parity with typical residential electrical, and I've actually run 12V, 24V and 48V systems in my bus over 4 (soon 5) iterations. Electrical is just something I enjoy doing.


P.S. It would also help people here if you let others know your general location by filling out your profile page. You might find someone local that can help you that way.

thanks, I currently am not sure how to calculate what I need to know math wise. It all seems pretty complicated so it's probably gonna turn out to be the most difficult part. I don't understand series or parallel, and not sure what all I need. Solar Panels, then that goes into a charge controller, then that goes into a battery bank, then from the battery bank it goes to an inverter, then all the AC wiring starts?
I don't need to figure this stuff out right this second, but I will have to figure it out as we continue looking at buses.

[kazetsukai]

Originally Posted by taylormoonxx

thanks, I currently am not sure how to calculate what I need to know math wise. It all seems pretty complicated so it's probably gonna turn out to be the most difficult part.

Start by listing:

1. What electrical devices are you going to want to run
2. How many hours each device will be on in a day
3. Look at the labels on each device to find how many watts they draw.

This helps with sizing your system, the first step in building any solar power system.

Originally Posted by taylormoonxx

I don't understand series or parallel

"Series" and "Parallel" refers to how the solar panels and the battery bank are wired. There are many ways to wire batteries together, this diagram shows different battery bank voltage configurations (click to enlarge):

Originally Posted by taylormoonxx

and not sure what all I need.

Before you look at individual components, you need to size your system. List off your devices first.

Originally Posted by taylormoonxx

Solar Panels, then that goes into a charge controller, then that goes into a battery bank, then from the battery bank it goes to an inverter, then all the AC wiring starts?

This is the general idea, you're on the right track there. Because the batteries and charge controller are wired together, sometimes the power your inverter is using is coming directly from the sun.

Also, as electrical can be overwhelming/intimidating- if you'd like to discuss this over the phone a bit, get some of your questions answered in real time, feel free to PM me and we can set something up.

[taylormoonxx]

Originally Posted by kazetsukai

Start by listing:

1. What electrical devices are you going to want to run
2. How many hours each device will be on in a day
3. Look at the labels on each device to find how many watts they draw.

This helps with sizing your system, the first step in building any solar power system.

"Series" and "Parallel" refers to how the solar panels and the battery bank are wired. There are many ways to wire batteries together, this diagram shows different battery bank voltage configurations (click to enlarge):
Attachment 55666


Before you look at individual components, you need to size your system. List off your devices first.

This is the general idea, you're on the right track there. Because the batteries and charge controller are wired together, sometimes the power your inverter is using is coming directly from the sun.

Also, as electrical can be overwhelming/intimidating- if you'd like to discuss this over the phone a bit, get some of your questions answered in real time, feel free to PM me and we can set something up.

that would be very helpful thank you. Me and my friend are a bit clueless but still want to buy a bus.
Are there any details that I should be aware of when wiring everything? I'd hate to damage something or start a fire.

I just did some math... I think I'm doing it wrong, does 4.14kwh sound like a reasonable number for a mini fridge? 24 hours of wattage use made 4,140 so then I divide it by a thousand to get kwh.

[kazetsukai]

Originally Posted by taylormoonxx

that would be very helpful thank you. Me and my friend are a bit clueless but still want to buy a bus.

No problem! I didn't know much electrical either when I started. Again, PM me when you want to try and set that up.

Originally Posted by taylormoonxx

Are there any details that I should be aware of when wiring everything? I'd hate to damage something or start a fire.

LOTS. Too many to iterate! Lets do this one bite at a time, rather than trying to plan every detail in advance. I suggest you gain a general understanding first, then plan your system piecemeal, asking questions on the details as they become relevant to your current work. You cannot learn it all in one go- get the big picture first and then iron out the details as they come along.

Originally Posted by taylormoonxx

I just did some math... I think I'm doing it wrong, does 4.14kwh sound like a reasonable number for a mini fridge? 24 hours of wattage use made 4,140 so then I divide it by a thousand to get kwh.

A fridge doesn't run constantly- it turns on and off as needed several times throughout the day. 4140W sounds _way_ too high, can you take a picture of how you found this figure?

To put in perspective what you'd expect a fridge to draw: I have a full size double door fridge with ice maker/water dispenser. Most of the time it consumes less than 10W, when it kicks on its pulling around 160W.

Sometimes what a device uses is quite hard to ascertain just from the power ratings listed on the device itself, especially if you've never tried to figure out how much a device uses. Power ratings on devices are almost always maximums- the most you'll ever see drawn. Having a 650W power supply in a computer doesn't mean your computer always uses 650W- usually it uses much less. The easiest way to figure out how much an appliance uses is to actually measure them using something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/P3-P4400-Elec.../dp/B00009MDBU

Plug the meter into the wall, plug the device you want to measure into the meter, and wait a day using that device normally. Like magic, you have a very close estimate of your 24 hour usage for that device. Don't have a mini fridge yet? Try the fridge you have. At worst it will use more than a mini fridge, giving you a conservative estimate.

Start by listing all of your currently planned devices here first, then either get measurements as you are able, or we can make close guesstimates of what those devices will use as a baseline. Once we size the system, we can put together a basic components list and get a good estimate on overall system cost, adjusting as needed.

[taylormoonxx]

Originally Posted by kazetsukai

No problem! I didn't know much electrical either when I started. Again, PM me when you want to try and set that up.

LOTS. Too many to iterate! Lets do this one bite at a time, rather than trying to plan every detail in advance. I suggest you gain a general understanding first, then plan your system piecemeal, asking questions on the details as they become relevant to your current work. You cannot learn it all in one go- get the big picture first and then iron out the details as they come along.

A fridge doesn't run constantly- it turns on and off as needed several times throughout the day. 4140W sounds _way_ too high, can you take a picture of how you found this figure?

To put in perspective what you'd expect a fridge to draw: I have a full size double door fridge with ice maker/water dispenser. Most of the time it consumes less than 10W, when it kicks on its pulling around 160W.

Sometimes what a device uses is quite hard to ascertain just from the power ratings listed on the device itself, especially if you've never tried to figure out how much a device uses. Power ratings on devices are almost always maximums- the most you'll ever see drawn. Having a 650W power supply in a computer doesn't mean your computer always uses 650W- usually it uses much less. The easiest way to figure out how much an appliance uses is to actually measure them using something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/P3-P4400-Elec.../dp/B00009MDBU

Plug the meter into the wall, plug the device you want to measure into the meter, and wait a day using that device normally. Like magic, you have a very close estimate of your 24 hour usage for that device. Don't have a mini fridge yet? Try the fridge you have. At worst it will use more than a mini fridge, giving you a conservative estimate.

Start by listing all of your currently planned devices here first, then either get measurements as you are able, or we can make close guesstimates of what those devices will use as a baseline. Once we size the system, we can put together a basic components list and get a good estimate on overall system cost, adjusting as needed.

you know you're the most helpful and nice person i've ever met online