Wiring from solar panel to kodiak generator

[joanne]

would it be possible to draw a wire from our roof top solar panel and create a plug to charge up our kodiak generator?

[Mike90250]

Hi & Welcome

So, you need a PV panel to keep a backup generator starting battery charged ?

[Mike90250]

i guess i first need to know what a kodiac battery is.

Siphoning power off a series string of PV panels, would work, except that the power siphoned off, will reduce the total string power.

If you only have a single panel, you can only have a single destination. (short, simple answer, the long answer gets into charge controllers fighting and such)

[Mike90250]

Oh, you bought a Box-o-stuff <sad>

You will Absolutely need to give us the specs of the PV panel on the roof. Take the Voc and multiply by 1.2 (or is it 1.3) That voltage is the chilly morning cold voltage it puts out and if that is over 32 V you pretty much can instantly fry the circuit inside the Box-o-stuff.

That battery is a 90ah 12v battery, which can run the stuff they list on their page. One item only. your choice - charge the computer or run the fridge for 3 hours. With such a large inverter, you will waste a fair amount of power if you run small loads.

[SunEagle]

https://youtu.be/VVJQB8Z8k4k nah this generator is amazing. In this video a complete rv is run by it and in another test in this video there are 10+ items plugged into it at once.

It doesn't matter what a Youtube video shows you, the battery is only a 12v 90Ah which will can provide at best (before it is dead) just over 1000 watt hours. What the video shows is very misleading because it is an advertisement to help sell the system. If you plugged those 10 items into the system you would maybe get 10 to 15 minutes of usage from those loads.

Please don't be fooled by slick advertisements and videos concerning solar "kits". They were designed to part people from their hard earned money.

[J.P.M.]

We are looking for a battery backup if the grid goes down for a few hour to a few days. What is your solution?

Since you ask:

Figure out the minimum amount of power you can get by with at one time during an outage. Double it. Depending on how often you lose power, buy a propane or gasoline (or diesel if a large load) powered generator of that size or larger.

For the hassle involved in off grid PV, which most are clueless about, doing it for emergency power beyond charging a phone/laptop/radio/a light or two is uneconomical and impractical.

As others have posted, what you have is not a good solution.

[SunEagle]

Ok. But why is the kodiak not a good solution for the occasional outage etc. I .oke that we don

Because that kodiak system will provide less than a 1kWh a day for way over $1000 and a honda 2000 watt inverter type generator along with 5 gallons of gas should cost about $1000 and provide you with 15kWh in the same day. Or you can get a 12kw dual fuel generator for about $1200 along with a 20lb bottle of gas that will get you even more kWh a day for the same price.

Look I built my own small solar battery system that can provide about 700 watt hours a day and only cost me about $550. Why pay 4 times that to get the same thing. Those package solar kits prey on the technical challenged people and are just way too expensive.

Save you money and go with something just as easy that costs less and provides more.

[J.P.M.]

Ok. But why is the kodiak not a good solution for the occasional outage etc. I .oke that we don

Since you ask, straight up:

Because it's most likely an expensive ripoff sold to the solar ignorant that's most likely poorly engineered equipment, and been designed (if what was done is worthy of that designation) by people who know little about PV, and it's attributes, including its limitations.

For the solar ignorant, the duty you want performed (occasional emergency power) is better met, more reliably, for less hassle and less $$ using more conventional methods that, while non sexy, maybe a bit smelly and noisy, and that may cost a bit for fuel, have stood the tests of time and acceptance.

While opinions vary, the solar informed mostly know things the likes of which you bought to be ripoffs.

Or, you can believe everything you see and/or can be inferred into believing from the cons on u-tube - the new idiot's bible.

Take what you want of the above. Scrap the rest.

[Mike90250]

• I admit I am solar ignorant hence my seeking here for information. We haven't purchased the Kodiak yet. So you are suggesting a gas generator?

Well, if you want something to run more than a couple hours and cost less than the kodiak UPS, yes. If you believe you need weeks of power, then solar becomes viable for it's initial cost. If you want something for 3 days a year, a small generator is likely a better bargain.

[SunEagle]

I just don't understand people anymore. You try to give them good information so they can save money and when you tell them something they don't want to hear they get pissed off and delete their posts.

Am I doing something wrong here in this forum?

[Mike90250]

It's ostrich syndrome.

[joanne]

Enough of the insults. I

[J.P.M.]

I just don't understand people anymore. You try to give them good information so they can save money and when you tell them something they don't want to hear they get pissed off and delete their posts.

Am I doing something wrong here in this forum?

Sometimes people have their minds made up and don't want to be confused by things they don't know or maybe never will even though such things may fit realities better than their current understanding allows them to see. Some folks you just can't reach.

As for wrong, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Just trust your judgement and experience and make allowance for other's doubting because you won't always be right.

I'd suggest expecting a lot open mindedness by others, particularly those in over their heads might lead to a lot of disappointment. Think cynically and expect less, or better yet, nothing. You'll be disappointed less and when you're wrong, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

[SunEagle]

Enough of the insults. I

We are not insulting you. We are trying to help you make good financial decisions. Please don't get upset if you don't agree with what we are saying.

[J.P.M.]

Enough of the insults. I

Not everyone who tells you want you may not like is trying to insult you.