Solar panel and battery

franckhoudin69

Hi everyone, I am changing my solar panel{130}and battery to lithium{135 AH}, also changing my Victron controller to 30A , as you read, big work for a little man, any suggestions, running also Norcold fridge 50 W, thanks

JamesDow

Congratulations on your change.
From my testing and experience, a 130-Watt solar panel will not be able to keep up with power demand over time. By over time, I would think you would be able to be off grid 7-10 days in summer warm/hot weather before your battery would be nearing depletion. If you use your overhead vent fan and water pump very often, the additional power usage would eat into more of your battery state of charge (SOC).
I recently got a 220-Watt EcoFlow 220-Watt Bifacial Solar Panel ($379) and have been very pleased with the power output. Without much effort, I was able to reach near or at the stated power output of 220-Watts. None of my other panels will come close to the rated output. On my next extended trip, I will take both my 220 and 100-Watt panels.
If you are just going off grid for a long weekend, your system should be just fine.
As for changing the T@G power converter, I would not bother. My WFCO WF-8725 can charge my 100Ah lithium battery just fine up to around 94%+ when a small load (NorCold refrigerator) exists. (About 83% without a load) The converter Bulk operation mode puts out 14.4 Volts for a maximum of 4 hours. When the converter cycles to Float mode and senses a demand, the converter automatically changes out of Float mode.
I also, at times use a battery charger (Eco-Worthy $70). It is small and only draws around 9-10 Amps, so it can be used nearly anywhere. It does take longer to get to 100% SOC than a more powerful and expensive charger, but time is what I have.
 

franckhoudin69

Thank You James.