question

@Wendy1

There is certainly a lot to process when it comes to solar! The only stupid questions are the ones that were not asked though.

On your batteries the links you provided are not working. But I would think you would need more to keep up with your consumption. 170A x 12v x 2 = 4040 Watts of storage drawing them to 100% flat.

In total according to your list you have about a 7kWh usage. so your panels would need to produce this during the solar day (solar day not the same as daylight hours - for example where we live our shortest day is about 11 hours daylight but we budget about a 5/6 hour solar day, in other words when the panels are producing enough to cover full load and charge the batteries.

https://www.victronenergy.com/mppt-calculator helps with seeing your solar yield and checking with your proposed mppt for your panels. The bottom of the page has a handy graph for projections as well. I would get a higher amp output one - the 30A is the max it will output it will chop off your production. 2x320W = 640W (max output in ideal conditions) divide that by 12v = 53A so 20 amps or so will be wasted when it could be charging or running loads.

The inverter can charge at the same time as running loads the 12/1600/70 is a 12V system 1600VA 70A transfer ability. That is for loads and charging, but you can set it lower in the settings to draw the shore/docking limit. But if your shore limit is 2300W then maybe consider a 3000va system.

The 1600VA will limit how many big draw items you do at once but it is enough for one item at a time - so that really is a personal choice. If you want to boil the kettle and dry your hair at the same time go bigger.

The maximum charging of your battery is set by the c rating of the batteries you choose. Example if it is C10 rated then it is a 17A charge.

I do suggest getting some kind of GX device for monitoring into the system as well like a venus or CCGX it brings the system together and allows for and interactive personalizing of settings. https://www.victronenergy.com/live/venus-os:start

Buying all in one or separate is usually determined by cost and if the all in one meets the needs so again a personal choice especially if you want a customized setup.

To power the loads you mentioned would require a regular grid/shore connection or a lot larger system.

I would double check your consumption first to see if you really require that much. You mention AC outlets for your phone using 1000wh per day. If you are talking about charging your mobile, a 12v USB socket would do the same job and only require 100-200w per day. It would also allow you to turn your inverter off when it is not required saving you further power.

Be wary of cheap batteries, I purchased some 170Ah batteries that ended up being only around 100Ah. Due to your links not working I can’t tell what the batteries are. An old fashioned rule of thumb for lead acid batteries is that 100Ah @ 12v should weigh around 30 kg (60 lb). If you are using lead acid you only want to use half the capacity or you will quickly damage them.

Lithium batteries however are a completely different scenario.

A bit more information about how you plan to use the system could help as if you plan to plug in at a campsite each night, a lot of your use won’t actually be using your batteries.

I agree with most of what Alexandra posted, except that the 12/1600/70 has 70A charging capacity and 16A transfer capacity. If you are plugged in to a 15A campground you should be able to run your 1000-1500w loads and be putting up to 70A of charge into your batteries. The batteries themselves will only accept a certain maximum charge rate and for 340Ah I would consider around 35A to be better for extending the life of your batteries.

Hi Wendy, my two cents : in my house, I use a Phoenix 800VA 24VDC / 230AC for light, and fridge (take a look at Waeco / Dometic, they are great and take little power). I also run my laptops and screens. There is still plenty of power available.

Using a 24VDC configuration will reduce the size of the cabling and reduce the stress induced on the batteries when using higher loads.

Consider using a solar mppt, a DC-DC Orion to reload the batteries when driving, an AC Charger when you are bondocking, a BMV-702/712 to monitor the status of the batteries, and of course, the inverter Phoenix.

It may be a little bit more expensive having specialized units for each task, but if one fails, you won't get stuck for too long.

Michel.

Disclaimer: im sharing my experiences and im not claiming to be an expert!

Due to the fact that you plan on drawing a lot of power from your battery is strongly suggest using lithium batteries. Ive done a very similar setup to yours (only difference only 320w of solar) for my vw caddy camper. at one time i had 400ah of lead acids in my bay. They deplete very fast under load (see peukert factor). Basically under these loads you've listed in your sheet id expect 50% usable capacity. Conservatively speaking id be comfortable with at least 200ah of lifepo4.

There are options to build you own pack and save a lot of money, e.g. using the rec bms, which ties very good into victron setups.

Other than that is second what the other commentors said.

Old thread, but the phone charger current is at 5V. So negligible at 240V. Better bet is to install USB sockets on the 12V system.