Section 4A:
General
Operation and Maintenance
WARNING! The base unit is NOT water-proof, and must be stored and
used in a dry location. Wind-driven rain will ruin the inverter, and
worse, set up conditions where people or pets may be
electrocuted. The solar panel assemblies may, however be
safely used outdoors in any weather, so long as care is taken
to prevent wind and falling objects like tree limbs, etc. from causing
damage.
Also, please take note that in addition to the above very real
danger, the warranty does not cover water or other weather-related
damage to any of the components!
To use the unit, unplug the AC charger cord if it is connected, then wheel the unit to a
convenient location. Open the cabinet door and turn the main switch clockwise to position #1
and then press the inverter start button to initialize the inverter. Connect any loads to the
appropriate receptacles. Be sure to keep the door open so as to allow adequate airflow for
inverter cooling.
Note that it is not necessary to have the solar panels connected in order to use the power
station, but if they are not connected (and in direct sunlight), you will only have what power is
in the batteries. There is no easy way to tell exactly how much charge remains in the batteries,
so the best measure we have is to watch the battery bank voltage, which is shown on the control
panel's digital display.
Battery voltage gradients change over time as the batteries age, but a good rule of thumb
is that 12.8 to 14 volts is a reading for a battery pretty much fully charged. When the voltage
drops to 12.1 to 12.3 volts, the batteries are usually about one half to two-thirds discharged.
Voltage of 11.0 to 11.9 mean that the battery is pretty much exhausted, and voltages below
about 10.5 will cause the inverter to shut off. These numbers are only approximate, experience
is still the best teacher!
Please note that the voltage readings, to be accurate, must be read under
a no-load condition. The voltage will be much lower when the batteries are
under load.
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