Hey everyone! I recently picked up an Anker F3800 Home Panel along with 4 Anker 410W rigid solar panels during a New Year's sale. I've got everything set up with 2 panels connected in parallel per XT60 connection. Living in Seattle, I'm seeing about 70% of the expected output (1.12 kW instead of 1.64 kW) due to tree coverage and our northern location.
I'm contemplating adding more panels to reach the maximum solar input of 2.4 kW. Some resources suggest keeping the current under 27A per XT60 to avoid damaging the F3800. However, I've also read that inverters only draw what they need and that having higher-powered panels could help optimize performance. Additionally, one site mentioned that the F3800 has overcurrent protection.
So, my main question is: Can the Anker F3800 handle 4 of these 410W panels considering my current output? Each panel averages around 12 amps, which would total 48A. If the F3800 can only accept 27A, would the additional panels even make a difference? I want to avoid wasting money or damaging my setup while maximizing its potential. Thanks for any insights!
1 Answer
You can push the wattage as high as you like, but be careful with amperage and voltage—going over could cause serious damage to your system. The F3800 struggles with the input limits when you connect multiple rigid panels since they can't be tied in series; you'll be stuck with parallel connections. I managed to get around 24A with two panels, but adding more just becomes a waste because the F3800 will limit the current. So effectively, you're capped at about 800W for a single line. Also, remember resistive losses in cables are a concern; I lost around 100W over a long run!
That's exactly my concern! I feel like Anker isn’t considering the solar setup well enough. Looks like I'll need to hunt for panels that fit better specs to make up for my current loss.