Bob is right. The numbers associated with solar panels are a bit tricky to work with. If a panel is putting out 4.65 amps, then 4.65 amps is what will come out of the controller and into the battery. The purpose of the controller is simply to reduce the voltage to whatever the battery can accept. Sadly, the extra voltage is simply wasted.
However, there is way to beat this. The behavior Bob and I described applies to a simple PWM controller (which is what you and I both have). There is a magic controller called an
MPPT controller that will convert the excess voltage to more current. It is considerably more expensive, and at the power levels being discussed, probably isn't worth the added cost. But we have had discussions of MPPT controllers on this board - you can look them up with the Search tool.
Your post describes consuming almost all of the 160 watts of solar power as soon as it is generated - laptop, etc. Realistically, the small amount of power that is left over - and then, only under optimum sun - won't do anything to recharge your battery from any discharge that it undergoes. You are right, the solar power will substitute for power that would otherwise come from the battery, and so the battery will last longer. But you are right again in saying that the furnace blower, as well as lights and other loads, will still come out of the battery. So don't expect magic results here.
Way back in the very early days of the Solar Power forum, Rocky Mountain Ray did a real nice installation. He dry-camped high in the Rockies (perfect sun every day!) on a regular basis, and he was an electronic gadget guy as you are. He installed, as I recall, about 300 watts of power, which allowed him to do what he wanted. You might consider digging up his story.
The owners of Northern Arizona Wind and Sun are technical guys, and their web site has a real nice technical section that is devoid of advertising hype or product-pushing. It is also technically accurate and honest, without the "wisdom" that comes from somebody's brother-in-law's cousin. It is located at
www.windsun.com. Their goal is to make a smarter customer. I have learned more from this site than from anything else on the web.
They also have a store, separate from the tech site. It is located at
store.solar-electric.com. (They also have a walk-in retail store.) I recommend them, having owned a bit of stuff from them. Their prices are quite a bit lower than other sources. Not to be a wet blanket, but you could have built the same system for about $350 less.
Meantime, welcome to the solar family. Since there aren't many of us, we will all be watching for your experiences and reports.
Bill