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Thread: Solar Upgrade

  1. #1
    Long Hauler Paul & Deb's Avatar
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    Solar Upgrade

    So I've had a 300 watt Renogy solar setup on my trailer for about 1 1/2 years now. It consisted of 3 - 100 watt panels connected in parallel running through a 30 amp Wanderer PWM controller. I was pretty happy with the performance but always expected to upgrade down the road.

    Last week I ordered another 100 watt panel and a new 40 amp Rover MPPT. I mounted the new panel and reconnected my panels in series.

    I head out next week for 5 days boondocking lakeside on the eastern Sierras so we'll see if I notice an improvement.

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    Paul "Poppy" and Deb Cervone
    2022 Imagine XLS 22MLE
    2021 Imagine XLS 17MKE - SOLD ; 2015 Grand Design Reflection 337RLS - SOLD
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    Site Sponsor John612's Avatar
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    Looks good Paul, did you add another battery?
    You headed to Crowley?
    John, Susan & Luke
    2015 Reflection 303 RLS #867
    Bakersfield, CA

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    Long Hauler Paul & Deb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by John612 View Post
    Looks good Paul, did you add another battery?
    You headed to Crowley?
    Yup, Lake Crowley is our annual trip. Sometimes Convict but we like Crowley better.

    I did not add batteries. My 2 - Trojan T015s seem to give me plenty of Ahs (225) to get me through at least 1 day but I wanted quicker recovery so this is my attempt.
    Paul "Poppy" and Deb Cervone
    2022 Imagine XLS 22MLE
    2021 Imagine XLS 17MKE - SOLD ; 2015 Grand Design Reflection 337RLS - SOLD
    2016 GMC Denali 3500HD SRW Duramax/Allison CC 4x4; Tire Minder TPMS

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    Long Hauler Paul & Deb's Avatar
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    Well, I made a boo-boo the other day.

    After I finished my work I decided I wanted to test it the next day so I switched the inverter on and then turned the fridge on A/C for the night. Not a good decision. By morning my 2 - 6 volt Trojans were empty! SOC was ZERO! Battery volts read 11.2 volts. Crap! I've had these batteries for 4 years and in 2 5th wheels and I've never had them below 50% SOC.

    Well, although I'm disappointed I drained my batteries, by the late afternoon on a good full sun day, my batteries were charged back to 100% SOC just on the solar.
    Paul "Poppy" and Deb Cervone
    2022 Imagine XLS 22MLE
    2021 Imagine XLS 17MKE - SOLD ; 2015 Grand Design Reflection 337RLS - SOLD
    2016 GMC Denali 3500HD SRW Duramax/Allison CC 4x4; Tire Minder TPMS

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    Seasoned Camper acadiaforever's Avatar
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    Are there battery monitors that will shut down the inverter at a programmable SOC?
    Al and Kathe
    House: Bass Harbor, Maine
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    Long Hauler Paul & Deb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by acadiaforever View Post
    Are there battery monitors that will shut down the inverter at a programmable SOC?
    Good question. Would that possibly be a programming mode in my solar controller or in the inverter or are you talking about something else?
    Paul "Poppy" and Deb Cervone
    2022 Imagine XLS 22MLE
    2021 Imagine XLS 17MKE - SOLD ; 2015 Grand Design Reflection 337RLS - SOLD
    2016 GMC Denali 3500HD SRW Duramax/Allison CC 4x4; Tire Minder TPMS

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    Site Sponsor Cate&Rob's Avatar
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    Paul - I am surprised that your inverter would pull the batteries down that far. Usually, inverters have a low input voltage limit corresponding more-or-less to 12.0 volts which is the battery voltage at 50% state of charge. Below this, they stop trying to convert VDC to VAC and shut down. Is this something you can set in the software for your inverter?

    Rob
    Cate & Rob
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    King Pin
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    Paul - I looked at the SunForce Pro Series inverter manual. The inverter will alarm when the battery voltage drops to 10.5 VDC, and it will shut down when the battery voltage is 10.0 VDC or less. So I got curious and checked the specifications on my Kisae SW1220 inverter. It's shut down voltage is 10.5 VDC. I'd rather see a higher shut down voltage myself.

    Jim

  9. #9
    Long Hauler Paul & Deb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cate&Rob View Post
    Paul - I am surprised that your inverter would pull the batteries down that far. Usually, inverters have a low input voltage limit corresponding more-or-less to 12.0 volts which is the battery voltage at 50% state of charge. Below this, they stop trying to convert VDC to VAC and shut down. Is this something you can set in the software for your inverter?

    Rob
    I checked the manual and found this.

    . Under Voltage Protection. The LED will illuminate RED and the Inverter will automatically turn itself off, when the input is less than 10.0 +- 0.5 volts DC. Based on reading the manual it does not appear to be programmable.

    So I'm guessing here but when I got up and checked it the fridge was beeping and saying No AC but I forgot to check the actual inverter to see if it was off or on. I pressed the off button on my remote but it could have already been off.

    I would like to think the Under Voltage Protection shut off the inverter but, if I read it correctly, it does that at 10.0 volts but when I read my meter it said the batteries were like 11.2 or so that was low but it didn't quite reach that threshold. Now maybe it did get as low as 10 volts and shut itself off and the solar got it back to 11.2 by the time I checked? Regardless, wouldn't letting the batteries down as low as 10 volts be too low?
    Paul "Poppy" and Deb Cervone
    2022 Imagine XLS 22MLE
    2021 Imagine XLS 17MKE - SOLD ; 2015 Grand Design Reflection 337RLS - SOLD
    2016 GMC Denali 3500HD SRW Duramax/Allison CC 4x4; Tire Minder TPMS

  10. #10
    Site Sponsor Cate&Rob's Avatar
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    Paul & Jim - 10.5 Volts is an absolutely dead battery. I am surprised that your inverters can pull the batteries down that low. This is definitely down to "permanent damage". I know that the inverter on my boat kicks itself off at about the time my independent Victron meter is showing around 50% state of charge. That is my only reference. There must be some device that can shut off the inverter to protect the batteries if no one is there to do it manually .

    Rob
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails 12-v-Battery-State-Of-Charge.jpg  
    Cate & Rob
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