Battery Charging, Battery Return amps and Victron

[inthejungle]

Recently I have installed a small solar power system- consisting of 3 canadian solar 245w, a Outback FM 80 charge controller, 2 Rolls s-430 batteries and a Victron Battery monitor. I have noticed over the first three months after the install that my SOC has not been going below 90% each day. As I am in the tropics around Liberia, every day that 10% gets filled back up. This first three months of the system are in the rainy season and so in about a month I will have more sun that I know what to do with! I am a bit concerned about the long term with the SOC on the batteries. I think that It would be better to get the SOC to 80% before I started charging up again. I am manually shutting down the PV array every other day to bring the SOC down to about 85 or 80% at present. The other problem that I have noticed is that they are not getting a full absorption. I know this by the SG being a bit low at supposed full charge, SG read 1.255 at full. I do have a victron Batter Monitor installed I would like to charge them and adjust setting's based on battery return amps. I understand with the shunt from the victron you can see in and out amps used. Is there a way to charge, selectively adjust absorption charge time based on this number? Can the Victron unit be link to a charger to achieve this? If not how do you achieve this? Maybe a Victron MPPT-Anyone using a Victron MPPT, are they any good? Any suggestions? ITJ Current settings on the OB are AB 14.7 4 hours with no end amps setting Float 13.2

[Maine Sail]

Originally Posted by inthejungle

Recently I have installed a small solar power system- consisting of 3 canadian solar 245w, a Outback FM 80 charge controller, 2 Rolls s-430 batteries and a Victron Battery monitor. I have noticed over the first three months after the install that my SOC has not been going below 90% each day. As I am in the tropics around Liberia, every day that 10% gets filled back up. This first three months of the system are in the rainy season and so in about a month I will have more sun that I know what to do with! I am a bit concerned about the long term with the SOC on the batteries. I think that It would be better to get the SOC to 80% before I started charging up again. I am manually shutting down the PV array every other day to bring the SOC down to about 85 or 80% at present. The other problem that I have noticed is that they are not getting a full absorption. I know this by the SG being a bit low at supposed full charge, SG read 1.255 at full. I do have a victron Batter Monitor installed I would like to charge them and adjust setting's based on battery return amps. I understand with the shunt from the victron you can see in and out amps used. Is there a way to charge, selectively adjust absorption charge time based on this number? Can the Victron unit be link to a charger to achieve this? If not how do you achieve this? Maybe a Victron MPPT-Anyone using a Victron MPPT, are they any good? Any suggestions? ITJ Current settings on the OB are AB 14.7 4 hours with no end amps setting Float 13.2

When was the last time you did a manual re-set when "known full" on the Victron. Solar can wreak havoc on "false re-sets" so you may not actually be where you think you are. Remember these devices do not re-set on counting Ah's they reset on voltage, current and time at voltage/current. Solar can trick these into re-setting even if you are not full.

[inthejungle]

I tested the SG's last week after turning up the absorb time and got to 1270 and synced the victron