solar panel question

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

The high output will only occur when the batteries are depleted, or the loads are high enough. If you place a load on the house greater than the output of the panels as a test, it will show what the panels are capable of producing irrespective of the controllers state (bulk, absorption or float).

Well this could be a little confusing because in Float it should show almost no current but as soon as you turn on the load (s) it will show current/charge and come out of Float in a minute

I'm not sure how long a large battery bank takes to come out of float though. My "Battery Bank" is two 12 volt Deep Cycle batteries in parallel from Auto World or some such so it goes to bulk charge pretty fast after the power is turned on

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Well this could be a little confusing because in Float it should show almost no current but as soon as you turn on the load (s) it will show current/charge and come out of Float in a minute

I'm not sure how long a large battery bank takes to come out of float though. My "Battery Bank" is two 12 volt Deep Cycle batteries in parallel from Auto World or some such so it goes to bulk charge pretty fast after the power is turned on

No confusion .

As you correctly point out, some/most solar controllers have a time delay, which is sometimes significant, before they will switch modes (for example between float and bulk).

However, well before the switch in modes occur, the solar controller will allow more current from solar panels. The voltage sag from charging voltage set points even for a large battery bank does not take long.

The response will never be instantaneous, but if you have a 200w load the controller will allow the solar panels to deliver 200w (or more) irrespective of the state (bulk, absorption, or float) that the solar controller is in at the time, assuming the solar panels are capable of developing the appropiate power.

[john61ct]

Being close to the equator, or tilting the panels to be 90° facing the sun is required to get anywhere close to rated VoC.

Of course some mfg may be more conservative than others in their ratings, for non price-sensitive customers would give a nice impression of better quality.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Well this could be a little confusing because in Float it should show almost no current but as soon as you turn on the load (s) it will show current/charge and come out of Float in a minute

I'm not sure how long a large battery bank takes to come out of float though. My "Battery Bank" is two 12 volt Deep Cycle batteries in parallel from Auto World or some such so it goes to bulk charge pretty fast after the power is turned on

Battery banks do not go into/out of float. Battery chargers do that.
And that is all about voltage control.


If you put load on the circuit, amps should increase at the current voltage until the charge adapts.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by john61ct

Being close to the equator, or tilting the panels to be 90° facing the sun is required to get anywhere close to rated VoC.

Of course some mfg may be more conservative than others in their ratings, for non price-sensitive customers would give a nice impression of better quality.

IME renogy panels are rather conservative in their ratings. I routinely see 5 amps out of each of my panels on full direct sunlight from mid spring in till mid fall

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by StuM

Battery banks do not go into/out of float. Battery chargers do that.
And that is all about voltage control.


If you put load on the circuit, amps should increase at the current voltage until the charge adapts.

Thanks for pointing out the obvious, but I know you have to be exact on here or it will be picked apart.

It's just a way of saying the same thing

OP still needs to learn his system a bit better. (what the amber light is telling you etc)

You will basically see no current flow that will amount to anything when in Float

This was my point.

Turn on the loads then watch the current.

I like to do it (check current flow) in the early morning when the batteries are down from running the fan all night just to see how much my system can do when the Sun clears the horizon

My four (4) panels are all moveable though so I can point them directly at the Sun. I have two (2) panels hooked to my Victron MPPT Controller and two (2) panels hooked to my PWM Controller with Voltage readout

[noelex 77]

Originally Posted by thomm225

You will basically see no current flow that will amount to anything when in Float

If you mean current flow out of the solar panels, that is not correct.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by noelex 77

If you mean current flow out of the solar panels, that is not correct.

Chill out just a bit. The OP is a total beginner it appears and he just needs basic information.

The last beginner we overloaded with technical info on Solar Panels, Controllers, Current, Voltage, connections etc became so frustrated he decide to just stop his troubleshooting for a while

If you monitor your Victron Controller while in Float ( I use my Lap top for this) most of the time you will read 0 amps or that is what mine reads.

When you turn on the load(s), real current flow begins again

On my system though I will still have current flow from two of my panels when the Victron goes to Float because it's Float is at 13.8 volts but my PWM's Float is at 14 Volts. It's an experiment

[sparrowhawk1]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Chill out just a bit. The OP is a total beginner it appears and he just needs basic information.

The last beginner we overloaded with technical info on Solar Panels, Controllers, Current, Voltage, connections etc became so frustrated he decide to just stop his troubleshooting for a while

If you monitor your Victron Controller while in Float ( I use my Lap top for this) most of the time you will read 0 amps or that is what mine reads.

When you turn on the load(s), real current flow begins again

On my system though I will still have current flow from two of my panels when the Victron goes to Float because it's Float is at 13.8 volts but my PWM's Float is at 14 Volts. It's an experiment

A little thread drift here but why would you want your float so high? Seems like all your accomplishing is having to add water more often.

[john61ct]

Many solar controllers cannot be adjusted properly so go to Float long before the bank hits 100% Full.

Many setups can't get to Full at all before charging stops.

Obviously there can't be any "overcharging" in that context, may as well at least get as close to Full as possible.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by sparrowhawk1

A little thread drift here but why would you want your float so high? Seems like all your accomplishing is having to add water more often.

I hooked up my PWM for a couple reasons and set it 's Float higher.

When I had a PWM Controller only, the Float was set at 13.8 volts and when it would first go to Float the voltage on the battery side and Panel side of the controller would be 13.8 volts, but gradually the panel side would get closer to VOC as the batteries got nearer to fully charged

I wanted to see if that was still the case now but so far I rarely see the voltage above around 18-19 volts with both the MPPT and PWM Controller at Float

Second reason was because when I run my fan all night my batteries are down to 12 Volts or 11.9 Volts in the AM and I don't remember it getting so low before....last year so I figured I'd power them up a bit more. My first to controllers were those cheap Chinese PWM for $12.00 that kept the voltage at 14.4 max. That was Float. I had it hooked to the batteries with alligator clips so I'd disconnect after the voltage hit 14.4 when not sailing

My fan is a 120 volt fan powered by a 400 watt inverter which I know is very inefficient but it works

One day I'll get better batteries. So far I haven't been without power but it's been close

[john61ct]

Get better gear and learn to use it well, before investing in quality batteries.

That also means a focus on minimizing consumption.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by john61ct

Get better gear and learn to use it well, before investing in quality batteries.

That also means a focus on minimizing consumption.

I don't buy anything unless I absolutely need it, but I may invest in a 12 volt fan

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by thomm225

I don't buy anything unless I absolutely need it, but I may invest in a 12 volt fan

a 12 volt fan will effectively cut the fan power use in half. Add in a couple solar fans and you will be golden.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by newhaul

a 12 volt fan will effectively cut the fan power use in half. Add in a couple solar fans and you will be golden.

Thanks, I have one solar fan now that the PO Installed