Installing Solar

[seanicroute]

Hello all. We have a "new to us," Morgan 462.

I am looking at installing solar, and I am coming across a couple of issues with how things are wired. I am by no means an expert at all; matter of fact I am rather clueless hence I am here asking for help. So treat me like a monkey that knows how to use a voltmeter and that's about it.

I have 2 battery banks, each is made up of 2xTrojan (6V) Flooded batteries wired in series to make 2x12V banks.

Now, there is a bus bar behind all the banks...and as I am typing this I just found a battery meter that I didn't even know was there (Victron energy)..and a shunt. The shunt has one positive wire going to one bank, one wire going to the monitor,


The shunt also has 4 negatives going to it, 1 each to a negative terminal on each battery bank, one on the bus bar, and the fourth to the xantrex prosine 2.0 (2kw) inverter.

Hope that all makes sense to someone...

Lets start with something simple...based on what I just said where do I connect the solar power coming out of the charge controller? One on the negative bus and the positive to...? Or just straight to a bank...? I'd love to be able to monitor the input/output on the battery monitor.

I have many more questions, and I hope to find some help here...

Thanks.

[gmakhs]

I am not expert , I have an mppt controller , if you have the same type of controller make sure the panels are connected in series (higher voltage ) to.improve performance .
In my boat the controller is connected directly to the bank , I have an mppt for the service bank and an pmw controller on the engine bank .
The pmw is configured to 13 .8 float voltage just to keep the battery allive .

[seanicroute]

Originally Posted by gmakhs

I am not expert , I have an mppt controller , if you have the same type of controller make sure the panels are connected in series (higher voltage ) to.improve performance .
In my boat the controller is connected directly to the bank , I have an mppt for the service bank and an pmw controller on the engine bank .
The pmw is configured to 13 .8 float voltage just to keep the battery allive .

I have a PMW controller.

Also, I just figured out that the monitor is a Victron 700 (so only for one bank?)

[Stu Jackson]

How are your two banks switched?

[gmakhs]

There is possibility that it's only one bank of 4 batteries 2 connected in series to raise the voltage at 12 and then connected in parallel for capacity .
If you share more information or photo of the connections members will be able to help you


P.s if you have more than one solar panel and you can affordnthe mppt you will really benefit from an mppt controller over pwm.

[seanicroute]

Ok...

I didn't want to get into the rest, yet because there are some other issues I'd like to address separately.

The two banks are switched via a selector switch in the engine compartment. Negative Bus bar Has 5 negatives, 1 for the DC Panel, 1 For the Shunt, 3 run into the engine room for various grounds (Engine, Generator and something else I cant find right now).

Not sure where to host the images.

[seanicroute]

The more I look the more questions come up. The negative from the XANTRAX inverter is wired directly to the load side of the shunt...
shouldn't this be on the bus bar.


Also, still trying to ascertain how to wire the solar? Positive on bank, Negative on bus bar?

[smac999]

you have a few weird things.

the victron can not monitor 2 banks. only the neg from one bank should go to the battery side of the shunt. if you want to monitor both banks you need to buy a 2nd gauge. do you have both banks neg going to one side of shunt, and then bus bar and inverter on other side? or do you have one bank on one side, and 3 cables on the other?

having 2 banks of 2 golf carts is weird. is one of those a starting bank? or do you have a 3rd starting battery? you shouldn't be starting an engine off a pair of golf carts. they are not cranking batteries. and will have less CCA. I would combine all 4 into one bank and then buy a cranking battery to start from.

the solar pos goes to which ever bank you want to make the house bank. you need to decide which is which since they are currenlty the same (odd) the victron and solar should go to that battery. and you house swtich and loads. the neg goes to the bus. it can not go to the battery. or the victron will not work.

inverter to shunt doesn't matter as long as it fits on the bolt. if the cable is large and short from shunt to bus then I would move it to bus to make things more simple. same with the 2nd battery bank, move to buss. ideally shunt only should have 2 wires on it. house battery ground and wire to ground buss

[smac999]

Originally Posted by seanicroute

The more I look the more questions come up. The negative from the XANTRAX inverter is wired directly to the load side of the shunt...
shouldn't this be on the bus bar.


Also, still trying to ascertain how to wire the solar? Positive on bank, Negative on bus bar?

1: they are electrically the same spot

2 yes.