I have an 80Watt 12V SolarPanel that is just 12Months old and has decided to throw the towel in.
I can get 20.4Volts on Open Circuit but NO Amps at all on the Short Circuit current.
It's being replaced under warranty, but I'm curious if anyone else has had the same problem and was able to fix it?
Loki said
01:41 AM Oct 8, 2012
Could be a bad join (cold solder joint) somewhere; you can measure voltage with no load, but as soon as a load is applied, it breaks down (open circuit).
Curl said
02:06 AM Oct 8, 2012
OK....I'll do some checking....thanks.
jimricho said
12:31 AM Oct 9, 2012
Try disconnecting both the panel from the regulator and the regulator from the battery, then reconnect them, battery to regulator first, then panel to regulator.
If this doesn't work, try doing this again but only this time first reconnect the panel then the battery. Note however that some multi-voltage (12v/24v) regulators specify a sequence to connect, check the instructions with the regulator to check this before going ahead.
Curl said
08:37 PM Oct 12, 2012
Checked it again this morning and found No Volts at all now. On closer inspection it appears as though water has somehow got in under the glass. I'm assuming that has shorted/fried things. Guess it's probably Cactus now?
jimricho said
10:55 PM Oct 12, 2012
Curl wrote:
Checked it again this morning and found No Volts at all now. On closer inspection it appears as though water has somehow got in under the glass. I'm assuming that has shorted/fried things. Guess it's probably Cactus now?
That would be my guess too.
hako said
05:33 AM Oct 13, 2012
I recently bought a 100watt folding panel on Ebay for $151 delivered (auction) and found exactly the same fault when first used - emailed the seller and they said it was a faulty regulator and said they would put a new one in the mail - arrived a few days later and all is good. I noticed that the new regulator was slightly different internally to the failed one. Water under the glass should not affect things.
Curl said
09:18 PM Oct 13, 2012
Just found 2 Burn Spots on the back of the Solar Panel. Looks like it fried. Probably from water getting in somewhere. Emailed the manufacturer to see if there is any chance of repairing it, but don't hold much hope.
briggspc said
05:30 AM Oct 14, 2012
Curl on the back of the panel they normaly have 2 bypass Diods (little black things) they can go bang and short your panel out, take them off and remember how they came off, one end has a band on it and when off then put a meter on your panel in the sun and see if still dead.
Curl said
11:17 PM Oct 15, 2012
Yes, unfortunately still dead.
briggspc said
06:40 AM Oct 20, 2012
Looks like a new panel for you
Scotty01 said
09:41 PM Oct 23, 2012
All this talk promps me to ask about a problem I may or may not have. I spoke with a sola guy today who says I dont have a problem but it just dosnt seem right to me. I have 2 x 300watt panels with a Red Ark regulator connected to 2 x 100aHr batteries, in full sun I only have 13v from panels to regulator and the same output from regulator. 15 amps showing as flowing to batterys. I have not yet checked open cuircut voltage from panels. After running Waceo Freezer and TV and LED lighting for only about 2hrs after dark battery voltage drops to approx. 12.3 V . Any Ideas?
PS : panels and regulator only about 3 mths old.
-- Edited by Scotty01 on Tuesday 23rd of October 2012 09:42:42 PM
DeBe said
06:13 AM Oct 24, 2012
If is showing 13V & there is 15Amps going in to the batterys, then i would sugest that the batterys are not fully charged. When the battery gets nearer to 14V the current should be lower. Doesnt sound like a panel problem.
jimricho said
02:42 PM Oct 24, 2012
DeBe wrote:
If is showing 13V & there is 15Amps going in to the batterys, then i would sugest that the batterys are not fully charged. When the battery gets nearer to 14V the current should be lower. Doesnt sound like a panel problem.
Maybe the batteries themselves are the problem. If you're in a position to do so fully charge the batteries from another source (240v charger) and check the performance of the batteries then. You could also check the batteries individually but note that if one of them is on the way out you would be advised to replace both batteries if they have any age on them.
PeterD said
07:41 AM Oct 25, 2012
What exactly is the regulator you have? Can you give us a link to the actual model or full details of the regulator? I searched on "Red Ark regulator" and the models I found will not deliver much current.
Your panels should produce a peak power point current of around 35 A. If they are mounted flat on your van I would expect they are capable of delivering over 25 A in full sunlight. As far as I have seen it does not matter how much solar power you supply to a regulator it will not deliver any more than its maximum rated current. You are not getting the full potential current from your panels. Also the charging voltage of 13 V shows that you are starting the night with very little charge in your batteries. Disconnect your Waeco until you can get your charging voltage to above 14 V for some considerable time. If you have not achieved full charging voltages for a considerable time (a few weeks weeks) there is a chance you have killed your batteries.
Do you have a multi stage mains powered battery charger? You should have as there are times your solar charging will not be sufficient. Use this charger to recover your batteries before you go any further. You should run it until it goes right through its full cycle and is running on float charge.
For better advice can you supply details of your regulator as suggested above, the absorption charge voltage your regulator is set to and a full description of your batteries.
Hello All.
I have an 80Watt 12V SolarPanel that is just 12Months old and has decided to throw the towel in.
I can get 20.4Volts on Open Circuit but NO Amps at all on the Short Circuit current.
It's being replaced under warranty, but I'm curious if anyone else has had the same problem and was able to fix it?
If this doesn't work, try doing this again but only this time first reconnect the panel then the battery. Note however that some multi-voltage (12v/24v) regulators specify a sequence to connect, check the instructions with the regulator to check this before going ahead.
That would be my guess too.
Water under the glass should not affect things.
Looks like it fried. Probably from water getting in somewhere.
Emailed the manufacturer to see if there is any chance of repairing it, but don't hold much hope.
Looks like a new panel for you
All this talk promps me to ask about a problem I may or may not have. I spoke with a sola guy today who says I dont have a problem but it just dosnt seem right to me. I have 2 x 300watt panels with a Red Ark regulator connected to 2 x 100aHr batteries, in full sun I only have 13v from panels to regulator and the same output from regulator. 15 amps showing as flowing to batterys. I have not yet checked open cuircut voltage from panels. After running Waceo Freezer and TV and LED lighting for only about 2hrs after dark battery voltage drops to approx. 12.3 V . Any Ideas?
PS : panels and regulator only about 3 mths old.
-- Edited by Scotty01 on Tuesday 23rd of October 2012 09:42:42 PM
If is showing 13V & there is 15Amps going in to the batterys, then i would sugest that the batterys are not fully charged. When the battery gets nearer to 14V the current should be lower. Doesnt sound like a panel problem.
Maybe the batteries themselves are the problem. If you're in a position to do so fully charge the batteries from another source (240v charger) and check the performance of the batteries then. You could also check the batteries individually but note that if one of them is on the way out you would be advised to replace both batteries if they have any age on them.
Your panels should produce a peak power point current of around 35 A. If they are mounted flat on your van I would expect they are capable of delivering over 25 A in full sunlight. As far as I have seen it does not matter how much solar power you supply to a regulator it will not deliver any more than its maximum rated current. You are not getting the full potential current from your panels. Also the charging voltage of 13 V shows that you are starting the night with very little charge in your batteries. Disconnect your Waeco until you can get your charging voltage to above 14 V for some considerable time. If you have not achieved full charging voltages for a considerable time (a few weeks weeks) there is a chance you have killed your batteries.
Do you have a multi stage mains powered battery charger? You should have as there are times your solar charging will not be sufficient. Use this charger to recover your batteries before you go any further. You should run it until it goes right through its full cycle and is running on float charge.
For better advice can you supply details of your regulator as suggested above, the absorption charge voltage your regulator is set to and a full description of your batteries.