SOLAR PANELS provide mostly Amps to Charge Battery ??
jeepnudger said
08:55 PM Nov 27, 2020
I have 4 QUESTIONS advice please>>>>>
1} I have setup 2 -- 120w panels in parallel, connected to solar regulator , what should voltage and amps coming from panels be ??
2} I have 2 -- 140ah deep cycle batteries in parallel requiring charging, what is required charging values in amps and volts ??
3} What is minimum voltage level batteries should get to before recharging ?
4} Oh well... i will say it. I feel really annoyed about this. Set up 1000w Inverter and ACCIDENTLY left turned (oh yes !!!) 3 days later I check van and find batteries FLAT down to 5.5v and Inverter turned on. I had batteries recharged overnite and they appeared to come back to 12.5v ,, however guy charging them said I have ruined these NEW batteries (better buy new Batteries) is that correct???
I went away for 4days and lived on minimum battery power, batteries lasted the 4 days. I drove home 4hrs drive and batteries were showing full charge and 13.3v when I got home.
could they have recovered?
Any advice is sure appreciated .
dabbler said
09:29 PM Nov 27, 2020
1) Voltage before regulator depends on the panel. Voltage after regulator depends on the draw from anything connected. Amps depend on sunlight and efficiency. There is no single correct answer. 2)
3) 11.6v is considered "flat" and many people don't go below 12v with is about. 12.3 is about 50%. Values vary a bit with manufacturer but there are tables of volts vs SOC around the internet that are reasonably useful.
dabbler said
09:52 PM Nov 27, 2020
Sorry for incomplete post and lousy formatting. This forum isn't friendly to my mobile devices for some reason. 2) Charging voltage for standby are about 13.7 and higher for reconditioning. Only AC chargers have reconditioning settings I think. My Redarc BCDC50 doesn't do reconditioning. Amps required for charge also depends on manufacturer. Max current is usually about 30% of capacity. Min capacity depends on how long you are willing to wait. My AC powered Noco genius is only 7amp but handles my 280aH overnight when reconditioning. 4) Your batteries are not destroyed but probably have shorter lives now. Battery longevity (measured in number if charge/discharge cycles) depends on jow deeply theh are discharged and how often. Frequent shallow DOD = long life, frequent deep DOD = short life. You may not even notice any loss of longevity. Time will tell but I certainly wouldn't replace them just yet. Use them as normal and see it you get the same usability. If not, hit them individually with an AC charger reconditioning profile then reconnect them and put them through the usual paces again. This based on AGM but the principle is the same for every chemistry but Lithium. I've used "depends" a lot because it can't be avoided. As far as solar goes, if using solar regulator, shift as close to batteries. If you have a DCDC with solar input use it and bypass the solar regulator.
Jaahn said
11:53 AM Nov 28, 2020
jeepnudger wrote:
I have 4 QUESTIONS advice please>>>>To answer your questions !
1} I have setup 2 -- 120w panels in parallel, connected to solar regulator , what should voltage and amps coming from panels be ??
approx 6-7 amps each, so 12-14A total and full charging about 18V in full sun. The answer is actually on a sticker on the rear if you can see it with a camera or a mirror.
2} I have 2 -- 140ah deep cycle batteries in parallel requiring charging, what is required charging values in amps and volts ??
as said max about 30% so about 50A each equals 100A for both. But they will charge down to 1A. The volts are often on the side of the battery but usually 14.2-14.4V is a normal max depending on the type. A slightly higher regeneration charge can be used only on some types banned on others. Consult the supplier.
3} What is minimum voltage level batteries should get to before recharging ?
Hm that depends !! but wise to stay above 12.2 for good life. Get more solar to keep it up high.
4} Oh well... i will say it. I feel really annoyed about this. Set up 1000w Inverter and ACCIDENTLY left turned (oh yes !!!) 3 days later I check van and find batteries FLAT down to 5.5v and Inverter turned on. I had batteries recharged overnite and they appeared to come back to 12.5v ,, however guy charging them said I have ruined these NEW batteries (better buy new Batteries) is that correct???
I went away for 4days and lived on minimum battery power, batteries lasted the 4 days. I drove home 4hrs drive and batteries were showing full charge and 13.3v when I got home.
could they have recovered? Any advice is sure appreciated .
Bad luck but sounds like they might be OK. One bad experience is not necessarily the end. Keep them charged up with the panels and they will recover most likely. Some solar regulators are better that others for keeping them charged well. They must have a three stage charge system at least prefferably with adjustable settings.
Cheers jaahn
Whenarewethere said
01:18 PM Nov 28, 2020
My setup is getting blood out of a stone, if you can get more let me know!
Your batteries should be ok, it was a one off. You have only used up about two of its 80% discharge lives, 2 out of 300 roughly!
Whenarewethere said
03:26 PM Nov 28, 2020
jeepnudger wrote:
1} I have setup 2 -- 120w panels in parallel, connected to solar regulator , what should voltage and amps coming from panels be ??
What length is the wire (both + & - total length) from the solar panels to controller & what gauge? Could be loosing a bit here.
I get up to about 3.9amps (2 in series) or 7.8amps all in parallel, 120 watts of solar. If I water cool the panels I do not get any more amps but it keeps the voltage up so when it goes through the MPPT controller it is increasing the amps where possible, but adjusting the voltage depending on the voltage of the batteries.
jeepnudger said
11:13 PM Nov 28, 2020
Thanks guys for replies. Will definetly cont with batteries. Jeepnudger
I have 4 QUESTIONS advice please>>>>>
1} I have setup 2 -- 120w panels in parallel, connected to solar regulator , what should voltage and amps coming from panels be ??
2} I have 2 -- 140ah deep cycle batteries in parallel requiring charging, what is required charging values in amps and volts ??
3} What is minimum voltage level batteries should get to before recharging ?
4} Oh well... i will say it. I feel really annoyed about this. Set up 1000w Inverter and ACCIDENTLY left turned (oh yes !!!) 3 days later I check van and find batteries FLAT down to 5.5v and Inverter turned on. I had batteries recharged overnite and they appeared to come back to 12.5v ,, however guy charging them said I have ruined these NEW batteries (better buy new Batteries) is that correct???
I went away for 4days and lived on minimum battery power, batteries lasted the 4 days. I drove home 4hrs drive and batteries were showing full charge and 13.3v when I got home.
could they have recovered?
Any advice is sure appreciated .
Cheers jaahn
My setup is getting blood out of a stone, if you can get more let me know!
https://thegreynomads.activeboard.com/t65231112/custom-6x20-watts-solar-setup-with-mppt/
Your batteries should be ok, it was a one off. You have only used up about two of its 80% discharge lives, 2 out of 300 roughly!
What length is the wire (both + & - total length) from the solar panels to controller & what gauge? Could be loosing a bit here.
I get up to about 3.9amps (2 in series) or 7.8amps all in parallel, 120 watts of solar. If I water cool the panels I do not get any more amps but it keeps the voltage up so when it goes through the MPPT controller it is increasing the amps where possible, but adjusting the voltage depending on the voltage of the batteries.