The solar regulator (aka controller) should take care of any issues regarding leaving the panels connected overnight by "blocking" any current from the battery flowing back to the panels. In many RV/caravan installations the panels are permanently wired in and cannot be easily disconnected each night.
Solar panels are used very extensively for powering street signs, marine navigation beacons, communications facilities etc and these are not disconnected each night.
PS: (edit) I was composing this post when "blaze" put in his post which also answers the question. Sorry, didn't mean to "double up". I agree with blaze's comment re the battery(s).
-- Edited by jimricho on Saturday 22nd of December 2012 07:07:23 AM
we have 3 solar panels of 250 watts which runs our compressor fridge and we think the batteries have gone south,we have by accident left the portable solar connected to the anderson plug overnight which we have always been told is a no no, is this right ? can it drag the power back out of the batteries at night . yesterday the regulator was showing that 70 amps had gone in and that doesn't include the portable ampage,and the fridge won't last the night as we have to turn it off as it is getting too low in voltage as shown on the voltmeter
the solae panels should have a backfeed diode somewhere so leaving hooked up overnight should not be a problem. Sounds like you have a battery problem. When the sun stops shining disconect the solar and test the voltage of batteries after they have sat for a while with nothing discharging them. Also check the short circuit output of you8r panels cheers blaze
thanks guys , the only one we disconnect is the portable one every night as the two on the roof are permantly wired in but yes the batteries do sound like they are past their use by date.we will get agm batteries this time. thanks again
I have lead acid baterys and got 4 years out of the last one, a 150 amp/hr. The agms will last longer , but are more expensive. All I can say is bigger is better in baterys. Bill
I recently had to take my regulator out of the system and charge each of my AGM batteries seperately.I used a Ctek 10 Amp 240 Volt to 12 Volt to recharge them. I was told by the manufacturer that the regulator has to have a voltage from the battery to sort of kick start the recharging process and by having discharged both batteries they would not recharge.
Both batteries are now recharged and working well.All reconnected and doing the job.
Might be a similar problem,so get the batteries checked before buying new although upgrading to AGM is a good idea.
The problem is more likely to be the batteries than the charger as the dodgy(?) batteries are probably "fooling" the charger.
If you suspect the charger try it on a different battery, eg put it on your car battery overnight and see what it does.
PS: If you're replacing the batteries check with the supplier whether they have any special requirements or suggestions regarding connecting them in parallel (I assume you have two 12v batteries). Also check any issues regarding warranty when connecting two batteries together.
-- Edited by jimricho on Monday 24th of December 2012 07:21:50 AM
we have been having trouble with the charging system we have which is called a smart charger and it loks like it has overcharged the batteries which as we have been told is just as bad as undercharging them . the smart charger has not been recognising when the batteries are ful and has been continually running ,so we think maybe it is a battery problem and also a charger problem
Be aware that when you change battery types you might have to change the settings in your controller as Wet Cells and AGMs I believe have different charging rates etc.
Best to ask the supplier if you buy new batteries.
If they don't know what you are talking about go to a different store.
Regards Brian
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11 Mtr house Boat based at Mannum hoping to travel up the Murray as far as I can get then drift back again
One thing that I don't think I've seen anyone address so far is that of batteries being all of one size, with regulators I've used in the past, if you put different sized batteries together, they stuff up, in my rig, like Bill12, I have lead acid, I've used 6volt batteries in 12 volt config and being 6 volts you can get larger capacity in smaller batts, I made a bank of 500aph, oversized yes but I don't drag them down as much and sofar I've gotten 9 years work out of them and they are still going strong, all refrig is 12 volts, with fridge and freezer , a lot cheaper and easier to look after.
