Looking for some advice on my camper trailer solar setup!

I'm looking for some advice regarding my battery and solar setup. I've got 2 Trojan T105 6V golf cart batteries, and 6 40 watt 2.9 amp Coleman solar panels. In the past I've been using the Coleman solar charge controllers (2) that came with the panels, but am concerned that these may not be utilizing the full potential of my battery bank. After doing some research it seems the batteries should be charged up to 14.6-14.8V to obtain maximum performance. Should i be upgrading my charge controller?
I'm also looking to purchase a battery charger for the off season. Typically I've just stored my batteries in a heated garage on top of 2x4's without a charge to them. I've heard good things about the NOCO Genius 10 smart charger. Wondering if anyone has any experience/feedback on these smart chargers?

Most controllers can do just fine for FLA cells. I have a noco booster, seems decent quality. I bought battery tenders online for like $30 each. I like them because they actually restart charging on their own. My big chargers stop and have to be manually restarted. Virtually any charge maintainer will do the job you want.
For solar controllers, you'll see a (small) improvement if you get a MPPT controller over a PWM. The coleman solar is probably PWM. I like the victron smart gear as the bluetooth app is great for checking status and charging. MPPT will give you a bit more effective charging time over the PWM if you're in less than idea conditions. This is because MPPT will boost voltage to continue charging while PWM will stop if the solar voltage is lower than the desired charge level. With smaller cells like yours this may be an issue. If your cells have high voltage outputs, then it won't really matter as much.

I would not bother with the expense of a mppt controller. Instead get a voltage adjustable PWM unit that can hit the voltage spec of 14.7, adjustable absorption time would be a bonus.

grizzzman said:

I would not bother with the expense of a mppt controller. Instead get a voltage adjustable PWM unit that can hit the voltage spec of 14.7, adjustable absorption time would be a bonus.

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Interesting. PWM by definition doesn't change voltage. Care to specify an example?
Edit: Doesn't make it higher, it can reduce voltage applied.

willo said:

Interesting. PWM by definition doesn't change voltage. Care to specify an example?
Edit: Doesn't make it higher, it can reduce voltage applied.

Click to expand...

I suggest you do some research on the subject.

grizzzman said:

I suggest you do some research on the subject.

Click to expand...

I'll clarify what I'm asking here.

The panels he's spec'd would only put out around 13.8 volts. (40w/2.9A=~13.78) Most PWM controllers do not have boost converter to allow them to provide a higher voltage to hit his target of 14.7v.

@lorettaboy do you have the actual voltage spec for those panels? If they provide a higher voltage, then you have more options.
I found these, but they are only rated at 2.3A with a higher working voltage of 17.1V.
(You can just check your daytime voltage with a multimeter to find your actual working voltage.)

@grizzzman Do you have a particular PWM controller in mind that has a built in voltage booster? That's what I was asking for. Most that I've seen are MPPT controllers that have boost.

I did not catch the lower voltage panels. My bad. I have not seen any boost PWM SCC's. As cheap as panels are perhaps an upgrade?

willo said:

Interesting. PWM by definition doesn't change voltage. Care to specify an example?
Edit: Doesn't make it higher, it can reduce voltage applie

Click to expand...

I believe what he means is that the PWM charge controller lets you set all of the voltages and times for each charge phase. With my TS-60 PWM I'm able to set it to BULK charge up to 13.9V and then shut off and not come back on until the voltage drops to 13.31V at which time it goes right back into BULK charge again. I can set these values to anything I like. I can and have turned off Float, Absorption and Equalize. I have it tailored for my LiFePO4 batteries. If you like running Float, Absorption and Equalize you certainly can and you can set them up for what ever voltages you want and for any length of time you like. Very versatile and should let you tailor your system however you like.

The other thing I like is that the PWM controller doesn't create any RFI/EMI so is great for ham radio, short wave listening or AM broadcast radio listening. NO interference.

willo said:

I'll clarify what I'm asking here.

The panels he's spec'd would only put out around 13.8 volts. (40w/2.9A=~13.78) Most PWM controllers do not have boost converter to allow them to provide a higher voltage to hit his target of 14.7v.

@lorettaboy do you have the actual voltage spec for those panels? If they provide a higher voltage, then you have more options.
I found these, but they are only rated at 2.3A with a higher working voltage of 17.1V.
(You can just check your daytime voltage with a multimeter to find your actual working voltage.)

@grizzzman Do you have a particular PWM controller in mind that has a built in voltage booster? That's what I was asking for. Most that I've seen are MPPT controllers that have boost.

Click to expand...

My UL-SOLAR panels are 18.3v They work well for LiFePO4 when using my TS-60 PWM.

Norm said:

I believe what he means is that the PWM charge controller lets you set all of the voltages and times for each charge phase. With my TS-60 PWM I'm able to set it to BULK charge up to 13.9V and then shut off and not come back on until the voltage drops to 13.31V at which time it goes right back into BULK charge again. I can set these values to anything I like. I can and have turned off Float, Absorption and Equalize. I have it tailored for my LiFePO4 batteries. If you like running Float, Absorption and Equalize you certainly can and you can set them up for what ever voltages you want and for any length of time you like. Very versatile and should let you tailor your system however you like.

The other thing I like is that the PWM controller doesn't create any RFI/EMI so is great for ham radio, short wave listening or AM broadcast radio listening. NO interference.

Click to expand...

Interesting I have a TS-60 that is set up through a PC to the same specs.

The noco charger is fine for your batteries, the 2x4 are an old school thing not required. I charge my GC batts fully and leave them disconnected for the winter, maybe put a charge on them halfway through.
For your solar:
The panels you have are low voltage and have issues charging your batteries fully. To make the best use of what you have I would suggest a MPPT solar controller and wire the panels 2 in series and 3 groups of 2 in parallel. You would have 28 volts and 8.7? (too late to do math) amps to the controller, that would look after the batteries. The link is only for reference-but is highly regarded.....
Amazon.com : EPEVER 20A MPPT Charge Controller 12V/24V Auto, 20 amp Solar Panel Charge Controller Mppt 100V PV Input Negative Grounded Solar Regulator with LCD Display for Gel Sealed Flooded Lithium Battery : Garden & Outdoor