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Low solar controller current to batteries

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Archangel

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I have 6 Bourgerv 120-watt panels going to an Epever 60 amp controller. I have this connected to two Weize 100 ah Lipo4 12 volt lithium batteries. The batteries are hooked up to a 2000 watt pure sine wave inverter. I use this to run 2 small chest deep freezers and a refrigerator for about 6 hours per day while the batteries are being charged by the solar controller. here is my problem I am only showing .2 of an amp going from my solar controller to my batteries any time during the day. This does not seem right. I would expect much more current going to charge the batteries. I have disconnected the wires from the panel at the solar charger and measured the voltage and current going into the controller. I am showing almost 32 amps and about 22 volts when I measure it just before going into the controller. I measured the voltage of my batteries in parallel last night and it was about 12.9 volts when I disconnected the load from the inverter for the night. I would think the next sun period would be putting at least 10 or more amps into the batteries, but it never gets past the .2 amps I already mentioned. The Eperver controller is hooked up to the MT50 remote and set to user and 200 amp hours. I am not smart enough to know what the other setting should be for this setup in the MT50 so I use the defaults. Could it be the in the MT50 causing my problem or could it be faulty bms systems in the batteries which are only a few months old? My wife and I are in our 70's and trying to be able to keep our electric bill low enough to pay on a fixed income so I need some help with this for sure. Thanks for any help that we could receive on this problem It is appreciated.

Little dragon
 
Can you find the controller's Float and Bulk voltage settings? And Is it programmed for Lifepo4? As if it is set up for lead acid batteries, it may be trying to charge them at LA "Bulk" voltages which may be higher than Lifepo4, so by triggering the BMS overvoltage.
 
Archangel said:
I have 6 Bourgerv 120-watt panels
Click to expand...
Archangel said:
am showing almost 32 amps and about 22 volts
Click to expand...
Is there a reason these are all in parallel?
Wondering if your issue is voltage related. Will assume your batteries are in parallel (12V system).

Happen to have a pic of your battery wiring? Quite a few issues are identified with pics.
 
MisterSandals said:
Is there a reason these are all in parallel?
Wondering if your issue is voltage related. Will assume your batteries are in parallel (12V system).

Happen to have a pic of your battery wiring? Quite a few issues are identified with pics.
Click to expand...
 

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I have tried 2 new epever controllers with the same result. I also occluded a pic of my measurements going into my controller also. I am currently charging my batteries with a lipo4 charger every couple of days since the controller is failing yo do so. I thought it might be the BMS in each Weize battery but they charge with my charger.
 
Hardergamer1 said:
Can you find the controller's Float and Bulk voltage settings? And Is it programmed for Lifepo4? As if it is set up for lead acid batteries, it may be trying to charge them at LA "Bulk" voltages which may be higher than Lifepo4, so by triggering the BMS overvoltage.
Click to expand...
It is set for user since this epever does not show litium
 

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Archangel said:
... I have disconnected the wires from the panel at the solar charger and measured the voltage and current going into the controller. I am showing almost 32 amps and about 22 volts when I measure it just before going into the controller. I measured the voltage of my batteries in parallel last night and it was about 12.9 volts when I disconnected the load from the inverter for the night. ...
Click to expand...
How are you measuring amps with the panels disconnected from the SCC? With no load you get no amperage. I also note that at 22v you must be running all panels in parallel. There is likely a better setup based on your SCC ratings with some panels in series and than in parallel. Such as 2S3P

Based on what little I glean from you post I would think you have a wiring problem from your solar panels.
 
Archangel said:
It is set for user since this epever does not show lipo4 setting. I had the 40 amp controller on it to start with and it has a lithium setting but I was getting the same current measurement to the battery even after a low voltage warning from my inverter.
Click to expand...
You have to set it for user on the controller remote but you can set the battery to lipo4 on the computer connection.
 
Archangel said:
I measured the voltage of my batteries in parallel last night and it was about 12.9 volts when I disconnected the load from the inverter for the night.
Click to expand...
Your battery wiring looks great. SCC settings look reasonable though I do not have experience with EPEver.

Just grasping here...have you measured each battery individually for voltage? If one BMS is shut down this will reveal it (as opposed to measuring from the ends as it is correctly wired).

What method are you using to connect 6 panels in parallel? Pic?
 
What is the max input voltage for your controller? As said above try running your panels in series and parallel, to bring the panel's VOC up, as your panel voltage is not much above the needed battery charge voltage.
 
More pics. provide Solar Charge controler make, model and specs. Include solar panel specs and wiring scheme. Then I can help you.
 
The fact you are able to charge and I assume discharge the batteries indicates the BMS in the batteries are working OK.

The panel test indicating 22 volts and 32 amps, was I guess an OC test for volts and a SC test for current . This indicates the panels are working.

Some variants of Epever controllers behave oddly with some values, try setting a 10 minute duration for equalisation duration, it may not like the zero setting.
Another option is to use the default setting for GEL batteries and see if this allows charging.

It's possible the battery BMS is shutting down the charge path due to cell overvolts, reduce the boost charge volts to a lower value, 14.2, or 14.0 or 13.8.
The BMS can also shutdown the charge path at low temperatures.

Depending of which version of controller you have it allows 92 volts or 138 volts maximum on the input. Arranging the panels in a series/parallel format would reduce input current and give improved efficiency, two strings of 3 panels in series , then connected in parallel.

Mike
 
Last edited:
OP: "I am showing almost 32 amps and about 22 volts when I measure it just before going into the controller. I measured the voltage of my batteries in parallel last night and it was about 12.9 volts when I disconnected the load from the inverter for the night. I would think the next sun period would be putting at least 10 or more amps into the batteries, but it never gets past the .2 amps I already mentioned."
May I ask what kind of meter you are using to measure that DC Amp? Clamp-on DC Amp meter?
You have about 700W of input power into the unit, so to see only 0.2A (at around 12V or so) of battery charging current, that loss power had to be dissipating some where with lots of heat.
Are you sure it is not measurement error?
 
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