120volt battery bank

[Sunray]

With 3 panels in Series i dunno if that is true.
Panels rarely "go down."
Combiner boxes are expensive and 3 in Series is very

With 3 panels in Series i dunno if that is true.
Panels rarely "go down."
Combiner boxes are expensive and 3 in Series is very simple wiring.

I didnt mean 3 in series I meant 3 will land in combiner box which will give me 120volt/10amp the same if they were in series. I understand it is rare and the panels have 12 year warranty. I live hours outside of town in the middle of nowhere. It's not easy to just go grab a new panel and I'll be left with no power until I get a new panel

 

[Sunray]

Yeah they cost about $300 for a good one. I dont mind at all.
1. Cleaner wiring
2. If one panel "goes down" then I just lose that one panel

 

[Forbisher]

Yeah they cost about $300 for a good one. I dont mind at all.
1. Cleaner wiring
2. If one panel "goes down" then I just lose that one panel

I suggest you Draw a simple wiring diagram of 3 panels in Series right now.

It's a daisy chain of positive to negative with the wire on the 1st and 3rd panel connecting to the MPPT.
120V 10A
If you are wiring it any other way it is not 3 in Series and 120Vmp 10A.
Eliminate any of the 3 panels to see what happens to your connection to the MPPT.

 

[Sunray]

I suggest you Draw a simple wiring diagram of 3 panels in Series right now.

It's a daisy chain of positive to negative with the wire on the 1st and 3rd panel connecting to the MPPT.
120V 10A
If you are wiring it any other way it is not 3 in Series and 120Vmp 10A.
Eliminate any of the 3 panels to see what happens to your connection to the MPPT.

I am not wiring panels in series.. maybe you dont understand what I'm trying to say.

 

[Sunray]

Oh that's right cause it only combines amps with combiner box. I'll send pic of inside the charge controller

 

[beckkl]

If you are using the combiner box as I think you are understanding it, you are wiring the 3 panels in parallel. That is not 120V, its 40V/30A.

 

[beckkl]

If it was 120V, it would be in a series, and there would be no point to a using a combiner box other than to store wires in a configuration that can be done externally, with likely much less wire.

Also, the fact that others don't really understand why you are so hung up on using 120V components should be a red flag that your plans could use some work?

 

[Forbisher]

You have a 6 inputs and one output

No there are 6 wires going in and 2 wires out
I give up.
Go do it and find out the hard way that you do not have 120V 10A the way you are wiring it with a combiner box.
You only have 40V 30A.
Damn you can't even make a simple parallel or series diagram with 3 panels.

Your pic of a box means nothing.
You are just as confused as when you started this thread incorrectly thinking that you had 60A instead of 10A.

Time for me to quit before I break some forum rules.

 

[beckkl]

You may want to start with this video:

and this one:

 

[Forbisher]

If it was 120V, it would be in a series, and there would be no point to a using a combiner box other than to store wires in a configuration that can be done externally, with likely much less wire.

I have been trying to make that point for way too many posts.
And one panel going out in Series interrupts the chain.
He does not understand the basics of wiring and the difference between series and parallel.
Wants to spend $300 x2 on an unneeded combiner box.

 

[Forbisher]

If you are using the combiner box as I think you are understanding it, you are wiring the 3 panels in parallel. That is not 120V, its 40V/30A.

Correct!

 

[Forbisher]

I already correct myself and said it would be 40volt and 30 amp.. you clearly are no help. Oh so upset you need to break rules?? I didn't know I was talking to a child.

40V is too low to charge a 48V battery.

 

[Sunray]

If it was 120V, it would be in a series, and there would be no point to a using a combiner box other than to store wires in a configuration that can be done externally, with likely much less wire.

Also, the fact that others don't really understand why you are so hung up on using 120V components should be a red flag that your plans could use i

If it was 120V, it would be in a series, and there would be no point to a using a combiner box other than to store wires in a configuration that can be done externally, with likely much less wire.

Also, the fact that others don't really understand why you are so hung up on using 120V components should be a red flag that your plans could use some work?

I gave up on the 120 volt bank. But wouldnt another benefit of combiner box vs the fact that if one panel goes down it wont bring them all down. Or if one us shaded it would effect the other panels? Not to mention i keep the wire size on the roof smaller then jump to larger guage post combiner box? Or no?

 

[Forbisher]

I gave up on the 120 volt bank. But wouldnt another benefit of combiner box vs the fact that if one panel goes down it wont bring them all down. Or if one us shaded it would effect the other panels? Not to mention i keep the wire size on the roof smaller then jump to larger guage post combiner box? Or no?

No

 

[Sunray]

40V is too low to charge a 48V battery.

You are correct. I never said it was

40V is too low to charge a 48V battery.

40V is too low to charge a 48V battery.

2

You may want to start with this video:

and this one:

thank you! I'll watch

 

[beckkl]

Personally, I would take a simpler approach.

 

[shavermcspud]

This is quite painful to read, if all you want is to combine 3x panels on the roof and have a single cable feed down to your charge controller you can buy an MC4 waterproof branch for 20th of the price of some fancy combiner box.

 

[Sunray]

Personally, I would take a simpler approach.

View attachment 37861

 

[Sunray]

This is quite painful to read, if all you want is to combine 3x panels on the roof and have a single cable feed down to your charge controller you can buy an MC4 waterproof branch for 20th of the price of some fancy combiner box.
View attachment 37862

This is quite painful to read, if all you want is to combine 3x panels on the roof and have a single cable feed down to your charge controller you can buy an MC4 waterproof branch for 20th of the price of some fancy combiner box.
View attachment 37862

Do they have a mc4 splitter for 6 panels?

 

[Forbisher]

Do they have a mc4 splitter for 6 panels?

Lol
Now you gonna connect 6 400w panels in parallel at 40V 60A into a 48V battery??

How long is the wire between the panels and SCC?