Charge Controller Settings for AGM

[Umpa]

Hi,
I have been busy during the lockdown, and have extended my Solar Shack PV. I now have 2x array of 600w 1.2kW @ 60V which if I have understood the jargon is 3S2P ? facing east and west. Each bank of panels feeds in to its own Epever Tracer 4210AN.

The general idea is that because I can only have the panels facing East and West I guess I benefit from the early morning to afternoon sun, and then the afternoon to evening Sun, but I with only a limited peek power of about 600W.

The charge controllers feed in to two 130AH 12 AGM deep cycle batteries that are in parallel. and then the batteries go off to the inverter.

I have emailed the suppler for the data sheet for the batteries but have not yet had a reply, so in the mean time, using the Epever controller software I have set both controllers to the same values. Would someone knowledgable take a look and tell me if these settings look about right.

The batteries are these :- https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Leoch-12V...72.m2749.l2649
Here are the specs for the battery
And a screen shot of my settings :-

In the battery specs its Talking about standby use and cycle use and these have different charge voltages. Does anyone know if they relate to float and bulk charge ?
If so a float charge of 13.8v and a bulk charge of 15v would be at the higher end of the scale ? and anything in the middle would be OK, or have I gotten this wrong ?
Thanks In Advance
Ump..

 

[Bob142]

I'd change your Boost Charging Voltage back to the default 14.4V.

And turn your equalization to 0 unless your battery specifically requires it. Most AGMs don't.

Set Float at 13.5V.

 

[Umpa]

I'd change your Boost Charging Voltage back to the default 14.4V.

And turn your equalization to 0 unless your battery specifically requires it. Most AGMs don't.

Set Float at 13.5V.

Thanks
Did I understand the spec sheet correctly ? There is a lot of settings on the controller and info on that sheet I don't understand.

 

[Bob142]

If so a float charge of 13.8v and a bulk charge of 15v would be at the higher end of the scale ? and anything in the middle would be OK, or have I gotten this wrong ?

That's how I've always understood it. But I've never charged my AGMs at higher than 14.4V. 15V seems like an invitation to wear them out quickly so you have to buy more batteries sooner. I tend to stay on the lower side of the voltage ranges, keep the charge rate as low as practical, and keep the discharge depth to 50% if possible and no deeper than 80% on occasion (what my Trojans will tolerate - always check your battery manual for guidance).

 

[Umpa]

That's how I've always understood it. But I've never charged my AGMs at higher than 14.4V. 15V seems like an invitation to wear them out quickly so you have to buy more batteries sooner. I tend to stay on the lower side of the voltage ranges, keep the charge rate as low as practical, and keep the discharge depth to 50% if possible and no deeper than 80% on occasion (what my Trojans will tolerate - always check your battery manual for guidance).

Yes, now the advert specifies a DOD at 50%, but I don't see that in the spec sheet. I also don't know how to calculate what 50% DOD would be. Is there a common chart or does it all depend on manufacturer and AH size.

 

[Bob142]

I used resting voltage for years but it's imprecise, and I don't recommend that be a long-term solution (how often will your batteries really be at rest in normal operation?). You can find charts online. My battery manual has a chart in it; yours might also.

Since finding this forum I started using a shunt-based battery monitor that acts as an accurate fuel gauge for your battery bank. I went with the budget AiLi 350A model shown below and have been very happy with it. There are many choices out there so this is just an example. I'm not pushing you towards it, just letting you know these things exist.

Battery Monitor 4in1 DC 80V 350A SOC AH VOLT AMP Capacity Tester State of Charge | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Battery Monitor 4in1 DC 80V 350A SOC AH VOLT AMP Capacity Tester State of Charge at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

Will made a video about it some time ago. It's worth watching if you're not familiar with them.

 

[Umpa]

I had not seen that video, TBH I already bought something similar to measure the current going to my inverter. There were no instructions so I am unsure how to set it up for the battery capacity, but the current part works fine. This is the one I got.

DC120V 100A 200A 300A 500A Combo LCD Meter Voltage Current Monitoring Monitor | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for DC120V 100A 200A 300A 500A Combo LCD Meter Voltage Current Monitoring Monitor at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

The problem I have, is that I don't know what voltage 50% would be. I have posted the battery spec in my first post if you would take a look. If you don't want to click the link, I will post it as an image if you like, as I don't have a clue and so far your the only person who seems willing to help me on this issue. Other forums have simply ignored my cries for help - so your time is appreciated.

 

[Bob142]

That looks like it should do the trick to monitor your battery bank capacity. The listing says it supports bi-directional current, which is what you need. Using one of those you don't need to worry about the voltage. You'll program it to tell it how many amp hours are in your battery bank and usually there is a procedure to tell it that your battery bank is full and to start monitoring from there. So you'd just charge up your battery bank to full and then activate it. There are instructions in the ebay listing you linked, but I haven't done more than glance at them. I'll try and get time to look at them more carefully in a bit to see if we can make some sense of it.

You will need to install one side of the shunt on your battery bank main negative terminal, and then all of your other negatives (from charge controllers and loads) to the other side of the shunt. That way it can measure current flow to and from your battery bank for all your components.

 

[Umpa]

You will need to install one side of the shunt on your battery bank main negative terminal, and then all of your other negatives (from charge controllers and loads) to the other side of the shunt. That way it can measure current flow to and from your battery bank for all your components.

Thanks, That's why I can't get it working properly. It only ever showed 100% full. The amp draw worked ok though which is what I bought it for.