Hello from Socal Riverside area.

[Beersman777]

Hello I am desperate for advice!. I have been working on an offgrid solar set up for my 2018 Tacoma. I have a LifePO4 100ah battery, mppt charge controller, 1000w inverter and two 100 w solar panels. I have a renegy DC/DC charger coming soon and a battery monitor. I have already set up the panels on a roof top tent but I am having the hardest time finding helpful videos about how to set up the DC/DC charger, battery monitor and solar. Now after describing all of this just today I found that my battery was nearly empty and will not hold a charge for long. I had installed a key type kill switch to the battery box and left the battery off for almost one month. The charge controller was not pulling power due to the cut off, but now it seems like the cut off never actually cut anything off. This was a brand new battery and I fear that it is already ruined. I have reached out to expertpower regarding this issue and have not heard back yet. I am hoping to meet some experts here to help me with this issue. The diagram posted gives you an idea of how the concept/set up looks.Thank you for all of your help. If there is anyone is Socal Riverside area who could help me directly or who could help point me in the right direction for guidance regarding the battery issue and how to finalize the set up appropriately I would really appreciate it.
Ryan

 

[Flux]

Do you have any way to see if the battery is discharging when you think it should have no load? Like an ammeter or the monitor?

Can you pull the battery, charge it and see if it holds it's voltage?

Reason I say this is you need to narrow down your issue. You could have a load or short some place that is pulling power. Some shorts will just slowly drain without blowing a fuse, those are the dangerous kind. Also a loose connection can cause a resistive load and drain it slowly with no fuse blow.

 

[GXMnow]

10.48 on a 4S LFP is 2.62 volts per cell, so they should still be okay, but the BMS is probably in a shut off mode. When Will tested that battery, it ran down to 9.55 volts on his monitor when it shut off. He did not mention what it took to reset it, he just connected a charger and it charged. DO you have access to a power supply that can put out 13 volts with a current limit under 50 amps? A solar charge controller might not work as it may need to see battery power first to turn on.

 

[Beersman777]

Do you have any way to see if the battery is discharging when you think it should have no load? Like an ammeter or the monitor?

Can you pull the battery, charge it and see if it holds it's voltage?

Reason I say this is you need to narrow down your issue. You could have a load or short some place that is pulling power. Some shorts will just slowly drain without blowing a fuse, those are the dangerous kind. Also a loose connection can cause a resistive load and drain it slowly with no fuse blow.

Only monitor i have is what’s shown in pic atm. Hoping to receive my monitor friday or over the weekend. Definitely no loose screws. A short someplace would be concerning since it’s new

 

[Beersman777]

10.48 on a 4S LFP is 2.62 volts per cell, so they should still be okay, but the BMS is probably in a shut off mode. When Will tested that battery, it ran down to 9.55 volts on his monitor when it shut off. He did not mention what it took to reset it, he just connected a charger and it charged. DO you have access to a power supply that can put out 13 volts with a current limit under 50 amps? A solar charge controller might not work as it may need to see battery power first to turn on.

I have a back up Bluetti generator. Maybe that would do better then the mppt? I will try it and see.

 

[Flux]

10.48 on a 4S LFP is 2.62 volts per cell, so they should still be okay, but the BMS is probably in a shut off mode. When Will tested that battery, it ran down to 9.55 volts on his monitor when it shut off. He did not mention what it took to reset it, he just connected a charger and it charged. DO you have access to a power supply that can put out 13 volts with a current limit under 50 amps? A solar charge controller might not work as it may need to see battery power first to turn on.

Perhaps taking the battery off the system, and putting jumper cables to it from the starter battery when his truck is running so it sees alternator voltage?

 

[GXMnow]

A direct connection from the truck battery/alternator might produce more than 50 amps. I would use a tail light bulb in series first to wake it up. Then maybe try a lighter gauge wire to act as a resistor to limit the current. Jumper cables are meant to carry a high current, the charge current limit on that battery is 50 amps. Once it wakes up (turns on the BMS) then it should charge from the MPPT controller again.

 

[Beersman777]

A direct connection from the truck battery/alternator might produce more than 50 amps. I would use a tail light bulb in series first to wake it up. Then maybe try a lighter gauge wire to act as a resistor to limit the current. Jumper cables are meant to carry a high current, the charge current limit on that battery is 50 amps. Once it wakes up (turns on the BMS) then it should charge from the MPPT controller again.

GXMnow i sincerely appreciate the idea but i have no idea how to perform your recommended intervention. I do have jumper cables but i don’t want to cause yet another issue. I attempted to connect my generator to the battery with battery cables. First it sparked like crazy twice so. Stopped. Soon after i disconnected the negative wire i hear what sounded like something flame up! And then i smelled something from the battery. This was a very concerning situation.

 

[Beersman777]

Perhaps taking the battery off the system, and putting jumper cables to it from the starter battery when his truck is running so it sees alternator voltage?

I tried your method with a generator and i heard a strange “flame like sound” from the battery so i quickly disconnected and am waiting to have a conversation with the battery manufacturer

 

[GXMnow]

Are you absolutely sure you did not hit reverse polarity? That makes things go pop very fast.

 

[Beersman777]

GXMnow i sincerely appreciate the idea but i have no idea how to perform your recommended intervention. I do have jumper cables but i don’t want to cause yet another issue. I attempted to connect my generator to the battery with battery cables. First it sparked like crazy twice so. Stopped. Soon after i disconnected the negative wire i hear what sounded like something flame up! And then i smelled something from the battery. This was a very concerning situation.

 

[Beersman777]

Are you absolutely sure you did not hit reverse polarity? That makes things go pop very fast.

I think i did accidentally reverse the polarity shit!!! So what could have occurred?

 

[GXMnow]

Reverse polarity would likely fry the BMS inside the battery.