This is intended for Outback Flexmax 60 or 80 owners.
My neighbor went with dual FM80 units for his 4kW array (2X 2kW) and 24V 24kWh battery. One has been working for maybe 3-4 months. The second was just installed this last weekend to work with his 25 year-old 1500W array because - that's what he had, and it was sitting unused.
I'm accustomed to my Victron behavior - once absorption termination is reached, it immediately goes to float mode. The FM80 differs from this by have a "charged" state where it's between the end of the absorption charge but above float voltage. In normal operation, this is usually barely a flicker of "charged" on the screen before it goes to float.
About 5 or 6 times, the FM80 has been stuck in the "charged" state. Even if the battery drops below float (27.1) and even the re-bulk voltage (25.2), it stays in the "charged" state and provides no solar power for charging or loads.
The installation of the second charge controller was done primarily to assess the health of the old Siemens panels (they're hurting - maybe 500W capable out of 1500W) AND provide a "backup" option in case the primary charge controller gets stuck in "charged" again. The thinking is that it's much less likely that TWO units will do it simultaneously.
Has anyone ever seen their FM60 or FM80 get stuck in the "charged" state?
My neighbor went with dual FM80 units for his 4kW array (2X 2kW) and 24V 24kWh battery. One has been working for maybe 3-4 months. The second was just installed this last weekend to work with his 25 year-old 1500W array because - that's what he had, and it was sitting unused.
I'm accustomed to my Victron behavior - once absorption termination is reached, it immediately goes to float mode. The FM80 differs from this by have a "charged" state where it's between the end of the absorption charge but above float voltage. In normal operation, this is usually barely a flicker of "charged" on the screen before it goes to float.
About 5 or 6 times, the FM80 has been stuck in the "charged" state. Even if the battery drops below float (27.1) and even the re-bulk voltage (25.2), it stays in the "charged" state and provides no solar power for charging or loads.
The installation of the second charge controller was done primarily to assess the health of the old Siemens panels (they're hurting - maybe 500W capable out of 1500W) AND provide a "backup" option in case the primary charge controller gets stuck in "charged" again. The thinking is that it's much less likely that TWO units will do it simultaneously.
Has anyone ever seen their FM60 or FM80 get stuck in the "charged" state?