PLEASE HELP ME. Victron system, Amperetime batteries, nothing makes any sense

[ADDvanced]

Okay, just... just watch the video, I show what I'm looking at here, it's a super basic system and I don't know if the Victron charger is fighting the BMS or the self heating system or wtf is going on I just want this to work and I've spent so much fucking money and it still doesn't work.

 

[rodrick]

you need to post your scc settings and panel specs and wiring on panels give as much information as possible

 

[ADDvanced]

I’ve been messing w the settings but high voltages just seem to make the BMS go crazy.

I really don't see how what you asked for matters.

My panels are 3x 230 watt commercial panels wired in series. I don’t really see how their specs are relevant. They are making power it’s the battery BMS/heating/charger I am struggling with.

 

[Zapper77]

I’ve been messing w the settings but high voltages just seem to make the BMS go crazy.

I really don't see how what you asked for matters.

My panels are 3x 230 watt commercial panels wired in series. I don’t really see how their specs are relevant. They are making power it’s the battery BMS/heating/charger I am struggling with.

Solar Charge Controller - SCC
Explain it to us, hard to watch your video.

 

[ADDvanced]

Victron 150/45.

 

[Zapper77]

I’ve been messing w the settings but high voltages just seem to make the BMS go crazy.

I really don't see how what you asked for matters.

My panels are 3x 230 watt commercial panels wired in series. I don’t really see how their specs are relevant. They are making power it’s the battery BMS/heating/charger I am struggling with.

Do you have access to each cell voltage in the batteries? Can you run the batteries down to 50% State of Charge?

 

[Zapper77]

Victron 150/45.

You said cold....but how cold are the batteries. Do the battery cases feel warmer than surroundings organic matter?

 

[z_zk_z]

Deleted

 

[Zapper77]

Victron 150/45.

In your video you said renogy wasn't working either. Why didn't the renogy work?

 

[Browneye]

Your MPPT charger needs data from a "Battery Monitor" in order to do its job. The data could come either from the communication to the battery BMS or from a Victron Smartshunt. I don't see either in your video.

No, it doesn't. A charge controller will supply current if the battery voltage is below the boost voltage setting on the controller.

OP - what is the terminal voltage of each of your batteries?
And yes, they should be charged equally if you're going to run them together in parallel, otherwise the higher one will flow current to the lower one. If the delta is great there could be a LOT of current.

I saw your earlier thread on selecting new charge controller. Are you monitoring the new victron with the app? If so, what is panel voltage coming in? What does it say your battery voltage is compared to what you measure them at their terminals?

You say 'high voltages', but where is that high voltage coming from? Looks like you have a 13.8v boost, should be no problem, but would set them for 14.0 at least. They don't need boost duration as once they reach that voltage they are fully charged.

 

[dmsims]

Have you got a multimeter?

 

[ADDvanced]

Do you have access to each cell voltage in the batteries? Can you run the batteries down to 50% State of Charge?

Nope, I don't know how you'd do that without disassembling them. When disconnected from everything, they read 13volts, which is 40-50% SOC according to the literature.

 

[ADDvanced]

Your MPPT charger needs data from a "Battery Monitor" in order to do its job. The data could come either from the communication to the battery BMS or from a Victron Smartshunt. I don't see either in your video.


View attachment 138880

View attachment 138881

I have a smart shunt, I'll add it quick but I don't have any VE direct cables because I stupidly thought the cerbo could come iwth them.

 

[ADDvanced]

In your video you said renogy wasn't working either. Why didn't the renogy work?

The renogy pretty much always said the batteries were at 100%, but it's full of it. The batteries NEVER seemed to hold power like they're advertised to, the 200ah lead acid in my bus seems to be more powerful than the 400Ah lithiums, which didn't make sense. On top of that, renogy lied in their advertising and said the RS285 port on the charger I was using was compatible with the M1 so I could monitor the system remotely, they lied about that their tech support was awful and they tried to sell my a bluetooth adaptor when the M1 was right next to the charger. F that company.

 

[ADDvanced]

No, it doesn't. A charge controller will supply current if the battery voltage is below the boost voltage setting on the controller.

OP - what is the terminal voltage of each of your batteries?
And yes, they should be charged equally if you're going to run them together in parallel, otherwise the higher one will flow current to the lower one. If the delta is great there could be a LOT of current.

I saw your earlier thread on selecting new charge controller. Are you monitoring the new victron with the app? If so, what is panel voltage coming in? What does it say your battery voltage is compared to what you measure them at their terminals?

You say 'high voltages', but where is that high voltage coming from? Looks like you have a 13.8v boost, should be no problem, but would set them for 14.0 at least. They don't need boost duration as once they reach that voltage they are fully charged.

They are both at 13volts now. Last night they were at 13.13V. They've been disconnected. YEs, I am planning on trying to charge them individually to get them both to 100% SOC before putting them back together.

Yes, I am monitoring victron w the app. Please watch the video, pretty please, I am not trying to sell you anything and it's 2 minutes long. You can see the victron app in the video and what I am looking at.

Panel voltage is like 108volts. The battery voltage it says is accurate to what I measure with a meter.

When I set them to 14.2, the voltage fluctuates on the victron app from 13volts to 16 sometimes 17 volts. It seems like it does not do a very good job limiting the voltage, and once the voltage spikes the BMS seems to kick in.

 

[Zapper77]

The renogy pretty much always said the batteries were at 100%, but it's full of it. The batteries NEVER seemed to hold power like they're advertised to, the 200ah lead acid in my bus seems to be more powerful than the 400Ah lithiums, which didn't make sense. On top of that, renogy lied in their advertising and said the RS285 port on the charger I was using was compatible with the M1 so I could monitor the system remotely, they lied about that their tech support was awful and they tried to sell my a bluetooth adaptor when the M1 was right next to the charger. F that company.

I'm wondering if the cells are to far out of range and it's just going to take time for them for each cell to top balance. I'd try a lower charge voltage and run the batteries down to 20%. Personally I would run them dead.

 

[ADDvanced]

I'm wondering if the cells are to far out of range and it's just going to take time for them for each cell to top balance. I'd try a lower charge voltage and run the batteries down to 20%. Personally I would run them dead.

How? And which? Lower charge voltage or run them dead?

 

[ADDvanced]

Here you can see what happens half an hour later. It goes from (barely) charging to somehow tripping the BMS (left side)

I disconnected the battery for 10 seconds then reconnected (right side)

 

[Zapper77]

How? And which? Lower charge voltage or run them dead?

BMS should top balance

 

[Rocketman]

I looked at the video - you really need an insulated box around the batteries. You can just get a 4x8’ sheet of 1” insulation foam board- make a base - make sides and a lid - fasten together with duck tape. That will allow the heaters to retain the heat.

how cold are the batteries? Have you charged them below 32F?

I wonder if it is so cold the bms low temp cut-off has kicked on, then when the SCC tries to charge- it can’t see the battery so it ramps the voltage way up looking for it to stop - then it resets and does it again.

Get a heater in the shed - actually heat into the batteries. If you need a hat - so does the batteries.

 

[ADDvanced]

It's 40 degrees out. I will insulate them if they fucking WORK but so far they're doing jack shit.

I installed the smart shunt. It constantly resets, when I click on it it pairs, then shows the settins for a split second, then reconnects, then shows something for a split second, forever. I also added the smart shunt to the VE 'smart network' or whatever the F it is called. It says the battery is at 100% SOC but it's at 13 volts, which is 30-40% charged, so that "smart" shunt sure is fucking stupid.

 

[Zapper77]

It's 40 degrees out. I will insulate them if they fucking WORK but so far they're doing jack shit.

I installed the smart shunt. It constantly resets, when I click on it it pairs, then shows the settins for a split second, then reconnects, then shows something for a split second, forever. I also added the smart shunt to the VE 'smart network' or whatever the F it is called. It says the battery is at 100% SOC but it's at 13 volts, which is 30-40% charged, so that "smart" shunt sure is fucking stupid.

Connect a load and run the dead.

 

[ADDvanced]

SO you're saying run a load on them dead and another guy is saying the BMS should balance the top end so I'm getting opposite info neither of which is explaining what the FUCK is going on. God dammit I am frustrated right now.

 

[Zapper77]

SO you're saying run a load on them dead and another guy is saying the BMS should balance the top end so I'm getting opposite info neither of which is explaining what the FUCK is going on. God dammit I am frustrated right now.

I'm the same guy. It's obviously not working. So I would put a load on the batteries. One the load will heat the cells and two the batteries are acting like they are full. So draining them will verify your SCC works.

 

[Rocketman]

In your video there is snow outside the shed!

The overall problem is the low temperature cutoff- the batteries are cold soaked. The battery heater was not able to keep up with the cold temperatures- so the bms has shutdown to protect itself.

You need to warm the shed and keep the batteries above 50 degrees. I don’t allow my batteries to charge below 41F (I full-time - so they can see that temp). If lithium cells charge below 32F they will be ruined.

Disconnect the batteries and take them inside the house/RV/living spaces and let them get warm - all the way to the core. Then reattach them to the solar charger. Keep them warm and they will work.