diy solar

diy solar

System can't keep up after upgrades and reconfiguration

That looks cool , but I don’t have any experience with that one .
I know my out back monitor resets it self every time it it runs thru a absorb cycle
but it drifts off over time .
If I charge the battery’s to full with a sg check then reset the battery monitor it will give a accurate reading for a few weeks .
But it can’t be trusted ?
 
Rearranged battery compartment to allow for shorter cable runs for paralleling. Need to find a couple of shorter cables. Added some ferrules to cables connecting to the SCC. I love ferrules! Also finally looked up wth a 'wago' connector was, and I definitely need a bunch of those! I've always felt very 'iffy' about twist nuts.
 
Those wagos look cool ?
I mostly use glued crimp connections
But those look good for inside work .
A/C wiring I just use wire nuts , once you figure out how to do it it’s easy and fast .
I don’t know if those connectors would pass NEC in a home but in a rv they could work .
You can get cables from Napa auto , they make them in the store .
 
Those wagos look cool ?
I mostly use glued crimp connections
But those look good for inside work .
A/C wiring I just use wire nuts , once you figure out how to do it it’s easy and fast .
I don’t know if those connectors would pass NEC in a home but in a rv they could work .
You can get cables from Napa auto , they make them in the store .
 
Those wagos look cool ?
I mostly use glued crimp connections
But those look good for inside work .
A/C wiring I just use wire nuts , once you figure out how to do it it’s easy and fast .
I don’t know if those connectors would pass NEC in a home but in a rv they could work .
You can get cables from Napa auto , they make them in the store .
 
I see the Wago style on PCB inside my inverters, connecting wires between PCB.
The spring-loaded contacts should maintain proper pressure despite temperature cycling.

I'd always used wire nuts in electrical boxes. Here's what I've started using now:

 
follow-up: not much has changed. Been running the new charger an hour a day last few days. Even without it the SCC has been hitting float stage for 3-4 hours daily. Did a spot-check on SG and it wasn't any better, still teetering just above the red zone. Voltage is generally 12.7-12.9 by the time the sun goes down. So happy about the volts, not happy about the SG.
 
You need more power you have to build the capacity back up .
I’m sure you are looking at surface charge and the voltage drops like a stone in a couple of hours .
at this point the only thing that matters SG .
You have to reach full charge , then eq like crazy .
I would try to set the absorb voltage to 14.8 14.9 then raise the float voltage to the same 14.9
then use the charger early for 2hours or more then let the solar go all day .
With no load at the end of the day check the sg i think it will rise . ?
Keep checking for heat if it’s to hot to hold your hand on the battery’s stop charging .
It mite take a few days to get the sg up .
 
I would try to set the absorb voltage to 14.8 14.9 then raise the float voltage to the same 14.9
I can set it, but we're about to see several days of clouds and rain so we're getting ready to run south
 
good plan it’s starting to get nasty here as well .
No snow yet but I’m sure it’s coming .
Remember eq starts at full charge , charging much above 12.8 beats up on the battery’s
I’m afraid if you are at the bottom of the chart allmost in the yellow and you can’t take measures to correct it
the battery’s are going to die at a rapid rate @ 50 % max charge the battery’s are going to sulfate much faster
 
Update: Given the many unknowns, I decided that it was time to do a reset.

Had to drive from S. Central Colorado to Lubbock, TX to find four replacement batteries. Their tester was broken, so they just took my word for the issue. The two warranty replacements only get the remainder of their 1-yr warranty. The other two have a full year from today.

The batteries are all date-stamped Aug. 2021.
Spot-check of SG was abit low, voltage was 12.4-something. Figured it was normal for 8 weeks or so of self-discharge.

Giving them 36 hours of solar panel and battery charger combined charging. Went from bulk to absorption pretty quick. Will put in service when we leave this RV park on Sunday and get back on the road.

Now for some additional solar panels...
 
Your sg should be 1.275+ 1.280 would be better .
The battery’s should be charged to full charge before you assemble your battery bank .
12.4 is the minimum voltage for storage .
After you get to full charge it is customary to do a EQ for 2 hours .
It takes 100 cycles or so to break in a new bank .?
 
How about shutting off loads, maybe the inverter itself, at some time each day and let PV fully recharge batteries?
In the end you can't use any more kW than PV (and optional generator) produces. But don't want to draw that while cycling battery at reduced SoC, which will degrade it. Eventually, that leads to both reduced capacity and power lost to self-discharge.

That is, unless you can put in enough more PV to supply loads and fully recharge.
 
How about shutting off loads, maybe the inverter itself, at some time each day and let PV fully recharge batteries?
Will either have to run the engine to recharge house batteries or generator to charge solar batteries. OR…

Well, we just bought two new portable solar panels… :rolleyes:
 
Final note on this thread - if I had seen the thread on the Docan LiFePo4 cells out of Houston, I might have just switched over. But I'm really not ready for that yet. Still very surprised at how much cheaper the DIY build is compared to Battleborns. That's one helluva markup!
 
I took this with the intention of demonstrating how difficult it is to work in the electrical area which is under the bed. You have to find somewhere to put the bulky, heavy mattress, then probably do lots of contortions to work on anything. However, looking at the picture, I notice a couple of things:

1 - maybe not quite as crowded as I remembered?
2 - what the hell is that 25 feet of extra cable all rolled up?

View attachment 64454
In my Class C there was an extension for the shore power cable coiled up just like that. Check to see if it has plugs on it at both ends. If it's not hooked up you can get rid of it. Sell it to someone who needs it like I did. If it is hooked up to something you may want to trace it out and find out what it goes to. It may be to an option you may want to utilize. They would not put 25' of extra wire there for nothing. It' too expensive. If it's there there will be a reason. I'm curious, let us know what you find.
 
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