Very little PV input amperage ??

[garyr]

please be kind!
I really have no knowledge of electricity but I have installed this system on a 2006 sprinter van conversion
and it works although not charging effectively.
I know you are going to ask the exact specifics of my system BUT all I really want to know is why?
Why I am not getting any significant amperage from my ebay flexible solar panels?
I have 2 different sets of panels:
3 150 watt flexible solar panels supposedly the better technology but 3 years old
2 300 watt little flexible solar panels 1 year old and only used for experiment
EPever 40w MPPT charge control
400ah lifepo4 12v battery
mt50 remote meter
Cloudy this morning but representative although low readings
pic 1 3 150 w panels in parallel
pic 2 3 150 w panels in series
pic 3 5 panels in series
pic 4 2 300w panels in series
pic 5 2 small panels in parallel
On a sunny day I get bursts of 18-19 v w/ up to 3.5 amps but that fades
I have the house fed off of the load side of the charge control and it works sort of until
I run the electric bed and will not power the propane generator starter.I have a switch that I can
join the van battery to the house to remedy that but I think I should run the house directly from the lifepo4 battery instead
of going through the controller load lugs.

Which, if any, of the charge controllers parameters control the input from the panels? and would raising that help?
rarely if ever does the incoming amperage match or exceed the outgoing amperage and the system is not self sufficient.
Think i need advice here.
thanks in advance

 

[dopeassjackson]

Something had the polarity reversed by the looks of it.

 

[Mattb4]

There are quite a few Ebay flexible panels (and fixed ones) that are outright lies when it comes to watt ratings. One way you can check is to measure them for size and do some math. However that said you may also have other issues such as bad connections, shading of panels, not optimal panel placement.

 

[garyr]

today is cloudy well they are on top in direct light. with however good connections
you get with mc4 connectors and 12 guage wire

 

[Suijkerbuijk]

Wy is your load active ?
Normal you do not use load to charge battery.
Its more a relay.

Its solar - mppt - battery from battery you set all your stuf on.

Load is only use if the battery is full and you set it on a extra somting (think a hot boiler on 12 volt)
Or a relay the switch somting.

So fix that and your problem is away.

Is somting thake a load from the battery it automatically thake the mppt to .
So you do not losse solar panel power .
That is reason we use the float option from the mppt.

For the rest your float on your epever is to low .
Epever only will do max amp if the float is set on 13.6-13.8 volts.
Or it go to slow charge mode
And you are stuck on max 5 ampère charge function.

Here are my adjust on my epever for 12 volt battery with a 22 volt solar panels.

My battery are full 100%
So i do not have a charge its a load on my boat that is running.

 

[garyr]

OK I have the load from the mppt powering the house side of the van. the frig is running and
whatever is drawn from the house fuse box.
I am NOT charging the battery from the load side of the mppt.
It sounds like you are saying for me to run the house straight off of the battery and let the MPPT
just charge the battery.
Is that correct??

 

[mikefitz]

3 150 watt flexible solar panels supposedly the better technology but 3 years old

3 Years is beyond the expected life of a flexible panel mounted on a RV roof, its possible one or more has partially failed.

2 300 watt little flexible solar panels 1 year old

300 watt panels are not small, expect 10 sq inches to produce 1 watt. A 300 watt panel would occupy around 20 square feet.

If all the connections are examined and seem OK then it's down to failing panels, or perhaps a faulty controller.

Test each 150 watt panel seperatly, disconnected from the controller, for open circuit voltage and short current current. There are several you tube videos showing how to carry out this test. Expect open circuit volts to be 20 to 25 volts and the short circuit current around 5 amps with some sun.
The 300 watt panels should show a higher short current when testing, but I suspect they are nowhere near 300 watts.

 

[Suijkerbuijk]

OK I have the load from the mppt powering the house side of the van. the frig is running and
whatever is drawn from the house fuse box.
I am NOT charging the battery from the load side of the mppt.
It sounds like you are saying for me to run the house straight off of the battery and let the MPPT
just charge the battery.
Is that correct??

Yes .

I do the same.
My epever charger the battery and all load come from the battery .
The mppt will automatically sent the charge to the battery and load.
Is the load small than automatisch take from the mppt if the battery is full.
Is the load higher than the mppt than battery will help and sent it to the load

Battery is charging and you have a load but the solar output is higher than your load .
It sent both way to the load and charge the battery

That is the reason you use the battery .

 

[garyr]

I just now switched it so the solar just charges the battery.
The electric now comes from the battery directly.