Solar charge controller selection help needed
I am looking to put in a solar system that will produce about 30 amps per day. I choose a semi-flexible 135 watt panel made by Sunpower which meets my capacity needs. My only problem is choosing t...
Forum Discussion
I was getting confused by this earlier this evening and had found this before dinner got in the way:
Here's the link: http://www.civicsolar.com/forum/12084/why-do-i-need-load-connection-charge-controller
And what it says about the load on an AVL converter:
The main purpose of having the load connection on the charge controller is to protect the battery from too much discharge. For instance, after using the battery for a while it reaches the 50% discharge capacity. If the load was connected directly to the battery, it would continue to drain the battery thus reducing the battery's lifespan. If the load was connected to the charge controller, the charge controller would know that the battery is low and therefore disconnect the load to protect the battery. It is up to you whether or not you want to use the load connection.
Why are you worried about the battery on the tongue? I have a fiver and didn't want to worry about venting issues, if I had a TT still I would have left them outside and would have likely gone the 6 volt method instead of the two 12's.
Besides sensors, I have power coming in from the panels with a breaker disconnect between, and the charging cable going to the batteries. I don't recall there being any other cables to hook up on my Rogue 30 amp MPPT, thus my confusion of the load question.
My inverter is hooked up directly to the batteries with a breaker disconnect, and when I dry camp I kill the circuit breaker to the converter as I feed the shore power from my inverter so that my outlets are live when I'm dry camping and nothing else. Works well for us as we really only use it for a few odds and ends like charging cell phones, laptops, and our satellite radio.
Here's the link: http://www.civicsolar.com/forum/12084/why-do-i-need-load-connection-charge-controller
And what it says about the load on an AVL converter:
The main purpose of having the load connection on the charge controller is to protect the battery from too much discharge. For instance, after using the battery for a while it reaches the 50% discharge capacity. If the load was connected directly to the battery, it would continue to drain the battery thus reducing the battery's lifespan. If the load was connected to the charge controller, the charge controller would know that the battery is low and therefore disconnect the load to protect the battery. It is up to you whether or not you want to use the load connection.
Why are you worried about the battery on the tongue? I have a fiver and didn't want to worry about venting issues, if I had a TT still I would have left them outside and would have likely gone the 6 volt method instead of the two 12's.
Besides sensors, I have power coming in from the panels with a breaker disconnect between, and the charging cable going to the batteries. I don't recall there being any other cables to hook up on my Rogue 30 amp MPPT, thus my confusion of the load question.
My inverter is hooked up directly to the batteries with a breaker disconnect, and when I dry camp I kill the circuit breaker to the converter as I feed the shore power from my inverter so that my outlets are live when I'm dry camping and nothing else. Works well for us as we really only use it for a few odds and ends like charging cell phones, laptops, and our satellite radio.
