Achieving full charge with solar system
Here is a question for the learned solar system folks.. I have a Tracer 40 am MPPT charge controller and a Xantrex 20a smart charger. Currently, the Xantrex is across the batteries. I do have maste...
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so, hit all of the cells with the hydrometer. Everything at 12.5 or better at 12.62v after disconnecting system at dinner time and testing the next morning.
Took two of the batts to my battery dealer and he load tested. All good. So, I believe my panic is over for that part anyway.
I think after listening to you guys is that my charger was not a large enough capacity to charge things back up after the continuous weekends out. Things started off fine back in May because the unit had been sitting all spring and the 20 amp charger could top things up because it had all spring.
Even over the May long weekend, I didn't have to run the genie even though we are running dual C-Pap machines, the panel kept things topped up.
By the end of the July long weekend, the 5th wheel had been out a number of weekends and the little charger couldn't' top things back up when sitting back at home base between junkets.
I would look at the cheesy meter that came with the Tracer Controller and it would show 100%. But drop off to 60 or 70 % if disconnected for an hour. I didn't think about it because the voltage was OK. high 12's or low 13v. BUT, that was because it was still plugged in.
I went and got a Progressive Dynamics 60 amp PD9160 yesterday. That should keep things up.
Thanks all, bottom line, I am not going to trust the cheesy meter and I should have paid more attention to the math and not listened to the guy at the battery shop that a 20amp charger would be fine for my VA.
Took two of the batts to my battery dealer and he load tested. All good. So, I believe my panic is over for that part anyway.
I think after listening to you guys is that my charger was not a large enough capacity to charge things back up after the continuous weekends out. Things started off fine back in May because the unit had been sitting all spring and the 20 amp charger could top things up because it had all spring.
Even over the May long weekend, I didn't have to run the genie even though we are running dual C-Pap machines, the panel kept things topped up.
By the end of the July long weekend, the 5th wheel had been out a number of weekends and the little charger couldn't' top things back up when sitting back at home base between junkets.
I would look at the cheesy meter that came with the Tracer Controller and it would show 100%. But drop off to 60 or 70 % if disconnected for an hour. I didn't think about it because the voltage was OK. high 12's or low 13v. BUT, that was because it was still plugged in.
I went and got a Progressive Dynamics 60 amp PD9160 yesterday. That should keep things up.
Thanks all, bottom line, I am not going to trust the cheesy meter and I should have paid more attention to the math and not listened to the guy at the battery shop that a 20amp charger would be fine for my VA.
