Adding More Solar Panels

so far the max recorded peak amps is 31.xx
Monday the 19th it hit 28.xx
this is with a 40 amp controller, no apparent problems with anything so far

well the panels have been up for two weeks
they were all shipped from NJ
accroding to shipping tacker they all three went to FEdex terminal On monday the 8th, one was shipped on tues the 9th arrived on thurs the 11th
the other two set in the terminal until wed the 10th and arrived on Fri the 12th
somebody at fedex scxxx-up big time

last sunday fathers day i did solar test
and recorded 2268.4? watt hrs, 168.xx amphrs in 100 degree heat
the peak was 22.xx peak amps, but it was clear skies all day, so by STC, the batteries were accepting less

Three panels supposedly in stock to have been shipped on Monday June 8 to arrive Wed June 10
Wednesday.. nothing
Today Thursday One panel arrived, came from Hebron, Ky ..Amazon facility

The only shipping info I can find on the other two say scheduled delivery Wed, aka yesterday.... shipped Monday from New Jersey
Awe come on Amazon..nothing can be v shipped by truck from the east coast and arrive in two days that's BS
Maybe they will arrive next week I'm P.oh
If I could find a complain link I would use it
When this kind of ##### happens buyers should be notified immediately that there is shipping delays in the order

When it's time to review/reply to packaging and shipping
Going to get the hardline
Just the shipping and CS support, the panel looks good
Have to get started on the replacement mounting process
BTW the 3M vhb arrived this morning...before the panel

The C40 is adjustable But it is not push button with a digital display
I have to remove the cover, and move the dials on the TWO control pots
I think I'll go out and move both settings too 14.1
See how that works, the new panels are due to arrive tomorrow
It will likely be a few days before they get mounted
Going to get crowded in here for a couple days
Oh sheesh I forgot to order some 3M VHB tape

there is a "remote" panel for the Xantrex C40
but i do not have it $149

I must have missed where Mr Wiz's controller has an adjustable float so he is not stuck with that 13.8. Don't need two controllers.

Makes the whole thing a non-problem! The existing controller can handle the whole array. Crank up the Float to the chosen absorption voltage for when camping and adjust it back down for Floating when away from the rig. Too easy.

There is a problem on good solar days when you can get to full early in the day and want the voltage to drop to a float, when there is only the one voltage setting (more work and you have to be there to do it at the time. However Mr Wiz doesn't get to that point with that 120v fridge. ( I do not think the 120v fridge is a mistake. For the dollars it costs to have the propane option, you can still save a lot even when you have to have more batteries and charging for them)

I have to make the Float voltage on my controller the absorption voltage because this controller will drop to float as soon as it hits the Vabs setting. I have set the Float to 14.5 because that is as high as it will go, otherwise I would make it 14.8 same as my Vabs.

As it happens , the 6v batts are quite happy with the run up to 14.8 (usually to mid-afternoon) and then 14.5 till dark.

Unusually fine weather now (but bad for forest fires and farming) has us getting to 14.8 in the morning and then it is all-day 14.5 with the Trimetric going "over" in the afternoon. When it is about 15AH "over" (above zero) that is when the batts are at baseline SG, so going over more than that is "overcharging", which is just losing water and positive plate. If this weather keeps up, I will have to lower that Float voltage.

So solar is not a "set and forget" deal. You do have to pay attention and adapt to circumstances. Mr Wiz mentioned how he has to adapt to seasonal change where he is that is making his voltage selections complicated.

You can go higher on the float if you want/can. BFL13 has been running his Eco-Worthy MPPT at 14.8-15v "bulk" (no Vabs time at all) and 14.5v float for a while now.

Remember, bulk/abs voltage is not full time 24/7, darkness shuts charging down a bit.

Try it for a week.

if/when i add another controller, i will
until then i could try a higher set on the float voltage, because the Xantrex will only only bulk for One Hour
then drop to float, so the only way is to raise the float setting
thats worth a try, think i'll change that tomorrow morning
the controller is in a storage bay, its about half way between the batteries and the panels i'll raise float to 14.1 and use it as a substitute absorb

jrnymn7 wrote:
Paralleling can also get into voltage setting issues... they must be identical, or one unit will drop out, while the one with higher voltage will do all the heavy lifting. I guess as long as both controllers are user adjustable, it shouldn't be an issue.

Did you see that the TM2030 can control two SC2030's for a total of 60 amps? And the kewl thing is all it takes is a modifyed phone cable. This set up allows for exact voltage control of both charge controllers.

MrWizard wrote:

...
thats my only gripe
newer controllers work different were "Vtabs" is charge and float and the controller will attempt to maintain the set volts
this is advantages where you have daytime power use, but must be carefully selected and can not be as high as I like , because of when you are away from the RV and not using power and don't want to subject the batteries to many hours at 14.6v
...

I've been running a PWM system at a constant, temp compensated voltage for many years. First with 2 group 24's at 15v and now with 2 GP2's at 14.6v (my controller does not have a 14.8v setting). At most, there has been 1 tiny bubble per minute per cell. Its great to see the Trimetric show battery self-regulation down to .1 amp in the late afternoon.

Remember, bulk/abs voltage is not full time 24/7, darkness shuts charging down a bit.

Try it for a week.

Paralleling can also get into voltage setting issues... they must be identical, or one unit will drop out, while the one with higher voltage will do all the heavy lifting. I guess as long as both controllers are user adjustable, it shouldn't be an issue.