Battery Question
I have just installed a 300W solar system and it works beautifully. So here's my question. I am hooked to shore power in my driveway. Noting in the RV is on/running but the fridge. By evening the Sola...
Forum Discussion
Not so fast.
14.x is Absorption stage. 3-stage controller would stay there for a while and then drop to Float 13.x.
When it's cloudy it will get to 14 only by the evening, so this is what you will see then.
Some low end controllers are one-stage, i.e. it will be stuck at 14.x until sun goes down or until you manually change it to 13.x (recommended).
In the morning controller starts from scratch again, raising voltage to 14.x and then dropping to 13.x (or not dropping), but it's always trying to raise it first.
Now, - converter...
"IF" converter also has Abs stage, then at sunset you could observe 14.x from either controller or converter or both.
If converter has no Abs stage, but it's cloudy and battery was low in the morning (or controller is a one-stage set to 14.x), then at sunset you would observe 14.x Abs stage of controller.
So... Assuming older model of converter that has only one stage - Float 13.x, - everything is fine except for controller :).
It is either not getting enough sun to get through the Abs stage, or it is a low-end one-stage, or the Float is set too high.
14.x is Absorption stage. 3-stage controller would stay there for a while and then drop to Float 13.x.
When it's cloudy it will get to 14 only by the evening, so this is what you will see then.
Some low end controllers are one-stage, i.e. it will be stuck at 14.x until sun goes down or until you manually change it to 13.x (recommended).
In the morning controller starts from scratch again, raising voltage to 14.x and then dropping to 13.x (or not dropping), but it's always trying to raise it first.
Now, - converter...
"IF" converter also has Abs stage, then at sunset you could observe 14.x from either controller or converter or both.
If converter has no Abs stage, but it's cloudy and battery was low in the morning (or controller is a one-stage set to 14.x), then at sunset you would observe 14.x Abs stage of controller.
So... Assuming older model of converter that has only one stage - Float 13.x, - everything is fine except for controller :).
It is either not getting enough sun to get through the Abs stage, or it is a low-end one-stage, or the Float is set too high.
