Battery Question

Daddy Bear wrote:
I know the MPPT controllers are much better

during float, no way, absorption, not much. all these folks floating by noon waisted money and human nature causes them to bad mouth other's choices.

you did not provide enough info to diagnose you sit, every one is jumping to conclusions. no one knows which power supply was providing the 14.4v. New batteries, cuz the ole ones are bad?

carry on with your excellent controller. ignore the noise

I don't have an inverter and the fridge is running on electricity. I don't mean to be a jerk myself but I would never tell someone that their equipment is CHEAP. There are no other items running on the batteries. I know there are still parasitic draws that are present all the time, radio light, CO/LP alarm, etc. I think I need to do more reading and learn how to operate the controller I have to it optimal capability.

Theres lots of other words that folks can use to tell someone that what they spent hard earned money for is not the best one to have purchased. Could have just pointed out that its not the cost of the controller but that its the fact that its just a PWM 3 stage controller. I know the MPPT controllers are much better and somewhere down the road I will get one. But for now helping me by giving me advice on how I can use what I have to the best of its ability would be much better than telling me that I "still have a cheap 3 stage PWM controller".

Daddy Bear wrote:
...

I suggest you put more efforts in trying to understand what people here are telling.

Your controller is not keeping battery where it should be.
It is a cheap 3-stage, there are other that are more expensive, but it is still 3-stage. This means - you can and should adjust the parameters according to battery specs. Though running loads could still prevent it from charging the battery properly.

300 watts of solar, plus also being plugged in with converter working 24/7, should have 1 to 2 batteries fully charged very early in the day. AS pointed out, 300 watts will be pretty light for recharging 4 batteries, but you say right now the converter is also charging them. Seeing them at 14.4V in the evening means that the controller does not consider them to be fully charged. The controller could not be properly determining SOC, or there is a load on the batteries which prevents them from being fully charged. CJW8 makes a good suggestion about the fridge running off of an inverter, but you say you are plugged into shore power which means that this is not likely. Any other continuous 12V load being applied like a fridge condensation/door heater?

While a pure voltage reading isn't a full picture of true battery SOC, seeing the voltage at the float level (13.X V) is more indicative of fully charged batteries than the absorption level (14.X V). This is because seeing the batteries at the float voltage implies that the controller completed the bulk and absorption charging stages and has dropped down to float. Seeing 14.X V means it is still in absorption and the controller does not consider them to be full yet. Of course if you are plugged into shore power then the converter is messing up this logic by always being on. I agree with the suggestion of shutting the converter off, let solar do it and save the converter backup use with a generator.

As mentioned, raise the bulk/absorption voltage level to 14.8V with 6V GC batteries.

CJW8 wrote:

Daddy Bear wrote:
First of all, the solar controller is NOT a cheep one stage controller! It is a Viewstar 30A programmable 3 stage controller. Nor is the converter for that matter! I'm going to take Boon Docker's advice on this and not worry for now. I will be switching out batteries this week to 4 Trogan T-105's and will go from there,

You are right, it is a cheap 3 stage PMW controller. If it is still at absorb voltage (14+) at evening then either system isn't sized properly or something else is wrong. You say only the refer is running. Is it running on Propane? If it is running on electric, through an inverter, it could be consuming all of your solar and keeping it in the absorb stage.

Just wonder if being an insensitive jerk comes naturally to you or do you have to work at it? Really happy you can afford the best of everything! Most of us cannot! I have found that if you don't have anything helpful or supportive to add then perhaps you should just keep your thoughts to yourself!

Daddy Bear wrote:
First of all, the solar controller is NOT a cheep one stage controller! It is a Viewstar 30A programmable 3 stage controller. Nor is the converter for that matter! I'm going to take Boon Docker's advice on this and not worry for now. I will be switching out batteries this week to 4 Trogan T-105's and will go from there,

You are right, it is a cheap 3 stage PMW controller. If it is still at absorb voltage (14+) at evening then either system isn't sized properly or something else is wrong. You say only the refer is running. Is it running on Propane? If it is running on electric, through an inverter, it could be consuming all of your solar and keeping it in the absorb stage.

I will be switching out batteries this week to 4 Trogan T-105's and will go from there,

be sure to set batt type flooded. you can add a coin cell battery so the controller remembers your setting if you ever disconnect the controller from your batteries.

If the default settings don't suit your needs, program what ya want with the 'other' type.

I like to monitor PV voltage, when it exceeds batt voltage, ya know that the panel can make more power than needed and PWM is limiting power to the batt to maintain batt voltage.

VS30 / EP Solar is closer to the lower end, though it allows adjusting setpoints. Meaning - they should be adjusted AS PER BATTERY SPECS. See Trojan manual.

In any event, 14.4V in the evening = wrong setpoint or incomplete charging, no matter what battery.

300W will be rather marginal for 4GC, btw.

Daddy Bear wrote:
First of all, the solar controller is NOT a cheep one stage controller! It is a Viewstar 30A programmable 3 stage controller. Nor is the converter for that matter! I'm going to take Boon Docker's advice on this and not worry for now. I will be switching out batteries this week to 4 Trogan T-105's and will go from there,

Look at Trojan's site, absorption voltage for the T-105 is 14.8 volts and float is 13.5 volts