solar disconnect switch
I want to install a switch to disconnect my 155w panel from the controller. The regular battery disconnects are so big. Any harm using a small toggle? Or maybe there are smaller disconnects? I looked ...
Forum Discussion
Your charging profile says it does only two hours at 14.4 if the battery falls below 12.3 (about 62% full with Wets, but is under 50% with my AGMS which have 12.4 as 50% and 13 as full resting) It will do 14.4v for only one hour each morning! It takes more like half a day from there at 14.4 to fully recharge the battery bank. Usually there is not enough daylight in a day unless you start early with a mostly high amp generator recharge before going to solar to finish it off.
Your graph shows only brief moments at 14.4 or so, the rest of the time under 14. Is that the one hour you get?
Horrible charging profile! Undercharging badly.
EG, the standard EPSolar charging profile is to stay in Bulk until the batts get to 14.6ish, then hold that as the Absorption voltage for two hours, then drops to 13.6v. It could take all day just to get the bank up to 14.6 and be dark before the two hours is up. It depends! Note that is fixed profile unless you get one you can adjust--some require an extra gizmo to adjust them, or else you stay with the fixed.
AGMs can take 8 hours or whatever it takes AFTER they get to their AbsV of 14.4 or whatever where they need to stay at 14.x until amps to the battery tapers to 0.5a/100AH of bank. Very hard to do on solar even with a 12 hour daylight time.
Lots of better PWM controllers out there than that particular Go-Power one. The Grape seems like a good choice for all its features.
Your graph shows only brief moments at 14.4 or so, the rest of the time under 14. Is that the one hour you get?
Horrible charging profile! Undercharging badly.
EG, the standard EPSolar charging profile is to stay in Bulk until the batts get to 14.6ish, then hold that as the Absorption voltage for two hours, then drops to 13.6v. It could take all day just to get the bank up to 14.6 and be dark before the two hours is up. It depends! Note that is fixed profile unless you get one you can adjust--some require an extra gizmo to adjust them, or else you stay with the fixed.
AGMs can take 8 hours or whatever it takes AFTER they get to their AbsV of 14.4 or whatever where they need to stay at 14.x until amps to the battery tapers to 0.5a/100AH of bank. Very hard to do on solar even with a 12 hour daylight time.
Lots of better PWM controllers out there than that particular Go-Power one. The Grape seems like a good choice for all its features.
