pianotuna wrote:
Breakers may not be correctly marked for capacity. I had that very problem with a 30 amp, which would trip at 23.3 amps.
For 500 watts of panels I would not use either a breaker or a fuse between the panels and the controller. I would use a DC rated switch.
Look up cloud lensing effect.
The old school was to over size the charge controller by 25%.
If the panels are brand new they may do 125% of their rated output in the first month. Add lensing effect and output may be a lot higher that expected.
My choice would be a larger capacity controller. Tristar 60 MPPT would be an excellent choice.
Thanks for the input. I hear what you are saying Pianotuna. From my limited watching of the display panel, I didn't ever see it get over 25 amps flowing to the batteries.
BUT.... Even if the output of the solar charge controller was putting out 40 or 50 amps, directly to the batteries, do you think there is any chance this could pop the Converter Breaker?? To me it doesn't seem likely, but I'm no expert.
-Chris
