Trimetric 2030 battery monitor

[JRRNeiklot]

I'm in the process of installing my solar setup. I have everything installed except the solar panels. I am having issues with my Trimetric 2030 battery monitor. After charging to 95%, according to my battery charger, it's showing 14.5 volts, both at the charger and the Trimetric, but the amps are showing negative .3, which is the draw of phantom loads, I assume. It shows the same -.3 when I'm not charging. It should be showing the amount of amps incoming, correct? I discharged the batteries to 12.3 volts today - my battery charger was showing 62%, but the Trimetric shows the battery perentage at 98%. Can anyone help me straighten this out?

Thanks.

[BFL13]

I have a Tracer 2210A 20 amp same specs as the 4210A 40 amp model. I used it all last summer and it worked very well.

Unless you have the external connections to do a change to its charging profile it will do its standard EP Solar profile at the voltages for the type of battery.

That is a setting you must do on the unit itself. I found it is tricky to get the setting to "set" but you can tell if you got it right by what the high voltage is it gets the batts to.

Flooded is 14.6v but mine gets them to 14.7 in fact. ISTR default is out of the box at Gel which is lower voltage, so it is important to set Flooded.

It will not equalize those batteries, since its mis-named "E" is for 14.8 and voltage limit is 15. If the new batts need equalizing you will need a different charger to do that, or take them someplace that will do them. (You can do "panel-direct" by-passing the controller to do an equalize, but you have to know what you are doing---more a thing for somebody with some experience with solar charging)

If you do have the equipment to set the parameters to some other voltages, then you should try to match the Trojan battery specs for those batteries. Then follow the Tri instructions for setting P1.

[Searching_Ut]

JRRNeiklot wrote:
Ah, thanks. I changed it back to 2. I have a Renogy Tracer 4210 40 Amp MPPT Charge Controller. It does not have a state of charge indicator.

Now I recommend you go with the previous advise and do a hydrometer check on your batteries to determine if they are actually fully charged or not. I'm not sure why your charge voltage isn't up to 14.8 volts with the batteries accepting less than 2 amps given the settings you're saying it's set at. When you said setpoint of 14.8 was that for your solar charger or something you entered into the trimetric?

[JRRNeiklot]

Ah, thanks. I changed it back to 2. I have a Renogy Tracer 4210 40 Amp MPPT Charge Controller. It does not have a state of charge indicator.

[Searching_Ut]

For P2 on the trimetric, the recommended setting for Trojan flooded batts is 2, which equates to two percent of the value you entered into P3, which should be 360 based on the type of batteries you have. The Trimetric will do the calculations internally as to how many amps that equates to. I didn't see where you indicated which charger you have so I don't have any inputs for your settings there. Does your charger give a state of charge indication as well?

[BFL13]

Somewhere on the Trojan battery site there is a User Manual that explains all that about taking SG etc. You might pick up some other good info in that manual too.

[JRRNeiklot]

BFL13 wrote:

JRRNeiklot wrote:
My battery bank is 360 AH, My setpoint voltage is 14.8, so what should my P2 setting be? The default was 2, but 2% of 360 is 7.2, so I changed it to 7. Is that correct?

Thanks.

You had them down to 1.8a at 14.5 you said, so obviously 7a is not full yet. What did you choose for P1 when your controller is set for 14.8? Have you confirmed by SG that they can get to Trojan's 100% SG spec?

Somebody who has that 2030 set-up should help here.

At 1.8, I had P2 set to 2.0. I don't know much about testing for specific gravity, but the batteries are brand new.

[BFL13]

JRRNeiklot wrote:
My battery bank is 360 AH, My setpoint voltage is 14.8, so what should my P2 setting be? The default was 2, but 2% of 360 is 7.2, so I changed it to 7. Is that correct?

Thanks.

You had them down to 1.8a at 14.5 you said, so obviously 7a is not full yet. What did you choose for P1 when your controller is set for 14.8? Have you confirmed by SG that they can get to Trojan's 100% SG spec?

Somebody who has that 2030 set-up should help here.

[JRRNeiklot]

My battery bank is 360 AH, My setpoint voltage is 14.8, so what should my P2 setting be? The default was 2, but 2% of 360 is 7.2, so I changed it to 7. Is that correct?

Thanks.

[brulaz]

JRRNeiklot wrote:
I have my panels hooked up now. When I turn the solar on, I'm getting 20 amps in, then it slowly drops down to around 1.8 amps. Currently, it's sitting at 14.5 volts and 95% capacity. Is this normal?

Thanks.

Sounds like your batteries were almost fully charged when you turned on the sun. The solar charger started in "bulk" mode and quickly got the batts up to 14.5V then switched to "absorb" mode. The voltage will now remain fixed at 14.5V (f there's enough sun) while amps drop to whatever trigger value is set for termination of the absorb stage. Alternatively there may be a time trigger to terminate absorb. Then the charger will switch to "float" mode and reduce the voltage to what ever is set (~13.2V?).

I see that BFL covers the 95% capacity stuff which depends upon your settings as well.

The actual settings you use for Absorb Voltage and termination current and so on, depend upon your batteries, both make and quantity (Ah).

You may also see a top up charge at the end of Absorb, depending upon which profile you choose.

[BFL13]

JRRNeiklot wrote:
I have my panels hooked up now. When I turn the solar on, I'm getting 20 amps in, then it slowly drops down to around 1.8 amps. Currently, it's sitting at 14.5 volts and 95% capacity. Is this normal?

Thanks.

It depends on just how really full you had the batteries before you set up the Trimetric and started the AH counter.

Then also it depends on whether they are a bit sulfated with less capacity at true full than as rated. (could be after after all this time without perhaps proper charging?) If so, then you might have the rated 360 AH entered as the full amount, but the batts are actually as full of AHs as they can get now, but the Tri thinks they still have a ways to go.

IMO the batts should be thoroughly charged up and equalized until SG is as high as you can get it then stops getting higher with the equalizing. You can do that with the solar on a good sunny day after getting them like they are now--but disconnect from rig's 12v system going over 15.4 volts to that Trojan 16.2v E spec)

If the SG gets to say 1.285 or so, then you could set the Tri full AH at 360. If you can't get the SG up to Trojan spec for full, then IMO you have "permanent sulfation" so live with that reduced capacity and set the full AH figure lower based on the SG it did get to.

Then the Tri will say 100% closer to when the batts are really as full as they can get in their actual condition.

[JRRNeiklot]

I have my panels hooked up now. When I turn the solar on, I'm getting 20 amps in, then it slowly drops down to around 1.8 amps. Currently, it's sitting at 14.5 volts and 95% capacity. Is this normal?

Thanks.

[brulaz]

JRRNeiklot wrote:
Charger goes to 15.2 or so. I have everything straightened out now. How often should I charge to this 15.2 threshold? I'm getting 12.8 volts at 100% SoC.

Thanks.

And thank you to everyone who offered advice. I'm learning as I go.

When in storage (small loads), and with the charger plugged in, it should goto 14.8V once, stay there for a certain time or until charging Amps drop to a certain level, and then switch to "float", say 13.2V. And stay in float indefinitely, or until you start using more stuff and increasing the loads.

[BFL13]

JRRNeiklot wrote:
Charger goes to 15.2 or so. I have everything straightened out now. How often should I charge to this 15.2 threshold? I'm getting 12.8 volts at 100% SoC.

Thanks.

And thank you to everyone who offered advice. I'm learning as I go.

What is the model etc of that charger--link please.

Meanwhile you could just ignore P1 etc until your solar is installed and just use the Tri as is out of the box--as I have done since I got mine six years ago.

That way, you can keep track of your battery charging with the Tri and not get all tangled up in what that particular charger does.

Wait, and set it all up when you have the controller or charger that you will be using in the future.

[JRRNeiklot]

Charger goes to 15.2 or so. I have everything straightened out now. How often should I charge to this 15.2 threshold? I'm getting 12.8 volts at 100% SoC.

Thanks.

And thank you to everyone who offered advice. I'm learning as I go.