MakerMK
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Re: Trojan T-1275 Trouble
BFL13- My original plan was to travel with the solar panels and use them when power is unavailable. Maybe I should rethink that and use them to charge the battery even when there is power available? Another thought is to use a simple power supply to drive the Schneider charge controller and don't even use the camper's built in charger. I'm sure that your suggestion to get another charger would work, but wouldn't it be more cost effective to make use of what I already have?759Views0likes0CommentsRe: Trojan T-1275 Trouble
BFL-13- My system is not MPPT. I hooked it up according to the instructions (I thought, anyway) and it was my understanding that the controller takes care of the voltage difference between the power source and the battery. Am I wrong to make that assumption? Feel free to let me know if I'm doing something stupid, I have a pretty thick skin! The solar system always worked well, at least until the connector failed. My main concern now is with the WFCO controller that came with our camper. It seems that the voltages that it produces are not suitable for the T-1275 battery. And the manual has no mention of a way to adjust the voltages. So, what's next?760Views0likes0CommentsRe: Trojan T-1275 Trouble
I got out the manual for the charger that the camper has. As was suspected by BFL13, the camper's charger falls short of what the Trojan T-1275 needs. It hasn't been a problem yet because all of our trips have been short. But long trips are in our future and I'm a bit worried about the situation. I guess as long as I can use the solar panels with the Schneider controller things will be fine, but I'd rather not be 100% dependent on them. Time for some research!760Views0likes0CommentsRe: Trojan T-1275 Trouble
I set the voltage at 38 volts, but because the max current was set at 3 amps the voltage seldom got that high. The meters were swinging all over the place as the controller did it's thing. Kind of hard to say an exact voltage that it was operating at. The solar panels deliver about 44 volts in good sunlight.760Views0likes0CommentsRe: Trojan T-1275 Trouble
Success! By using the Schneider controller powered by a lab power supply I got hydrometer readings in the green for all six cells. This was after charging and equalizing. The controller is a Xantrex C35 PWM type. It can be set up for different charging profiles so it is pretty ideal for atypical batteries. But of course it doesn't work if the power supply has a bad connection. So I'm good to go as long as I am using the solar panels. Not so sure about the charge system in the camper though. Apparently the voltage isn't high enough for the T-1275. Thanks so much for the advice!759Views0likes0CommentsRe: Trojan T-1275 Trouble
Thanks for the responses! More would be welcome too. The Schneider controller is configurable to the Trojan battery profile. And I think that I did that correctly, although it might be a good idea to double check. But I did have that problem with the solar panel connector that wasn't letting the battery charge. So I've decided to try the Schneider again, but instead of powering it with the solar panels I'll feed it with an adjustable power supply set at the same voltage that the solar panels provided. BFL13, you make a good point about the electrolyte being different at the top than the bottom. That sure explains the difference between the voltmeter and hydrometer readings that I was seeing. I plan to do an equalization charge in the hope that that will mix things up a bit.251Views0likes0CommentsTrojan T-1275 Trouble
Newbie here. I have a travel trailer that has a Trojan T-1275 battery that is around three years old. The camper spends most of it's time in a pole barn hooked up to a couple of 100 watt solar panels and a Schneider charge/load controller. I check the water level when I think about it (I know, it should be on a schedule) and the last time I checked it was about 1/8" below the top of the plates and the charge level was low. I topped the cells off with distilled water and gave it a couple of days to recharge. Well, it didn't recharge. I initially thought I must have ruined the battery by letting it get low, but after checking the wiring of my solar system I discovered a bad connection. A much better problem to have than a dead battery! I moved the camper to a source of AC power and let the camper's system (not the Schneider) charge the battery. The next day I took hydrometer readings and they were still deep in the red/recharge zone. I let it charge for another day and there was no change. I decided to take a voltage reading, so I disconnected the battery and let it sit overnight. When I checked it, it read 13.1 volts! I grabbed the hydrometer again and the readings were all still in the red/recharge zone. I suspected the hydrometer so I checked it with plain water and it read 1.0, or more precisely the water level was at the point where 1.0 would be if the scale went that far. What the heck? I'm no battery guru, but this seems crazy! Do any of you folks have an explanation for this? I'm at a loss.2.6KViews0likes23Comments
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