Hank the Tanks Dodgy battery and solar system

[merl]

I Agree. The wiring is not great. When I fitted my panel to my last van with the help of my motorhome fix it guy I made sure I ordered proper decent size solar cabling. The wiring on this looks a bit shite. Maybe Merl will regret his offer. Ill start making a list.

Did I mention I'm off on holiday tomorrow for a couple of years?

 

[trevskoda]

Only the first battery gets MPPT. The second battery is just trickle charged very slowly. Nothing wrong with that, but worth being aware of.

Incorrect, hab batteries all get top charge from high output wire, the extra wire at 1 amp goes to the starter battery, read the instructions.

 

[barryd]

Did I mention I'm off on holiday tomorrow for a couple of years?

Don't blame yah to be fair.

 

[colinm]

Did I mention I'm off on holiday tomorrow for a couple of years?

This thread will still be going as Barry wringes his hands over whever to buy a second battery.

 

[merl]

This thread will still be going as Barry wringes his hands over whever to buy a second battery.

Over 700 posts about a new battery....Reeeespec brother. Someone was bound to break eventually and offer to do the job just to shut him up .

 

[Geek]

Incorrect, hab batteries all get top charge from high output wire, the extra wire at 1 amp goes to the starter battery, read the instructions.

Not incorrect at all.
The first battery gets the full output, the second just gets a trickle. You say 1 amp, which sounds about right.
Which bank is the first is down to the installation, but they do NOT both get MPPT charging.
I do have one of these units, and although I don't use it, I have tested it.

 

[barryd]

Over 700 posts about a new battery....Reeeespec brother. Someone was bound to break eventually and offer to do the job just to shut him up .

Just think of the total hero status you will have on here when you eventually provide the solution! I reckon you could be quids in. People will pay you just to stop the thread.

 

[merl]

People will pay you just to stop the thread.

Hmmmm? How much exactly?

 

[Wightman]

Hmmmm? How much exactly?

2p

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Except its not quite the way to do it Kev as I have discovered in this thread. The controller is easy enough. I fitted the last one in my van and ran a load socket off it no problem. As was mentioned further up thread for two batteries the main positive goes to one and the main negative to the other then the other two on each are linked. There are already four connections to the current battery. Some of the leads are short and there is doubt about which connector leads to get. Changing the controller is easy enough but the batteries, im not so sure. I think it will be a bit of a pig.

I can only say the way I would do it, there are a lot of ways to write it down, It is so simple really. the equipment can be cheap or expensive, but all the connections are the same unless you decide you want to make it more complicated.

Not to your exact spec but near enough to what you're planning to visualise the cables etc

 

[Wightman]

I can only say the way I would do it, there are a lot of ways to write it down, It is so simple really. the equipment can be cheap or expensive, but all the connections are the same unless you decide you want to make it more complicated.

Not to your exact spec but near enough to what you're planning to visualise the cables etc

View attachment 141038

Hmm that's interesting Kev I wonder how many of us have that breaker from solar panel/s to solar controller - I know mine doesn't and that was installed by so called professional

Take care

 

[merl]

Hmm, not sure about the fusing TBF Kev, and solar in series isn't a good idea unless on a house roof away from any possible partial shading.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Hmm that's interesting Kev I wonder how many of us have that breaker from solar panel/s to solar controller - I know mine doesn't and that was installed by so called professional

Take care

Mine is getting a second panel soon and it'll have an isolator, even got a sticker ready for it

Possibly this

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Hmm, not sure about the fusing TBF Kev, and solar in series isn't a good idea unless on a house roof away from any possible partial shading.

I wasn't too sure either, the one to the left seems possibly superfluous, I modified one off the web.

 

[mistericeman]

Hmm that's interesting Kev I wonder how many of us have that breaker from solar panel/s to solar controller - I know mine doesn't and that was installed by so called professional

Take care

I stuck a 12v breaker between the panel and solar controller ...

Seemed sensible safety wise AND also gives me an easy/convenient means of isolating the panel if needed .

 

[Wightman]

I stuck a 12v breaker between the panel and solar controller ...

Seemed sensible safety wise AND also gives me an easy/convenient means of isolating the panel if needed .

That's a brilliant idea and as you say makes it easier to isolate panel/s

What type and spec have you used please?

 

[barryd]

This is how I understood it should work up thread. The first one is wrong as it will cause the first battery to discharge quicker I think and the second one will try and then charge the first one. I think you have to wire the positive feed to one battery and then the negative to the other to in effect create one battery from the two and you need to do the same with anything that is connected to it so the positive of say a 12v socket goes to one battery but the negative goes to the other. What I need to know is what cables are required for connecting the two batteries inbetween. I think I have this right but my heads a bit fuzzy this morning.

 

[mistericeman]

That's a brilliant idea and as you say makes it easier to isolate panel/s

What type and spec have you used please?

I've used various sizes of these types over the years

 

[mistericeman]

This is how I understood it should work up thread. The first one is wrong as it will cause the first battery to discharge quicker I think and the second one will try and then charge the first one. I think you have to wire the positive feed to one battery and then the negative to the other to in effect create one battery from the two and you need to do the same with anything that is connected to it so the positive of say a 12v socket goes to one battery but the negative goes to the other. What I need to know is what cables are required for connecting the two batteries inbetween. I think I have this right but my heads a bit fuzzy this morning.

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View attachment 141041

With 2 batteries it honestly really won't make that much difference .

Cable wise ....you want some nice chunky cable

This is what I've used

 

[Wightman]

This is how I understood it should work up thread. The first one is wrong as it will cause the first battery to discharge quicker I think and the second one will try and then charge the first one. I think you have to wire the positive feed to one battery and then the negative to the other to in effect create one battery from the two and you need to do the same with anything that is connected to it so the positive of say a 12v socket goes to one battery but the negative goes to the other. What I need to know is what cables are required for connecting the two batteries inbetween. I think I have this right but my heads a bit fuzzy this morning.

View attachment 141040
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OK Barry the second diagram is the preferred method. You simply "join" both pos and neg terminals together but take the pos feed from battery B but make sure the neg feed comes from batt A.


Simples