Solar not charging batteries

[Jo001]

So, Mr 001 tells me that after he tried to 'adjust' the settings the batteries don't seem to be charging. I'm afraid the instruction manual isn't helping, I'm not good with technical instructions.

Can anybody help us revert it back to how it was before he started twisting knobs and touching buttons please?

But, explain like we are small children who don't speak good English please ...

First, the whole set up -

Next, the control box thingy. The middle light is flashing green.

Then the instruction manual which we don't understand.

Can anyone help at all please?

Thank you in anticipation.

 

[marchie]

So, Mr 001 tells me that after he tried to 'adjust' the settings the batteries don't seem to be charging. I'm afraid the instruction manual isn't helping, I'm not good with technical instructions.

Can anybody help us revert it back to how it was before he started twisting knobs and touching buttons please?

But, explain like we are small children who don't speak good English please ...

First, the whole set up -

View attachment 143230


Next, the control box thingy. The middle light is flashing green.


View attachment 143231


Then the instruction manual which we don't understand.

View attachment 143239

View attachment 143240
View attachment 143241

View attachment 143243


Can anyone help at all please?

Thank you in anticipation.

Jo,

I am probably worse than you with the electrical stuff; however, if the LED is green, that would indicate charge input? The instructions seem to indicate that the Controller will automatically apportion charging according to each battery State of Charge ['SOC] , so if nothing going to Leisure Battery, it is probably full after a day's sunshine? Do you have a multimeter to check the Battery voltages? Or, if you have a LT96 Control Panel, the 2 battery symbols [vehicle and leisure respectively from L to R] will give you a [robust] read out of the SOC.

The Varta Battery is a sealed lead acid battery, so 12.7v or so will be about 100% charged as the PDF below illustrates. I carry the Chart, plus a generic Lithium Battery SOC, and the dedicated Roamer Lithium SOC Chart on my phone at all times. I have no electrical ability, but I can at least work out the depth of excrement in which I find myself ...

Steve

 

[trevskoda]

For a start thats a old pwm unit from the dark ages, but simple to follow instructions, makes sure panels pos is disconected, then commect first battery connection to the starter battery, the secont to lesure battery, bothe batteries should be connected as in my picture which yours are not, when all connected put the solar wires back to there commection, a good idea is fuse this input so if you wish to remove batteries you just pull the fuse which will cut the panels off.

 

[REC]

@Jo001 I am with you on this. I "think" we have a similar problem but don't understand the manuals..and explanations just make my brain explode! Hopefully you can sort yours out. Think we will take it to a professional as a couple of issues we want looked at. It is probably something simple but you have to know where to start!

 

[trevskoda]

If it were me i would splash out on a mppt rergulator, many to chose from, im running a votronic duo and it has a built in fuse to cut panels if removing a battery, they charge to full then back of to 13.7 and some times go into a pulse repair mode before going to full charge again.
Mppt units grab all 19 volts and transform down to 14.4v where as the unit you have just cuts of a 14.4v and wastes the rest from panels, so say you are getting 10amps mid day from a mppt you would only be getting 7amps from the pwm unit you have, fact is you loss about 1/4 of charge from panels.

 

[merl]

Picture showing the cables exiting the controller please

 

[r4dent]

Diagram of all the wiring would help.

You have given pictures of components, but we need to know what is connected to what.

How did Mr001 "adjust the settings"? Did he change any wiring or just change settings on the controller?
(Tell him that he should take photos before changing things.)

 

[trevskoda]

Diagram of all the wiring would help.

You have given pictures of components, but we need to know what is connected to what.

How did Mr001 "adjust the settings"? Did he change any wiring or just change settings on the controller?
(Tell him that he should take photos before changing things.)

There are mp setting on old pwm units except type of battery.

 

[r4dent]

This may help

 

[Jo001]

For a start thats a old pwm unit from the dark ages, but simple to follow instructions, makes sure panels pos is disconected, then commect first battery connection to the starter battery, the secont to lesure battery, bothe batteries should be connected as in my picture which yours are not, when all connected put the solar wires back to there commection, a good idea is fuse this input so if you wish to remove batteries you just pull the fuse which will cut the panels off.

Thanks Trev. But you missed the bit about explaining it like we are small children who don't understand English!

Did he change any wiring or just change settings on the controller?

Just the settings.

Tell him that he should take photos before changing things.

Oh yes, he knows that now

so 12.7v or so will be about 100% charged

12.2, but going down ...

 

[colinm]

The first thing to do is (similar) to what Trev said.
Disconnect the the positive wire from the panel to regulator.
Disconnect the positive from controller to batteries (looks like just need to pull the fuse?)
Reconnect batteries (plug fuse back in?)
Reconnect panel to regulator.
This will restart the regulator, and allow you to 'play' with settings.

 

[Drover]

Last week mine stopped charging.. it was a dodgy fuse. Not a blown one as I put a meter across it and got a reading , it had a burnt hotspot on it. Changed the fuse and all good again.
I did panic about no leisure power but good engine ...

 

[trevskoda]

The first thing to do is (similar) to what Trev said.
Disconnect the the positive wire from the panel to regulator.
Disconnect the positive from controller to batteries (looks like just need to pull the fuse?)
Reconnect batteries (plug fuse back in?)
Reconnect panel to regulator.
This will restart the regulator, and allow you to 'play' with settings.

Thing is these dont have settings, just a simple switch for lead acid gel etc, nothing else to fiddle with, he would be best forking out for a mppt unit which will be miles better and give 30% more juice plus the extras, pulse mantenance and float charge.
The old pwm just charges up and cuts of.

 

[merl]

Thing is these dont have settings, just a simple switch for lead acid gel etc, nothing else to fiddle with, he would be best forking out for a mppt unit which will be miles better and give 30% more juice plus the extras, pulse mantenance and float charge.
The old pwm just charges up and cuts of.

There's quite a few setting on that model actually Trev, 3 battery types plus the ability to apportion a defined percentage of the power to either battery (Starter or leisure) There's also another load of settings that adjust when the controller sends power to the load output.
We dont know if the controller is being used to top up the starter battery, neither do we know if the load terminal is being used. We can get all of this info from a picture of the connections but as yet the OP hasn't supplied one.
The flashing green led is an indication that the battery connected to those terminal is fully charged. So if there's only the leisure battery connected then it appears to be working ok?
So we need a picture of the connections into the bottom and then we really need to know the leisure battery voltage . The OP posted

12.2, but going down

Was the green led still flashing at that point? And was there any sun at that point? Was the voltage being measured at the battery terminal with a proper multimeter or were you reading off of the vans control panel display because displays are often miles out.
Finally, why do you suspect it's not charging in the first place?

 

[trevskoda]

There's quite a few setting on that model actually Trev, 3 battery types plus the ability to apportion a defined percentage of the power to either battery (Starter or leisure) There's also another load of settings that adjust when the controller sends power to the load output.
We dont know if the controller is being used to top up the starter battery, neither do we know if the load terminal is being used. We can get all of this info from a picture of the connections but as yet the OP hasn't supplied one.
The flashing green led is an indication that the battery connected to those terminal is fully charged. So if there's only the leisure battery connected then it appears to be working ok?
So we need a picture of the connections into the bottom and then we really need to know the leisure battery voltage . The OP posted

Was the green led still flashing at that point? And was there any sun at that point? Was the voltage being measured at the battery terminal with a proper multimeter or were you reading off of the vans control panel display because displays are often miles out.
Finally, why do you suspect it's not charging in the first place?

Acording to instructions there are no settings other than type of battery, it charges battery one to full then switches to charge battery 2 which i would say should be the starter battery, old hat anyway and best to dump for a mppt unit, cost or pwm units on temu is just over £3.