Good day tonididdy,
If your granny doesn't have like say 4 -6 hours of electricity straight up to charge the batteries, then I will suggest that you add another 300W of panels to your present solar array for uptimal charging. And the panels are best being a 150W panels as this is a 12V installation i.e 4 pieces of each. Hopefully if it's what you have presently.
Others are welcome to contribute ideas too.

BTW
Happy new year folks.

tonididdy:
Good morning everyone.
I have this setup at my grandma's.
She has round the clock electricity supply through this (TV 60watts, dstv decoder, random phone charging, led bulbs of 5watts each (at most 3 on at once).

I am worried it only has 300w panels on the roof, I feel she is using more of the battery power during the day and night.

Is it possible to get full charge from these panels and load?
Any advice can be given to get better battery life fr the future?

ceaser:


I actually have one that I have retired. Very good product like that. Used for a year. 12v "BTS" PSW with AC charger with 20% 50% selectable DoD. But it's 750kva so I'm not too sure if it will handle your load. I believe the highest KVA with 12v in that product line up is 1.2kva. Higher KVA come at 24v nominal. It was bought off of Konga. I'll see if I can retrieve the link.

thanks for your response. I have a 1.45kva 24v DSP inverter I bought off an aboki. i tried using it with the fridge,it could not take the surge,but alas this morning,I changed the fuse gauges and it works, but my PV array appears too low for the inverter. hence I just stuck to 12v then.l'll be adding two 300w to my setup then. thanks. but how best can I connect 4 150w/12v to get a 24v output

I believe it's most likely a frequency issue, ensure that the speed is reduced to bring the frequency down a little as that may be the problem. Or better still check your manual for the error code.

itzmoni:
Please my luminous sine wave 900va inverter, keeps showing me this error message each time i charge with my generator...help please.

If I may.
Connect two of them in series i.e. the positive to the negative of the other
and you do the same for the next two then,
you connect the two positive ends together and the negatives
using a pair of two way MC4 connectors.
And you finish the setup using your existing cables before.
Cheers

solasola:
thanks for your response. I have a 1.45kva 24v DSP inverter I bought off an aboki. i tried using it with the fridge,it could not take the surge,but alas this morning,I changed the fuse gauges and it works, but my PV array appears too low for the inverter. hence I just stuck to 12v then.l'll be adding two 300w to my setup then. thanks. but how best can I connect 4 150w/12v to get a 24v output

olopan:
Good day tonididdy,
If your granny doesn't have like say 4 -6 hours of electricity straight up to charge the batteries, then I will suggest that you add another 300W of panels to your present solar array for uptimal charging. And the panels are best being a 150W panels as this is a 12V installation i.e 4 pieces of each. Hopefully if it's what you have presently.
Others are welcome to contribute ideas too.

BTW
Happy new year folks.

Hello my friend, thanks for your Swift response.
Yes each of the panels are 150w and currently only two charging this set up, no electricity yet.

What effect does this have on the batt3? Any?... Plus I don't know when this is full charged.

The battery sign in the LCD never goes below 3bars before the sun is up in the morning again after a 4pm to 6am usage.

Am asking this becos I can't afford to upgrade her panels now and also I don't want any effects to the battery.

tonididdy:

Hello my friend, thanks for your Swift response.
Yes each of the panels are 150w and currently only two charging this set up, no electricity yet.

What effect does this have on the batt3? Any?... Plus I don't know when this is full charged.

The battery sign in the LCD never goes below 3bars before the sun is up in the morning again after a 4pm to 6am usage.

Am asking this becos I can't afford to upgrade her panels now and also I don't want any effects to the battery.

Hi, u have to upgrade the panels by adding extra 2 of 150w. The current setup(300w) can't charge that battery effectively( come to think of it, she is totally off d grid!)

Result of ur current setup is battery been sulphated. No need to pray against this.

Note ur wire gauge, u are working with 12v, u need thicker wires at both ends.

Good luck!
Just kindly check the picture

Rapsowdee01:
Inverter VA Rating - 7500 VA
Battery Capacity - 150 Ah
Number of batteries - 10

Can I get this and how much would it cost please ?

ceaser:


Perhaps you'll do better with new types of DC meters that utilize hall sensors rather than wire connections to measure the energy consumption. The terminals on those ones are usually limited to the Voltage input, hall sensor terminal and the temperature probe terminal for those with temperature parameters (that's about four terminals in all). The energy is measured with the hall sensor. Some have the added advantage of being able to simultaneously measure parameters either way i.e. the energy going into the battery and the energy being utilized all through the same wire(s)

They are a little bit pricey though.

By the way, I am wary of putting energy meters in-between the solar panels and the Charge Controller cos one MPPT CC manual I have explicitly forbade it. However I still love to do that.

Has anyone done that with an MPPT SCC without consequences?

thanks for the perspective/additional info, i must confess, i saw those pricier energy meters with hall effect sensor, but i didnt understand the difference, thus i went for the cheaper units.

As oshomo12 as rightfully said of the state of your battery if it not properly charged.
But concerning the bars of battery.
I suggest you use this chat in the picture below ..aim for the 60% ... but incase you can't ensure the 50%.
Good luck!

tonididdy:

Hello my friend, thanks for your Swift response.
Yes each of the panels are 150w and currently only two charging this set up, no electricity yet.

What effect does this have on the batt3? Any?... Plus I don't know when this is full charged.

The battery sign in the LCD never goes below 3bars before the sun is up in the morning again after a 4pm to 6am usage.

Am asking this becos I can't afford to upgrade her panels now and also I don't want any effects to the battery.

ceaser:


Your choice of 12v DC devices should not preclude you from upgrading to 24v system, in fact you have better versatility with 24v system: longer run distances at lower heat losses and you still get to be able to use devices that may require 18v-24v DC.[b] I have a water tank level meter cum pump controller that is 15vdc - 24vdc [/b]rated, so there are everyday devices that still run on higher than 12v.
.

AM INTERESTED IN THAT DEVICE AS WELL, could you post a picture of the device in action/how you connected it.
it shuts off water going to your overhead tank, when the tank is full abi?

olopan:
I believe it's most likely a frequency issue, ensure that the speed is reduced to bring the frequency down a little as that may be the problem. Or better still check your manual for the error code.

hello
Frequency of my Generator or the inverter?..thanks.

tonididdy:
Good morning everyone.
I have this setup at my grandma's.
She has round the clock electricity supply through this (TV 60watts, dstv decoder, random phone charging, led bulbs of 5watts each (at most 3 on at once).

I am worried it only has 300w panels on the roof, I feel she is using more of the battery power during the day and night.

Is it possible to get full charge from these panels and load?
Any advice can be given to get better battery life fr the future?

500w to 600w panel would be ideal for her, i see you are using flooded battery, does her cc have equalization function?
what are the charging setpoints you set in the cc?
is the cc mppt?
what is the max instantenous harvest in watts/amps and daily harvests in kwh

tonididdy:

Hello my friend, thanks for your Swift response.
Yes each of the panels are 150w and currently only two charging this set up, no electricity yet.

What effect does this have on the batt3? Any?... Plus I don't know when this is full charged.

The battery sign in the LCD never goes below 3bars before the sun is up in the morning again after a 4pm to 6am usage.

Am asking this becos I can't afford to upgrade her panels now and also I don't want any effects to the battery.

ok seen, does this cc have batt type selector...or adjustable charging voltage setpoints??
this flooded batt requires the following to work ok

bulk charge voltage - 14.7v to 15.1v, i prefer 15v as the sweet spot
float charge voltage - 13.6 - 13.8
equalization voltage - 15.5v to 16v ( once a month...for 4hrs).

it seems the battery is still new?. hope you are aware, you should top up with distilled water only, when the electrolyte level goes down

Generator

itzmoni:
hello
Frequency of my Generator or the inverter?..thanks.

Oshomo12:


Hi, u have to upgrade the panels by adding extra 2 of 150w. The current setup(300w) can't charge that battery effectively( come to think of it, she is totally off d grid!)

Result of ur current setup is battery been sulphated. No need to pray against this.

Note ur wire gauge, u are working with 12v, u need thicker wires at both ends.

@the bold

earthrealm:




it seems the battery is still new?. hope you are aware, you should top up with distilled water only, when the electrolyte level goes down

Yes the battery is new, less than a week old. I was told about this refilling with distilled water but the installer said maybe after a year usage.

earthrealm:


500w to 600w panel would be ideal for her, i see you are using flooded battery, does her cc have equalization function?
what are the charging setpoints you set in the cc?
is the cc mppt?
what is the max instantenous harvest in watts/amps and daily harvests in kwh

The CC isn't MPPt type... I have no idea about solar and setting up its charge parameters.

tonididdy:

Yes the battery is new, less than a week old. I was told about this refilling with distilled water but the installer said maybe after a year usage.

watch the floating red tipped stick inside...it acts like a guage, now your electrolyte is full, its on top..ut as your electrolyte goes down, it will e going down with it..till it gets to the bottom...avoid letting it stay in the bbottom/empty for long.
knowing you are a novice, the installer should have given you a normal sealed bbattery. these flooded batteries require tlc and maintenance, unless the installler will e coming to check them himself.

@1yr...only way the electrolyte will last 1 yr is if the voltage charge setpoints are not properly set/set too low. if properly set and attery used daily in offgrid situation, with monthly equalization [am fairly certain that your CC doesnt have that capability], it would need topping up every 3 to 6months

@cc, since its pwm, not mppt and you intend to increase your panel to 500w or 600w, if the distance of your panel to cc is greater than 15m, i will advice you to run 2 lines of dual core 10mm cale,

I am not sure there is any demerit to having a shunt in line.

All the big names Victron, Bogart Engineering, Midnite all use a shunt - difference is what the shunt is made to handle e.g Victron and Bogart use a ~500A rated shunt - 500A at 48v nominal is ~ 25Kw - very few people pull that kind of power through their CC or inverter and Victron sells a 1000A and 2000A shunt upgrade as well.

This is in stark contrast to the el-cheapo chinco meters who have a 100a rated shunt which in reality gets really hot at over 60amps - these are more suitable for the hobbyist and light user than for pro-level use.

In fairness, I did use these el-cheapo meters with great success back in the day and I still carry them for sale even now.

earthrealm:


thanks for the perspective/additional info, i must confess, i saw those pricier energy meters with hall effect sensor, but i didnt understand the difference, thus i went for the cheaper units.

ceaser:


Perhaps you'll do better with new types of DC meters that utilize hall sensors rather than wire connections to measure the energy consumption. The terminals on those ones are usually limited to the Voltage input, hall sensor terminal and the temperature probe terminal for those with temperature parameters (that's about four terminals in all). The energy is measured with the hall sensor. Some have the added advantage of being able to simultaneously measure parameters either way i.e. the energy going into the battery and the energy being utilized all through the same wire(s)

They are a little bit pricey though.

By the way, I am wary of putting energy meters in-between the solar panels and the Charge Controller cos one MPPT CC manual I have explicitly forbade it. However I still love to do that.

Has anyone done that with an MPPT SCC without consequences?

Dear House,

I have one unit of used MorningStar MPPT 60A for sale

Reason for sale - Switched to Victron MPPT for Synergy with existing Victron Quattro inverter

Price - 140K

Please reach out to O 8 O 8 I I 4 4 4 4 2 if you are interested in doing a deal.

Thank you.

olopan:
As oshomo12 as rightfully said of the state of your battery if it not properly charged.
But concerning the bars of battery.
I suggest you use this chat in the picture below ..aim for the 60% ... but incase you can't ensure the 50%.
Good luck!

Thanks for this photo but I do have over 13.0v on the CC led screen

Maybe I do not understand where to check this. , am such a novice.

Btw please what's the difference and meaning of this two photos... One has the sun to batt3 and to light sign and the other only has the sun to batt3 sign.

All the time it's always on the sun to batt3 sign only day and night.

JUO:
Huge discount for any Fangpusun products. This offer is valid for the first 3 people

I need charge controller ? How do we deal

olopan:
As oshomo12 as rightfully said of the state of your battery if it not properly charged.
But concerning the bars of battery.
I suggest you use this chat in the picture below ..aim for the 60% ... but incase you can't ensure the 50%.
Good luck!

Please where can I find this voltage reading?

earthrealm:


watch the floating red tipped stick inside...it acts like a guage, now your electrolyte is full, its on top..ut as your electrolyte goes down, it will e going down with it..till it gets to the bottom...avoid letting it stay in the bbottom/empty for long.
knowing you are a novice, the installer should have given you a normal sealed bbattery. these flooded batteries require tlc and maintenance, unless the installler will e coming to check them himself.

@1yr...only way the electrolyte will last 1 yr is if the voltage charge setpoints are not properly set/set too low. if properly set and attery used daily in offgrid situation, with monthly equalization [am fairly certain that your CC doesnt have that capability], it would need topping up every 3 to 6months

@cc, since its pwm, not mppt and you intend to increase your panel to 500w or 600w, if the distance of your panel to cc is greater than 15m, i will advice you to run 2 lines of dual core 10mm cale,

Oh mine ok I will always check for the floating guage as adviced and yes the installer has to come the first time to show me how to do it.

The distance from my panels to CC is about 19 to 20ft cables lengths.

ceaser:


How many hours into the night does this work (at full brightness) after full charge?

And I hope it's not with PIR sensor.

It works till the following morning. Sorry for the late response sir

The picture should be able, to help better.
Sun to battery means
Battery is charging via PV
And
Battery to light means that the DC output i.e the last unused terminal is energized if you need to power something of DC up.
Hope this helps.

tonididdy:

Thanks for this photo but I do have over 13.0v on the CC led screen

Maybe I do not understand where to check this. , am such a novice.

Btw please what's the difference and meaning of this two photos... One has the sun to batt3 and to light sign and the other only has the sun to batt3 sign.

All the time it's always on the sun to batt3 sign only day and night.

olopan:
The picture should be able, to help better.
Sun to battery means
Battery is charging via PV
And
Battery to light means that the DC output i.e the last unused terminal is energized if you need to power something of DC up.
Hope this helps.

You are so nice bro with your responses. If this is 90% then I do get 13.5v (as I type now, my gen is on and the CC displays 13.5v)

Thanks to Mr Tony for patronizing me, God bless you richly. This just got waybilled to Owerri today.

Bring your orders coming in cos we’re available 24/7

WhatsApp or call- 08168986461

Thanks to Mr Gabriel for patronizing me, God bless you richly. This just got waybilled to Abuja today.

Bring your orders coming in cos we’re available 24/7

WhatsApp or call- 08168986461

Saipro:

I believe one won't really describe it as a design flaw. Literally all Chinese CC have that problem (I wouldn't know of Fangpusun clones of Outback and Victron). Of the common CC, it would appear Victron, Midnite and Outback have found ways to mitigate that problem.

My 30amps fangpusun victron clone actually survived a near similar error. It was in full operation and i was fiddling with it. I disconnected the battery erroneously, mind you i wanted to disconnect the pv. Don't know why i made such mistake. Surprisingly the cc just chilled off without any issues.

I later disconnected the pv first before re introducing the battery connection though. Didn't want to test my village people too much.

Topmost11:



95mm cable? I thought biggest cable is 16mm.

Look, you are taking this thing the long arduous route. That app is just a program so it is giving u results based on your inputed values. That 95mm cable shoud let u knw using a pwm CC for ur design is highly inefficient. As earlier advised, manage your present harvest or re arrange ur modules and use an MPPT CC. That's all.

Trippledots:


My 30amps fangpusun victron clone actually survived a near similar error. It was in full operation and i was fiddling with it. I disconnected the battery erroneously, mind you i wanted to disconnect the pv. Don't know why i made such mistake. Surprisingly the cc just chilled off without any issues.

I later disconnected the pv first before re introducing the battery connection though. Didn't want to test my village people too much.

Village people be looking at you like..."Do that again one more time please..."