Solar panel working?

[Stay Frosty]

I reckon the battery might well be on the way out too reading below 12 V, could start the van and then test the leisure battery voltage again to see if that other Victron unit is the B2B charger, you might need to put the van heater on and lights to get the alternator working if it's a smart type.

 

[Drive Wayne]

The battery voltage could just be an opening the van thing. Mine shoots down sometimes to late 11 volts occasionally before it recovers after the shock of being woken up...

 

[Salty Spuds]

The battery voltage could just be an opening the van thing. Mine shoots down sometimes to late 11 volts occasionally before it recovers after the shock of being woken up...

That’s the SB, I think we’re talking LB

 

[Drive Wayne]

That’s the SB, I think we’re talking LB

Read the statement Wayne. LB is probably fubarred then. All good news we are! LB shouldn't go below 12.8v...

 

[Dellmassive]

Out of interest what's going on with the Victron MPPT connections or is it just the camera angle and is that a maximum of 17V input from that other upside down Victron bit of kit?
That panel looks forked.

That warm early Orion dcdc charger.... For the engine charger.

 

[DannyDT]

Read the statement Wayne. LB is probably fubarred then. All good news we are! LB shouldn't go below 12.8v...

The leisure battery is only a month or so old. Something must be draining it as it has slowly been dropping on the voltage readings in the control panel. Could the faulty solar panel be causing this?

The only other power output is the control panel in the van.

Pictures showing the LB power dropping over two weeks without using the van.

 

[Stay Frosty]

You've not got a fridge running, thinking it might pay to turn everything off at the consumers unit for a few days after charging the leisure battery back up?

 

[Drive Wayne]

You've not got a fridge running, thinking it might pay to turn everything off at the consumers unit for a few days after charging the leisure battery back up?

Get that battery charged up, you might just save it as it's so new.

 

[DannyDT]

You've not got a fridge running, thinking it might pay to turn everything off at the consumers unit for a few days after charging the leisure battery back up?

No, the fridge is always turned off unless it’s being used when we’re away in the van.

 

[DannyDT]

Get that battery charged up, you might just save it as it's so new.

Yep, I took the van for a drive yesterday and the battery went up to 12.7 volts.

 

[DannyDT]

Should I just disconnect the LB until getting the solar panel sorted?

 

[Drive Wayne]

Should I just disconnect the LB until getting the solar panel sorted?

What is it reading today?

 

[DannyDT]

It was 12.4v so it had dropped .3v in a day. That can’t be right?

I have now turned off the consumer unit, hopefully that might help.

 

[jknights]

Thanks.

The PV reading is 0.01

The Batt reading is 11.97

So the solar panel is totally knackered?

Same on my system.

Today I will test with a brand new panel.
The new panel has MC4 connectors, trying to decide if to cut them off and wire the panel directly onto my MPPT Pro controller. Or I can wait for a MC4 lead coming next week in the post and then I have a quick (dis)connect system for the future.

 

[Salty Spuds]

Same on my system.

Today I will test with a brand new panel.
The new panel has MC4 connectors, trying to decide if to cut them off and wire the panel directly onto my MPPT Pro controller. Or I can wait for a MC4 lead coming next week in the post and then I have a quick (dis)connect system for the future.

As much as I dislike unnecessary joints in cables, I left the MC4 connectors on my panel and tucked them underneath (it’s a rigid panel) this makes removing/replacing/fault finding a much simpler process. Not that I’ve had to do any of the above since going “rigid”

 

[jknights]

Same on my system.

Today I will test with a brand new panel.
The new panel has MC4 connectors, trying to decide if to cut them off and wire the panel directly onto my MPPT Pro controller. Or I can wait for a MC4 lead coming next week in the post and then I have a quick (dis)connect system for the future.

Tested the panel and it is working fine in hazy sunshine.

Then spent 2-3 hours unsticking the old dead panel so that I will get a better bond of the new panel to the lid. I could not get inside the domed connection point of the old PVLogic panel to inspect the connections.

I think I will tuck the new panels connectors under the edge of the panel where there is a small bracket for the panel to wires connection. The new cable from the MC4 connectors into the van will have MC4 connectors at the solar panel to allow future expansion/extension of the system and terminate at the MPPT Pro controller with bare wire into the controller terminals.

Just need to wait for the new cable pull it throughto the controller then ?glue? down the solar panel and job is finished. I am considering making a rigid panel mount like @Salty Spuds as I can see the value of this method. Solar panels stuck down are a pain to remove!

 

[jknights]

I decided to build a rectangular frame sled (L profile aluminium) for the solar panel after reading the forum posts about flexible solar panels failing.

I will then fix the sled with solar panel under the pop-up top roof rack, which will leave an air gap so the panel will stay cooler.

 

[Salty Spuds]

I decided to build a rectangular frame sled (L profile aluminium) for the solar panel after reading the forum posts about flexible solar panels failing.

I will then fix the sled with solar panel under the pop-up top roof rack, which will leave an air gap so the panel will stay cooler.

Am I understanding correctly that you’re putting the panel under a roof rack?

 

[jknights]

Am I understanding correctly that you’re putting the panel under a roof rack?

That is the plan as I do not intend to use the roof rack as the roof rack is on a pop-up roof.
The old now removed solar panel was glued onto the pop-up roof. Took me 2-3 hours solid effort to remove it!

Open to other suggestions for fixing (other than gluing!) onto the roof.

 

[Stay Frosty]

Be interesting to see if the cross bars alone will cause enough shading to affect panel output markedly?