charging batteries

[solar blue]

       well called em they said no so i orded it from midnite solar  i set it at 0.0  beside that is Vpv
  .05 is that rite i may have done this dabbing round by accident

[Vic]

Hi solar blue,

OK on the BTS,  did look at the specs on the Classics,  last week.  It DID say on the MidNite Solar site,  that the BTS is still included ...   but glad that you have it on the system now.

You mentioned   .05.   There is the --5 mV Temperature Compensation value for your batteries.
This setting is in the Charge menu,  under " T-Comp '.   You will probably want to check that.

Vic

[solar blue]

      Hi Vic
 
  Got the breakers and mnpvbx got it up. Now got baby bx and 50 and 80amp lug breaker for it question is coming out of the combiner bx do I connect to load or line side of breaker before going into charge controler and which breaker is best for that purpose? The BTS has really helped
well it really made all the difference in my batteries

                                                                                            SB
                                                                                                       

[Vic]

      Hi Vic
 
  Got the breakers and mnpvbx got it up. Now got baby bx and 50 and 80amp lug breaker for it question is coming out of the combiner bx do I connect to load or line side of breaker before going into charge controler and which breaker is best for that purpose? The BTS has really helped
well it really made all the difference in my batteries

                                                                                            SB

Hi solar blue,

The MNEPV breakers  --  the DIN Rail breakers that have screw terminals for cable connections  --  are polarity sensitive,  so correct connection is important.   These are the type of breaker that is used in the Baby and BigBaby box.

In a PV combiner the + sign marked on the breaker connects to the PV positive output.

For the breaker at the input to the Classic,   the cable from the Combiner connects to the + sign of the breaker and the other terminal connects to the Classic PV in positive terminal.

The same breaker when hooked up to the battery circuit (not in a PV combiner) hooks up a little different. The + sign is connected to the battery plus.

The Panel Mount breakers (which mount to a panel with screws, are NOT polarity sensitive.

Does this answer your questions?   Vic

[solar blue]

       Hey Vic
   Ive wired the mnepv6 panels to the +side    So the switchs for the baby it doesnt matter which way the elec flows in and out a the breaker these face mount to box and have two studs one  marked LINE and the other marked  LOAD should LINE go out to battey or Load?  should the 80amp go between combiner and cc  and the fifty between the cc and batteries ? Those two breakers are all I like haveing it wired. Its been an experience for me thanks for your advice
and seeing me through it. 

                                                                                                   Thanks for all your help Vic
                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                         

[Resthome]

Line is the positive.  As Vic said the MidNite panel mount breakers are not polarity sensitive like the DIN rail breakers are. Wire the panel mount breakers with the polarity as Vic mentioned above and you should be good.  Just remember that the Battery breaker positive (Line) goes to the Battery positive and the Load terminal of the breaker goes to the Battery positive block on the Classic. For the PV breaker the positive (Line) is connected to the positive cable coming from the combiner box. And the load terminal of PV breaker goes to the PV positive block on the Classic.

Edited: 

Assumed you have the Quad box with the screw mounts holes and the breakers mounts with screws.

[solar blue]

         Helo resthome

            Thanks thats the last two  breakers i gota wire then done, Yep screw for pv
         Quad bx. In the summer im going to 48v system so gota get new inverter just kinda wondering which one would be most economical when nothing is calling for
power is there something like that?  Think its best to find out whats is working best thats the best comparison I know how to do.
                                                                              Thanks again
                                                                                   Solar Blue

[Vic]

Line is the positive.  As Vic said the MidNite panel mount breakers are not polarity sensitive like the DIN rail breakers are. Wire the panel mount breakers with the polarity as Vic mentioned above and you should be good.  Just remember that the Battery breaker positive (Line) goes to the Battery positive and the Load terminal of the breaker goes to the Battery positive block on the Classic. For the PV breaker the positive (Line) is connected to the positive cable coming from the combiner box. And the load terminal of PV breaker goes to the PV positive block on the Classic.

Edited: 
Assumed you have the Quad box with the screw mounts holes and the breakers mounts with screws.

Hi John,

Thanks for correctly answering solar blue's question ...   I had read solar blue's,  "Now got baby bx",   as saying that a MN Baby or Big Baby box was going to be used for mounting breakers.   Had read the 80 A lug breaker,    as being the 80 A DIN double-wide breaker that has the copper screw terminals.

Sorry for my error.   
Thanks,   Vic

[Resthome]

No problem Vic. The confusion comes from the manual being one manual for both so both names are on the manual.

[solar blue]

       Hi John&Vic
     Its done and works great and done away with a bunch a wires and looks neater and through all this think im learning to type a little thanks much for hanging in with me to completion a this system. I would like to come to a point where i can use grid to supplement my system so questions are
1  will i have to go to 48v system to do this or stay with 24v?
2  can i take the 6 panels i have stored 24v wire to 28v and dedicate these to the fridg and a second battery bank?
3  elec water heater want be on it as i have made a thermo siv water heater that works from a wood stove and cloths dryer is coverted to 110v and gets heat from wood stove works very well.
4 which brings this question which inverter would be best for this and use less elec when there is no call for elec at night more input is better

                                                                                       Wayne

[Vic]

Hello Wayne,

Thanks for the update on your system.   Congratulations on getting it up and running!

Regarding questions 1 & 2,   There should be no need to go to a 48 V system,  to supplement some of your grid loads.   However,  a system can become a bit complex when trying to run from either Grid of some PV power.   Adding a second battery bank can be expensive,   and be another item that will need attending.

Most refers will require about a 1500 watt,  minimum Inverter rating,  to handle the fridge's compressor starting current surge.   There can be issues when trying to switch between  sources of AC power for a fridge,   unless this switch operates very,  very fast.   It is possible that using an inverter that has a fast,  internal transfer switch could help with this,   but these inverters are a bit expensive.

Just one point about PV panels.   Forget,  but are your PVs 220 watts?
The most common PVs are 60 cells,   and designed primarily for use on Grid tied systems.  Often these PVs have a maximum power voltage (Vmp)  around 29 - about 31 V.   These will usually require an MPPT Charge Controller(CC).   And,  one of these PVs (if this is the type that you have),   will not do a good job of fully-charging a 24 V battery,   so strings of two  would be required for 24 V,  and strings of  three PVs  would be needed for a 48 V system,   with an MPPT CC,  just FYI.

On Q3,   heating water takes a lot of energy.   Using an electric water heater for times when there is excess PV power available is often a good use of PVs,   but usually would need a medium or large sized system,  unless one is trying to heat only a small amount of water.

When it comes time for you to look at a new inverter,  or inverter/charger,   it would be a very good idea to know all of the details on what loads this system will need to supply,   when these loads occur (only when the sun is up,  or mostly from battery- etc),  and the peak loads, like starting a deep well pump,  Air Conditioning (A/C),  etc.

This design process is a bit detailed,  but very,   very important.   A good design,  based on your needs,   will help keep you from buying solar hardware that will not work,   or will work poorly for your intended purpose,   and might need to be replaced to accomplish your goals ...   and so on.

FWIW,   Vic

[solar blue]

        Hi Vic
       
    What would be the best device to use to aquire the load info on all appliances for this system and how long should i leave each appliance plugged to it for that purpose and would i
divide that by the amount a time to do it to get a daily avg? The fridg will be the only thing on
the six panels i have stored they will be wired to 48v totaling three strings will add two more
strings latter.
                                                       
                                                                                                           Wayne

[Vic]

Hi Wayne,   sorry for the reply delay.

For 120 VAC,   the Kill-A-Watt (KAW) meter is inexpensive,  and a good tool:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/P3-International-Kill-A-Watt-EZ-Meter-P4460/202196388?cm_mmc=Shopping%7cTHD%7cG%7c0%7cG-VF-PLA-D27E-Electrical%7c&gclid=CPCgqe7NuNECFQt_fgodiNQF8Q&gclsrc=aw.ds

The only inexpensive device like that I have used is the one above.   HomeDepot  markets at least one other,   which I have no experience using,   so,  would suggest finding a Kill-A-Watt.

The longer that it is connected to the load,  the more accurate it will generally be.  It has NO memory backup,   so if you have a power failure,  or it becomes unplugged during your measurements,  you would need to start over.

Some things,  like a refer,   will generally use a bit more power in Summer months,   but this depends upon the environment that the refer is in.

The KAW meter measures the current being drawn by the device being measured at the moment,   and measures and will show the kWh consumed over the period that the device has been connected,  until the KAW is unplugged,  so just write down the kWh number before the KAW is unplugged.

My opinion,   Vic

[russ_drinkwater]

I have a few similar devices which I purchased off evil bay.
These have been found to be extremely accurate in function when compared to the results of electrical testing
using data loggers from the power company here Ergon!
They will give you the amps draw of devices and as well keep a log of what the device has used.
A handy inexpensive tool!

[solar blue]

        Hi Russ
       Thanks for info starting to get my kw usage down now that Vic got this thing chargeing like it should many many thanks to him for his help and everyone else too dont want to leave them out. Now got to buy a good inverter psw no charger needed in it. Im using a aims mod 5000 used it for 4 years it has been really good no trouble with it but fridg and washer doesnt like it at all some input on that would really good. Like to find one that would take a NAP when its not slaving.

                                                                                                       Wayne