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27 or 37 volts?

Started by dlnelsonroca, November 06, 2018, 07:59:04 PM

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dlnelsonroca

Hello! I have a few questions about my installation with the Midnite Kid Solar Charge Controller, but I'll start with one for now. When my 10Amp 40 watt breaker, which connects to the controller, is on it shows 27 watts on my multimeter from the panels to the breaker. When it's off it shows 37 watts going from the panels to the breaker. I'm having difficulty figuring out the settings on my controller, how to set for float, etc., and wondered if the above issue has anything to do with that. I obviously don't know much about electricity. Thanks for your help!

ClassicCrazy

Please describe exactly what you have on your system
How many - what kind of PV and how are they wired up ?
What kind of batteries  and what voltage are they wired up at ?

Without knowing the specifics of what you have there - you set the Absorb Voltage and Float voltage according to the battery manufacturers recommendations

It seems like you are saying watts but you mean volts - where you said it shows 27 watts on your multimeter 

Larry
system 1
Classic 150 , 5s3p  Kyocera 135watt , 12s Soneil 2v 540amp lead crystal for 24v pack , Outback 3524 inverter
system 2
 5s 135w Kyocero , 3s3p 270w Kyocera  to Classic 150 ,   8s Kyocera 225w to Hawkes Bay Jakiper 48v 15kwh LiFePO4 , Outback VFX 3648 inverter
system 3
KID / Brat portable

Westbranch

If you can do it  a few screen captures (phone) or camera would be best.
KID FW1811 560W >C&D 24V 900Ah AGM
CL150 29032 FW V.2126-NW2097-GP2133 175A E-Panel WBjr, 3Px4s 140W > 24V 900Ah AGM,
2 Cisco WRT54GL i/c DD-WRT Rtr, NetGr DS104Hub
Cotek ST1500 Inv  want a 24V  ROSIE Inverter
OmniCharge3024  Eu1/2/3000iGens
West Chilcotin 1680+W to come

dlnelsonroca

Hello! Thanks for your helping questions. And I do get confused about electrical terms. I've installed a stand alone system in my small house on the coast of Oaxaca, Mexico. It has eight 130 or 135 Wp, connected to a 10KA 40 Amp breaker, connected to the Midnite Solar Kid MPPT, connected to 4 Crown CR-430 6 volt batteries wired for 24, connected to an inverter. Because we get power outages here fairly often I've used it on occasion, and it works well. My house uses an average of 3.5 or so Kw hours a day. Right now I mainly use the system for when there are power outages, sometimes lasting for many hours, at other times only an hour or two.
My panels put out 37 volts consistently, and they get a lot of sun daily at 15 degrees latitude, and my house with an almost perfect east west orientation with only a few coconut trees at early and late hours to form a little bit of shadow.

dlnelsonroca

I looked up the manufacturers specs for settings, float, etc., and tohught I set them, but now Ic an;t fugure out how to look at those settings and check them again. And by batteries seem to stay charged at around 25.6, which I thought would be higher.

ClassicCrazy

If your system is floating most of the time you need to set it up to  skip days ( others know more about that than I do ) .
You also should set it to do a full absorb cycle every 10 days or so  . This will keep the electrolyte stirred up so it doesn't stratify the acid and shorten the battery life.  I did that in the past by setting the equalize to absorb voltages and set it to auto ever 10 days. 
There is more to know about your present settings which you can find in the menus on MNGP or using the Local Status app in Config. So you need to know the Absorb voltages and absorb time as well as Float voltage and if you have it set up to ending amps ( if you have a Whizbang on a shunt installed ) .

Larry
system 1
Classic 150 , 5s3p  Kyocera 135watt , 12s Soneil 2v 540amp lead crystal for 24v pack , Outback 3524 inverter
system 2
 5s 135w Kyocero , 3s3p 270w Kyocera  to Classic 150 ,   8s Kyocera 225w to Hawkes Bay Jakiper 48v 15kwh LiFePO4 , Outback VFX 3648 inverter
system 3
KID / Brat portable