I have a PV array on my boat that feeds a Midnight 150 charge controller. The output from the charge controller is wired to the main bus. The house battery bank and the load for the main distribution breaker box are also wired to the same main bus. I have attached a simple schematic showing what I just described. During the day, the PV array provides far more power than the load needed, so it charges the batteries as well as providing power for the load. Obviously, the battery bank provides all the power for the load at night. My question is, should the output from the charge controller be wired only to the battery bank, forcing the entire output through the battery bank? The PV array and the battery bank are both oversized for the load needed most of the time.
that simple schematic looks to be just what you want, no need to modify it...
the loads do not know where the electrons come from nor cares about it.. just that it gets enough. Should the PV not be producing enough the battery chips in as needed, clouds, etc
Quote from: mirage on January 22, 2016, 06:42:47 PM
I have a PV array on my boat that feeds a Midnight 150 charge controller. The output from the charge controller is wired to the main bus. The house battery bank and the load for the main distribution breaker box are also wired to the same main bus. I have attached a simple schematic showing what I just described. During the day, the PV array provides far more power than the load needed, so it charges the batteries as well as providing power for the load. Obviously, the battery bank provides all the power for the load at night. My question is, should the output from the charge controller be wired only to the battery bank, forcing the entire output through the battery bank? The PV array and the battery bank are both oversized for the load needed most of the time.
mirage..
If you had a WBjr connected to the Classic you would see that when the Battery Bank is full charged and in Float that even though the Classic may be pumping out a large amount of watts (amps) it is just providing this for any existing loads it is not going to the batteries. The actual amount of amps going to the batteries has tapered off to just enough to to keep the batteries at the float voltage set point voltage.
Quote from: mirage on January 22, 2016, 06:42:47 PM
My question is, should the output from the charge controller be wired only to the battery bank, forcing the entire output through the battery bank? The PV array and the battery bank are both oversized for the load needed most of the time.
I think that would be impossible to achieve. If you simply move the Controller outputs direct to the battery from the main DC distribution box then that does not mean all the controller output current goes to the battery.
As Resthome suggests you should install a WBjr on a shunt connected between the battery -ve and the -ve to your distribution box. Nothing else should be connected to the battery -ve except the shunt.
dgd