lesrollins

If the bm and batteries are showing roughly the same reading coukd the controller be faulty and if so how can it be tested.

I have just taken some measurements with a meter. Time 7.36pm. At the controller solar panels in 19.76 volts batteries out 13.25 volts. Monitor reading 13.22volts. All three batteries each tested 13.25 volts. I will have to see if we have some strong sun tomorrow to test for the higher readings.

Can anyone help with this one please. I have just fitted two solar panels to the boat and when the sun as been fully out I have had readings of 16.25v on the battery monitor this causes the inverter to cut out when it is reading 16.10v. If I disconnect the panels and run the engine to charge the batteries everything is fine with no high readings. These are a list of items I have used Solar panels 2 x 140w current atpmax 7.83a voltage at pmax 17.9a short circuit current 8.39a opencircuit voltage 21.4v Batteries 3 x 12v LFD 180 new a month ago Controller Victron blue solar mppt 40a solar charge controller Battery monitor Victron BMV-600S battery monitor Inverter Victron phoenix multiplus compact 12/1600/70 The solar panels have been wired positive to positive, negative to negative then into the controller with the battery being connected to the controller first. The battery monitor was set at 200amps (factory settings) but as been reset to 540 amps for the above battery bank no other settings have been touched, the manual says it automatically picks up the data once the new amps have been put in. How do I lower the voltage input or could I have some faulty goods will it damage the batteries. Cheers

Just fitted the victron mppt 40amp charger myself with no problems. Are the green lights on mine seem to work together when it is connected to the panels. As the fuse blown. Or try emailing customer services at sales@victronenergy.com they were helpful when I asked a few questions.

Thanks for all your answers. I have now built my boxes for the solar panels and have got one working I am waiting for a lenght of cable for the other before connecting it. The panels are 2 x 140 watts and at the moment with one panel connected the voltmeter is reading 12.91 volts is this about right. Given the fact it is now overcast / dull with rain.

Google solar alliance energy ltd lowestoft. £130 for 140 watts. Don,t the larger panels have 72 cells which are for 24v systems and the smaller panels have 36 cells for 12v sytems. If so how do you run a 72 cell panel through a 12v system.

Google solar alliance energy ltd lowestoft. £130 for 140 watts.

Having just replaced the analogue volt meter with a victron battery monitor I just wondered if anyone could help with a few questions. What SOC should I not let the batteries fall below 50%, 60% etc After bulk, absorption and the float period when is it best to turn off the charging system or do I wait for the amps on the battery monitor to hit a certain point before switching off the charging system. What volts is it best not to let the monitor fall below. Cheers

I swapped my elecsols for varta batteries, just couldn,t seem to get elecsol,s anywhere. Have a good look around.

Our bilge pump will not get all the water because of its design, so we get the rest out with a stirrup pump and this clears nearly all of it.

Hope you enjoy it. We sold our house in march and brought the boat never been on one before and never tried one. All the best.

I rang victron energy in the Netherlands yesterday and spoke to one of there technical guys, the wire is placed into the lower hole on the side of the controller and is connected to the negative side of the battery. It is a temperature sensor.

Thanks chris i don,t suppose you live near gloucester and want to earn some money. I have got a victron battery monitor to go in as well.

Looking through victrons basic and terrible manual i am now led to beleive the cable which goes into the side of the controller is a battery heat sensor if so should this go straight to the positive terminal of the battery. The manual does not give any indication.

Thanks for the info, on the side of the controller there are also two sockets simliar to what you put a phone/computer cable into are these so you can connect to a computer. Sorry but the manual is slightly useless.

Can anyone help regarding the wiring of the victron 40amp mppt controller. I understand where the battery and solar panels feed in to the controller but where do the load wires from the controller go. The controller is already fitted with a rated fuse but do i need to put any inline fuses on any of the cables going in or out of the controller. The boat is also fitted with a victron inverter. Sorry to ask what might seem basic questions but the manual is not a lot of help. Thanks

When we first picked our boat up from stoke to return back to gloucester we actually came down on the spring tide there was quite a bit of debris on the way down but not to bad. I phoned the lock keeper on numerous occasions on the way down to let him know where we were and by the time we got to the lock gate he had it open and ready for us so we didn,t need to use the chains on the wall. As you come out of the lock on your left are the finger pontoons and on the right there is mooring against the wall just below the cafe toasties with electric if there are any spaces available. The problem with the wall mooring is that it is the same level as the top of the boat so you will need to use the ladders to get off your boat and i have heard of one boater being woken in the early hours of the morning by two young girls drunk and dancing on top of the boat. There are showers and toilets in the docks but you will require a bw key. The docks can be noisy with both night time revellers and seagulls. Ahead of you is the swing bridge and if you go through there moorings are available on the left and on the right. The ones on the right require a bw key for the gate to get off the floating pontoons and there is water and a pumpout available, probably a better place to moor if there are any spaces. If not go under the next bridge just past sainsbury,s and on the right there are some mooring places next to the towpath. It is all within 30 mins walk of gloucester. When you have more time i always find the gloucester/sharpness canal from quedgeley or rea bridge down to sharpness much more pleasant. I heard the dockers club in sharpness do cracking food and its always best to book for sunday lunch. Anyway if you are going to travel down this weekend best to find out about the river severn with all the rain we are having to make sure it is okay. All the best.

Sorry to jump in on the thread. At the moment our nb is fitted with a corner bubble oil stove which due to high running costs we would like to replace with a multifuel corner stove that as the option of a back boiler. I know bubble make a multifuel corner version with a back boiler, but are there many more multifuel corner stoves out there. It will be going onto a 70ft narrowboat so a good kw stove is important. Thanks for any input.

So whats the difference between 36 cells and 72 cells and can a 72 cell solar panel be used on a 12volt system. When choosing solar panels is it best to use brand names or can cheapies be just as good.

I thought i would only need one set ( positive and negative ) of cables to the battery bank from the controller. The batteries are already joined in sequence. Sorry missed the last part about two mppt controllers i will only be using one 40amp controller.

The two panels will be sitting adjecent to each other forming a run just over 3 metres. From the end of the last panel to the controller will be about 2.5 metres. And the controller to the batteries will be a run of about 2 metres. These measurements have allowed for the cables to be fixed in a tidy fashion. Thanks

Any chance of that in lay mens term that answer goes beyond me i,m new to this. Cheers

What size cable do i need from 2 x 140w solar panels to a 40amp mppt controller and what size cable would i need from the controller to the batteries. Is there any maximum length of cable that should not be exceeded in any of the runs. On solar panels what is the difference between 36 cells and 72 cells and can 72 cell solar panels be used on a 12v system. Thanks