Solar power What do I have ?

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Solar power What do I have ?

September 11, 2014, 04:58:07 pm

So I need a little help understanding just what I have. The PO that I bought the Coach from has passed on and I have little information on my Solar system. I was hoping that with as much knowledge that is here that someone might be able to enlighten me. Here are some pictures of what I have. Five solar panels on the roof and the controller in the bay with a Magnum converter charger.I also have a control; panel in the coach.

Re: Solar power What do I have ?

Reply #1 – September 11, 2014, 05:08:38 pm

Looks to be a very nice, up to date, and professionally installed system. The charge controller is MPPT, state of the art, and apparently rated to deliver 30A to the batteries through a disconnect switch. You appear to have enough panels on the roof to support it. I'd say take it outside and see how it performs.

Re: Solar power What do I have ?

Reply #2 – September 11, 2014, 05:14:35 pm

Thanks Tom, The PO did a lot of boon docking and his wife told me they hardly ever use the generator. I'm just trying to wrap my head around what I have and be able to maintain it as needed.

Re: Solar power What do I have ?

Reply #3 – September 11, 2014, 06:21:05 pm

Hi Andy. That looks like an excellent set up to me. What did the PO use for house batteries?

Re: Solar power What do I have ?

Reply #4 – September 11, 2014, 06:45:56 pm

sizewise they look to be about 100 watt panels to me. I think that 30amp controller is pretty well used up on very sunny days. There is probably a 20% safety factor (mayb more) and the panels never put out in actual use what they can under perfect design conditions. You should have hopefully 3 8D batteries to store the power as it would take a while to fill them up after use.
Pierce will add or correct me.
JohnH

Re: Solar power What do I have ?

Reply #5 – September 11, 2014, 08:08:12 pm

The way a 30A MPPT controller works is it will provide up to 30A depending on the power (Watts) the panels can provide and on what (Volts and Amps) the batteries need. If the batteries can provide more power than needed or more than the 30A the controller can send to the batteries, that battery capacity goes unused. There is no need for a safety factor, the controller is self-limiting.

Re: Solar power What do I have ?

Reply #6 – September 11, 2014, 08:16:20 pm

With all respect

Unless it is a recient install, given the era of the PO maybe Siemens 75 watt panels @ 31.2Amps

Ours is another mid 90s with 900w, 1 battery, pages of cost analysis, battery cycles per year.

PO was Jedi level, Like Wyatt

Re: Solar power What do I have ?

Reply #7 – September 11, 2014, 08:20:06 pm

Really nice. We only have 280W and only ran the genset to run the roof a/c. Your setup is a serious investment by the P.O. and it's good to be you!

Re: Solar power What do I have ?

Reply #8 – September 11, 2014, 08:33:57 pm

My suggestion of 100w was strictly a visual thing as I have 1- 100w panel plus the others at 150 w and it looked kinda like my little one, that is all I went by.
I realise the MPPT controller does that but what I referred too mainly was that all panels do not put out what is written on the back or tested too, and that was the safety reference ( should not have used that term I guess) nothing else. Batteries should be able to put out more power than what the solar gives to them as they (batteries) are only a storage bank of the power given to them. A lower output from the panels means that it will take longer to refresh the power back into batteries than if you had 50 amps going to the controller (which in that case would be a higher capacity one to manage that amount-plus more)
JohnH

Re: Solar power What do I have ?

Reply #9 – September 11, 2014, 08:39:43 pm

Hi Andy,

I would contact the seller or look somewhere on the controller for the name of the company that did the installation. You can then find out what the specs are on the panels, how they are wired, what voltage and amps the controller is rated for. Only then can you know exactly what you have. It looks as if they did a very clean installation.

A couple of points for where you live: If the panel voltage to the controller is anywhere close to what the controller is rated for, voltage on a subfreezing morning could exceed the designed limits. Some controllers will not turn on with excessive voltage, others will be damaged. Good to have breakers between the controller and the panels and another set between the controller and the batteries. I even put a fuseable link where the cable from the controller goes into the bus panel. Starting up, the breaker are switched first on the battery side, then the panels. Shutting down, the panels go off first and then the battery breakers. Avoids the possibility of arcing. I got this info from Northern Arizona Sun and Wind and also the same from the Midnite factory techs. They even wanted the juice feeding the breakers to go in a particular direction as shown in their installation manual.

Every MPPT controller has a ton of user settings, depending on what type of battery you have, etc. Good to spend time on the phone with either the company that did the installation, supplied the parts or the controller manufacturer. I called both my supplier and the Midnite factory and it was time well spent.

Don't mean to imply that they didn't do their job right but I have seen several installations done around here that were wired incorrectly and didn't charge the batteries as they should have.

Again, looks very nice. Usually, a clean installation goes with a correct installation.

Pierce

Re: Solar power What do I have ?

Reply #10 – September 11, 2014, 09:01:08 pm

An easy way to get an idea of the panel capacity would be to read the voltage and current to the the MPPT controller on a bright sunny day with the batteries low. Even with the sun not directly overhead and the panels not tilted, you will get low ballpark estimate of what they can produce, more under ideal conditions. Also, there might be something written directly on the panels or some documentation the original owner stashed somewhere.

Re: Solar power What do I have ?

Reply #11 – September 11, 2014, 09:05:14 pm

Nice controller. Works on the engine battery too.

The HPV-30DR charge controller is the culmination of many years of Research and Development. Its feature set is the result of our experiences of living and working out of our RV and seeing what was and what wasn't working with other controllers. Its ease of installation comes from working with the "guys on the line" at our RV manufacturing accounts as well as from our own years of aftermarket installions.

There is so much automatically going on "under the hood" of the HPV-30DR protecting your RV and your Batteries that it is hard to describe it all in text. It is something that you will just have to experience. Let's just say that I seriously doubt that you will find any other solar charge controller that has all of the RV specific features that are built in to the HPV-30DR.

The HPV-30DR has the following standard features:

30 Amp Charging Capabilities
(Regulates up to 600 watts of solar input)

Charges both the House and Engine Battery Banks Simultaneously
(Up to 30 amps heads to the House Battery while up to 5 amps head to the Engine Battery!)

Proven 3-Stage Charging Method
('Bulk', 'Taper', 'Float' charging assures complete and gentle charging)

External Voltage Sensing
(Measures actual battery voltage at the battery for the most accurate charging)

Current Limit On Output
(Eliminates nuisance fuse blowing)

Voltage Limit On Output
(Eliminates Over Voltage shut down of Inverters and protects sensitive RV Electronics)

Battery Temperature Compensation
(Automatically adjusts charge set point with respect to battery temperature to help prevent excess water loss in warmer temperatures and/or plate sulfation build-up in cooler temperatures)

Selectable Charge Set Points
(via potentiometers on the circit board)

Light Emitting Diodes
(Gives "at-a-glance" system status: "Bulk", "Taper", and "Float")

The HPV-30 Solar Monitor has the following features:

System Mode Status LEDs
(This gives you "at-a-glance" confirmation of which charging mode the HPV-30D is operating in by seeing which LED is lit. If there are no LEDs lit, then the system is Off.)

An "On / Off" Switch
(This allows you to easily disable the controller when necessary without having to go out and pull a fuse at the battery. There are times when it is appropriate to turn off your solar charging system. One being if you are going to store your RV under cover or in a garage. If there is no sun available, then your controller will draw the power it needs to operate its logic and meter readout from your batteries which will slowly draw them down while in storage. Simply turning off the controller will resolve this issue.)

A Three Position Selector Switch
(This switch didctates what shows in the Liquid Crystal Display. You can easily monitor the current House Battery Voltage, Engine Battery Voltage, or Solar Charging Amperage )

A Momentary Button Switch
(To the right of the Liquid Crystal Display is a momemtary switch. When you have the Three Position Selector Switch set to "Solar Charging Amps", you can press this momentary button switch and see what Amperage the Solar Array is sending to the HPV-30DR. When you compare the "Solar Array Amps" to the "Solar Charging Amps" you will see how much of a Boost in the Charging Amperage the HPV-30DR is delivering to your battery)

Re: Solar power What do I have ?

Reply #12 – September 11, 2014, 09:14:19 pm

Quote from: Andy 2 – September 11, 2014, 04:58:07 pm

So I need a little help understanding just what I have. The PO that I bought the Coach from has passed on and I have little information on my Solar system. I was hoping that with as much knowledge that is here that someone might be able to enlighten me. Here are some pictures of what I have. Five solar panels on the roof and the controller in the bay with a Magnum converter charger.I also have a control; panel in the coach.

Here is another clipping from the Heliotrope PV website. These people can probably answer all of your questions, and they most likely did the original installation.

Where to Buy

We have an agreement with AM Solar, Inc.
to be our Master Distributor.
They will also be serving as our primary
Technical Assistance contact.
go to: Welcome to AM Solar_Your RV Solar Specialists since 1987

Surface Mail

AM Solar, Inc.
3555 Marcola Road.
Springfield, OR 97477

Phone

Business (541) 726-1091
Fax (541) 736-1107
Technical Assistance (541) 255-0630

E-Mail

For General Assistance or Inquiries: greg@amsolar.com

Re: Solar power What do I have ?

Reply #13 – September 11, 2014, 09:55:26 pm

Wow Thanks you guys, Looks like I have some home work to work on. Tom Thanks for that information, Most of what you explained I have noticed my controller does. or something very close. I will be hopefully coming to the Q this Jan and hope to get someone to look at what i have. I'm going to call SAM's widow and asked her if she has any info on who did the installation. I have the Manual for the Magnum but nothing on the solar system.

Re: Solar power What do I have ?

Reply #14 – September 11, 2014, 10:21:56 pm

My solar installation came of my Yacht, Its been operating on it for 9 years, full time live aboard by the PO, and no Generator,
On a swing mooring, He never ran out of power, Neither did I crossing three oceans bringing it home,

Its 270 Watts of Solar panels, It now has a 30 Amp MPPT controller, Instead of the 10 amp controller that got drowned,

I have it all connected to my Coach Battery, It does the job and I never run out of power,

The panels still put out power on cloudy days,

Get a mirror, under the panels there is a plackard that states what the panels are, who made them and what ratings they

are, 12 volts, 24 volts, Wattage of each panel, How many diodes in each panel, Its all there,

After 14 years in a Marine environment, These Plackards are still easily read on mine, Its situated just above the terminal box on the panels,

You have a very slick set up there, Some one knew what they were doing,

But make sure the are all connected right, The wiring, Wired up wrong, they dont do anything, Just look good,

Mine were originally installed on my Catamaran in 2002, Still going strong on my Coach, I will get new ones for my boat,

200 Watt Panels are $220-00 AUD, and coming down in price, I can put two bigger Wattage panels on my Boat instead of the four I have now, And I save space as well,

Re: Solar power What do I have ?

Reply #15 – September 11, 2014, 11:56:26 pm

Andy2: One of the first craigslist ads for your coach when it was first put up for sale referred to "400 watts" of solar which was my first guess when I looked at the photos (just as John Haygarth surmised). Very well done installation. It should do fine with two 8D house batteries along with a connection to charge up the chassis battery bank with 5A. They rate that controller as able to handle 600-watts so the 30-amps must be a conservative number.

We are still only running 480-watts and the system goes into float shortly after noon on a sunny day even with profligate use of the Dish Tailgator satellite system in the evenings.

That is one terrific coach you have there!!! I wonder if that particular U300 was equipped with dual-pane windows. A few of them were and I heard of one that went to Montana.

Craig

Re: Solar power What do I have ?

Reply #16 – September 12, 2014, 12:20:30 am

Thanks Craig I figured it looked about that. As to the controller I have the Morningstar MPPT and it has virtually the same charateristics and was originally installed by AMSOLAR and Gregs team who I trust with their extensive Solar knowledge (as others on this Forum will attest to). I have added panels and changed wiring (heavier #2) to mitigate any voltage loss and the system provides us with all the power we need while on the road for 3 months, so something is working right, and with NO generator use
JohnH

Re: Solar power What do I have ?

Reply #17 – September 12, 2014, 09:54:43 am

Thanks Craig for that information, we have been blessed with this coach. When I first looked at this Coach it had a few problems and I passed on it. After about two months of looking at what was out there and how far we were going to have to travel look at anything else, we decided to call and see if it had been sold and it was not. I called the owner and bought it over the phone.
After we got it home the more I looked at what Sam had done , I realized I was going to have to get some help, with his passing all his knowledge was gone. so I really want to thank everyone for their Help I have so much to learn and look forward to meeting some of you in our upcoming travels.
Best Regards Andy & Eileen

Re: Solar power What do I have ?

Reply #18 – September 12, 2014, 11:16:31 am

Quote from: Andy 2 – September 12, 2014, 09:54:43 am

Thanks Craig for that information, we have been blessed with this coach. When I first looked at this Coach it had a few problems and I passed on it.

I clearly remember my reaction when you posted that you were going to pass on Sam's coach. I was dumbfounded! And when you managed to come to your sense (grin) and it was still available I was glad that someone on the forum has it.

Sue and I live just half a mile off I-90 at Moses Lake and have an easy place to park at our shop (but no hook-ups for anything other than our U225) so feel welcome to come visit on your way back and forth from MT. I was born in Great Falls and my Dad's best friend moved to Billings after WWII (so he told me).

Craig

Re: Solar power What do I have ?

Reply #19 – September 12, 2014, 11:19:38 am

Andy... before I forget, you should contact AMSOLAR in Oregon and find out if they have the records for that installation and any ideas if you are considering upgrading it. I don't know if Sam did the installation himself but he almost certainly bought that controller from AMSOLAR.

Craig

Re: Solar power What do I have ?

Reply #20 – September 12, 2014, 11:37:36 am

Andy, Greg and his team are great people and this is their life (solar). They have a nice overnight setting should you ever go there with power and water and bathroom etc. Dave, one of their techs is good and all I can say is they are a dedicated knowledgeable group.
JohnH

Re: Solar power What do I have ?

Reply #21 – September 12, 2014, 02:19:52 pm

Craig and Tom, you bet I will be contacting them.As a side note I went over to the Coach and took this picture. I think it is a battery temp sensor ? If that is what it is does it go to the NEG side of any one of the house battries ? Craig we sure will make contact if we head that way in the furture. Thanks again Andy

Re: Solar power What do I have ?

Reply #22 – September 12, 2014, 02:22:27 pm

Quote from: Andy 2 – September 12, 2014, 02:19:52 pm

Craig and Tom, you bet I will be contacting them.As a side note I went over to the Coach and took this picture. I think it is a battery temp sensor ? If that is what it is does it go to the NEG side of any one of the house battries ?

Yes, you found it. It needs to be attached to any negative terminal.

Re: Solar power What do I have ?

Reply #23 – September 12, 2014, 02:24:13 pm

Great thanks

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