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Topic: Any Ideas?? Inverter, solar controller shutting off (Read 516 times) previous topic - next topic

Any Ideas?? Inverter, solar controller shutting off

]Coach had sat unused and unattended for 5 yrs
-Batteries all around replaced in Oct 2018
-Autozone did check batteries and claimed they read good
-New to me in Jan 2019 batteries were dead when I went to look it over
-1200 miles home no problems
-Plugged into 30amp for 4 months while we made some modifications at the house
-4100 mile trip to Utah NP
-Put new trik-l-start on in April
-On way back from Utah I was running generator for coach air and everything worked fine all day until we stopped for dinner.
When I returned from dinner generator started fine but Air conditioner would not start.
-When I got home plugged coach in and Air worked fine and next day worked fine on test start on generator
-Moved unit to storage using 200w solar from Windy Nation to keep coach batteries charged.  These are mounted on storage barn an I unplug from panels when I use RV
-Took another overnight trip and generator powered air fine while driving. Stopped and generator turned off for 5hrs and when I got back in to go to bed generator started fine but air would not engage.  Noticed that it would not switch from inverter to AC power. (probably doing the same thing the first time but I did not notice since I had been driving for 2 days)
-Forum research led me to replace transfer switch with PD52DCS, (only replaced one of 2)everything seemed to work as it should.
-checked on RV Monday no power from solar panel to solar control box. And inverter was off inside coach at inverter panel (I left it on).  Tried to start generator and nothing happened.  Started coach and it fired up and inverter came on and then I was able to start generator with no problem (so batteries were not run down).
-Tuesday checked again and same thing. No power at solar control, Inverter was off, could not start generator.  Started coach and inverter came on and was able to start generator and AC power took over. (solar controller lit up showed coach batteries at 13.8v)-Thursday checked again and same thing. No power at solar control, Inverter was off, could not start generator.  Started coach and inverter came on and was able to start generator and AC power took over (solar controller lit up showed coach batteries at 13.8v)  Letting generator run for 1hr
-tried salesman switch all three times to reset Inverter and nothing happened.

Thanks in advance for any ideas.  My knowledge has come from you guys and I would say I'm handy but not a mechanic or an electrician.

2000 GV320 4010 build #5712  2019-?
1999 Bounder 2000-2008
Bardstown, KY
🥃The Bourbon Capital of the World🥃

Re: Any Ideas?? Inverter, solar controller shutting off

Reply #1 –
are the panels on a fuse? what kind of solar charger? Sounds like you have a 12v problem.. Thermostat going bad?

Re: Any Ideas?? Inverter, solar controller shutting off

Reply #2 –
If you have had batteries go dead they are damaged permanently normally.  Not fixable.  Replace both sets.

Fix the issues that caused the failure first.

Each time you run flooded cell or agm's dead the cycle life is cut in half. Separate from the capacity losses.

100%, 50%, 25%.....

Li-ion batteries BMS shuts off their internal output before you can damage them. 

Batteries lose power by themselves

You may have a really dead battery in the bank.  Like near zero.

Went back to oem optima red tops and mk gels and added solar and a auto combiner first to avoid buying more batteries

Too many years playing with batteries in the rv biz to not upgrade the entire system and fix it basically forever.

The coach IS the 12 volt system

"Riding and rejoicing"
Bob
1997 U320 40' Mid entry, build 5132,  wtbi ce27, 4th owner
2007 Solara convertible
2 prodeco tech outlaw ss electric bikes

1095 watts solar
08 Ls 460 and a sc430
2000 Ford F-250 superduty 4x4

Re: Any Ideas?? Inverter, solar controller shutting off

Reply #3 –
What kind of solar controller do you have? Any voltage on a digital readout? Check voltage from panels as it connects to the controller. Use multimeter at batteries for voltage, isolate batteries from each other and check voltage again on each battery. Leave boost solenoid off if it is on. Once voltage is up to 12.7 with engine off, nothing on, isolate the batteries and put a load checker on each one. Voltage won't stabilize until six hours after charging. Not a bad idea to charge the batteries and then disconnect them checking to see what the voltage is on each one the next day without the possibility of something on the coach causing the discharge . Don't be in a hurry to buy batteries until you have found the problem and know that your batteries have gone south. Could be as simple as a connector vibrating loose.

Pierce
Pierce and Gaylie Stewart
'93 U300/36 WTBI
Detroit 6V-92TA Jake
1140 watts on the roof
SBFD (ret)

Re: Any Ideas?? Inverter, solar controller shutting off

Reply #4 –
solar control is Windy Nation P20L LCD 20A (CHC-LCD-20)

Solar control does not have a fuse inline anywhere before or after

After I got the solar controller working it was showing 12.9v going to the batteries and the batter bank was showing 13.8.
On the inverter it was showing 13.8
on the dash it was showing 13.1 with lighter plug in on top plug, 12.9 on bottom

David, Is the thermostat you're talking about going bad the Air Condition Thermostat or is there a thermostat on the inverter?  I did see a fault on the inverter panel that said batteries got too hot when charging one time like 132 degrees??

2000 GV320 4010 build #5712  2019-?
1999 Bounder 2000-2008
Bardstown, KY
🥃The Bourbon Capital of the World🥃

Re: Any Ideas?? Inverter, solar controller shutting off

Reply #5 –
Quote from: Tommy D –
solar control is Windy Nation P20L LCD 20A (CHC-LCD-20)

Solar control does not have a fuse inline anywhere before or after

After I got the solar controller working it was showing 12.9v going to the batteries and the batter bank was showing 13.8.
On the inverter it was showing 13.8
on the dash it was showing 13.1 with lighter plug in on top plug, 12.9 on bottom

David, Is the thermostat you're talking about going bad the Air Condition Thermostat or is there a thermostat on the inverter?  I did see a fault on the inverter panel that said batteries got too hot when charging one time like 132 degrees??
AC thermostat... Solar should have some type of shut of in case it needs maintenance. What did you do to the controller to make it work?

I would start by charging the batteries all sperate and see how they hold for 24hrs .. you can load test at any parts store for the most part

Re: Any Ideas?? Inverter, solar controller shutting off

Reply #6 –
Quote from: DavidS –
AC thermostat... Solar should have some type of shut of in case it needs maintenance. What did you do to the controller to make it work?

I would start by charging the batteries all sperate and see how they hold for 24hrs .. you can load test at any parts store for the most part
I think I may have solved the Air conditioner problem by putting in a new transfer switch.  With generator started the coach was not switching to AC power and staying on inverter power. 

I can disconnect the wires easily since solar is on storage barn roof and I don't take it with the coach.

To get the 12v and the controller to work/register on the inverter panel and solar control panel I had to start the coach.  As I said generator would not start or turn over (like it had no power to it) and I assume the alternator woke up the inverter.  After inverter switched on then the generator started fine and when I went out to check the solar control panel it was lit up and working as normal.


2000 GV320 4010 build #5712  2019-?
1999 Bounder 2000-2008
Bardstown, KY
🥃The Bourbon Capital of the World🥃

Re: Any Ideas?? Inverter, solar controller shutting off

Reply #7 –
Read that the solar charge controller will shut off if battery volts drop below certain set point so as not to damage battery by what volts it takes to run solar charger.  Do inverters have this same function?  Looks like the coach batteries have dropped from 12.9v to 12.4or3v in about 3hrs.  I was reading the wrong thing on the solar controller earlier, 13.8v is where they go to float.  I will check it again in the morning.  Salesman switch off.


2000 GV320 4010 build #5712  2019-?
1999 Bounder 2000-2008
Bardstown, KY
🥃The Bourbon Capital of the World🥃

Re: Any Ideas?? Inverter, solar controller shutting off

Reply #8 –
Our Midnight 150 will show about 76 volts (four 36 volt panels wired series/parallel) a few minutes before the sun comes up but no amps. As the sun comes up over the horizon, it starts to charge the house batteries and the voltage will drop increasing as the sun gets higher. Controllers are usually adjustable for bulk/absorption/float voltage as well as other settings. Batteries will sulfate at 12.3 volts. That's only 50% charged but this may be a reading with your inverter on supplying power to your appliances.

This is what my display looked like toward the end of the day after the sun had gone behind trees. Reading down the left side is the solar panel output. In this case 56.4V, 24 watts charging on float setting and 3.3 kWh has gone into the batteries that day. The right  side indicates 12.1V as the inverter/TV/etc are on. Our inverter is OEM and really drops the voltage when turned on, especially with appliances on.

Pierce
Pierce and Gaylie Stewart
'93 U300/36 WTBI
Detroit 6V-92TA Jake
1140 watts on the roof
SBFD (ret)

Re: Any Ideas?? Inverter, solar controller shutting off

Reply #9 –
After checking at 5pm and again this morning with salesman switch off the batteries are reading 12.5-12.6v so looks like it is headed in the right direction, I will keep monitoring it.  When I can get it to shore power I will hook up a charger and then get them load tested.

2000 GV320 4010 build #5712  2019-?
1999 Bounder 2000-2008
Bardstown, KY
🥃The Bourbon Capital of the World🥃