Solar Panels in Parellel Problem...I think

[inetdog]

I took a quick look at the installation manual, including schematic, just in case there was a sign of a 12V battery charger winding on the main generator, and found nothing.

Look like it really is designed to be an on-grid backup generator only, although I think that it might also be able to run the smart battery charger off the generator when it is running. Since the control panel runs of grid, there is no reason to try to conserve battery power. <sigh>
I did notice that there are optional battery, carburetor and fuel regulator heaters, but they appear to be AC powered.

[scheek]

2.5 amp charger

According to the manual the charger on board is a 2.5 amp. At home I hooked up my battery charger to a battery and at 3 amps its pulling close to 400 watts. I'm guessing that the generator charger when it fires up ( again let me explain that my inverter comes out of safe mode when my refrigerator cycles) that it may go full charge. When the refrigerator cuts off so does the power that supplies AC current to the generator controller battery charger. Maybe it never has time to settle down.

I called the tech who services the generator and he said it does not have an alternator. While running a stater is supplying charge and then when off the AC current keeps battery up so it can run the DC controller.

I have an Elite current monitor that I can view anything that comes on to see the wattage. Today the gen/ctrl charger was drawing 400 watts. The battery was nearly dead though.

Well to help rectify that problem I put a cut off switch on the battery to the generator, so when I'm not there (cabin) that no power can be pulled from the battery. I have a few other options that I will try to. I need to wait to see what state my battery is in tomorrow with no load on it overnight. Hopefully, I have not ruined it with the solar panel drain the other day and then this situation.

Let me ask you this question: I think in a previous reply you (or someone did )said I did not even need a battery controller. I have a 10 amp battery controller between my panels and the battery. (I have 2 x 100 watt panels) They get nearly 3-4 hours of sun per day and then relatively indirect light until late evening. I was always under the assumption that batteries can be ruined if over charged...but maybe you are saying mine can't over charge at the rate of sunlight I am getting.

[Sunking]

To run a panel without a controller requires the current from the panels to less than C/50. It will charge the batteries per se, bit it will prevent them from self discharging and remain charged up. A single 100 watt panel with a CC is more than it needs. It might even be too much for such a small battery.If I remember correctly it is only about a 40 AH SLI battery. Anything more than 4 amps of charge current is a waste. A 12 volt 100 watt panel produces up to 6 amps which is a bit on the high side but would work. 200 watt is asking for trouble. 2 to 3 amps is perfect which is what the factory charger delivers.

I agree with Dave, your generator is not made for off grid. It might be able to modified for off-grid, but if you do will give up Bells and Whistles and void any warranty and/or factory support.

[scheek]

This has been the only problem I've had that remains a pain. The way I use the generator is that I have it wired over to my cabin, about 100 feet way. If we want to use the air condition in the summer, etc, we just flip it on via a toggle switch. I have the generator set on Auto so what is sees is a low battery when I flip the toggle. At the same time it is running, it is also supplying up to 85 amps of charge to my battery bank.

I have 2 LED voltage meters in the cabin that I can monitor the battery of the generator and the other monitor the 24 V battery bank.

If I'm running under 200 watts avg at any given time, we're in good shape. Weekends only is about the time we spend there...but this dang drain on my little battery is the pits.

I wish I could just bypass the controller and just have an on/off that I could activate with my toggle. That way it would not drain my battery. I understand the complicated controller but it is way more than an off-grid person, as myself, would ever need.

Any tips please pass on.

Thanks for your info.

[inetdog]

A discussion on another forum about the AC connection to a perhaps similar generator controller did confirm that the various auxiliary heaters (optional, but your installer may have specified them) are also powered from that AC input.

[scheek]

Battery was up this morning. I had installed a battery disconnect switch yesterday. I also tested the controller while battery was up and according to my reading (saw a YouTube example) I'm pulling about 2.5 DC amps, equal to a 40 watt bulb.

If my math is right that equates to about 60 ah per day, keeping it plugged up. My panel will put some of that back. I'm not sure a 10 amp battery controller means it will put max. 10 ah back in to a battery per hour our not. Maybe you can tell me.

Any ideas on a good balance to avoid using the 2.5 amp AC-charger in the controller would be helpful. I've even though of using a smaller trickle charger (bypassing the AC charger) to limp through the night until the sun comes up, letting the panel make up for the loss the next day.

Maybe I need Obama's man Groper to do the math for me on this one. lol.

Thanks

[inetdog]

One thing to keep in mind with your battery disconnect switch is that most charge controllers require that the battery be connected before any voltage appears on the panel input so that they can initialize properly.
If you open the battery disconnect in the middle of the day you may have to first open the CC input disconnect before you reconnect the battery.