I live on a boat usually anchored out and recently I've started noticing a problem with my solar setup. What happens is every now and again the power to my devices will stop and then pick back up within 1-3 seconds. I've found that it happens more often when I'm drawing more power and I've only noticed it happening during the day never at night. It's become more frequent but still not too often. When it happens all the I see happening other than power dropping from my devices is that the power strip/surge protector that they're plugged into will also somewhat shut down, by somewhat I mean that the main on/off switch the light will die but the surge protection light will stay on. No alarms go off with my charge controller or inverter and all lights appear normal. I feel like I notice it happening more when there is a plethora of cloudy spots and sunny spots in the sky so my incoming solar energy is constantly changing. I also feel like it happens more when it's windy out and the boat is rocking. But it doesn't always happen in any condition so I can't pinpoint anything.
I have 4 100 watt renogy solar panels in 24v config, pwn charge controller that came with the panels in a starter kit, and 800 watt 24v pure sine wave inverter and 2 interstate wet cell 12v batteries in series so they're 24v. The only thing that connects to the plugs of the inverter is the power strip/surge protector to which my devices connect. I usually only use a relatively low power laptop and sometimes a small fan. Fan uses about 20watts laptop anywhere from 10w-30w. I have my inverter leads at the lowest on the batteries with the charge controller leads above them.
My batteries/leads seem fine no real corrosion, topped with water.
Never had any problems with panels or charge controller.
I've only ever had my inverter beep at me if the batteries got too low during nights after days of heavy clouds. Although there was once when the red light on it would flash at me randomly one day but it didn't happen often, hasn't happened with this current problem (not even close in time frame) and only happened the one day. Not even sure what it meant.
Power strip is just standard strip/surge protector you could pick up at walmart.
My guesses are:
1.) The power strip is getting too much juice from the inverter and is shorting out and if that's the case how can I prevent that, but my inverter has protections for that and shouldn't be happening.
2.) Power strip is just getting old and having interior degradation issues and can't handle what's being given to it. is it possible that it could rust on the inside and cause this? it's not exactly an outdoor model.
3.) Somehow the switch between using energy from incoming solar to using it from the batteries when switch from sunlight to cloud is too sudden is causing a momentary gap in power transfer but I would figure that electrons travel faster than clouds and a rocking boat and also my inverter would beep at my for low voltage. Maybe it has to be sustained long enough for the low voltage alarm to go off? Or perhaps the other way around and the solar panels hit the sunlight and my inverter gets a push of energy somehow before it can tell it not to give it so much.
I've been watching it a little closer today and I've noticed that the power strip on/off light switch doesn't always shut off when the power drops only sometimes. I've also just noticed that the red light on my invertner turns on sometimes when the power strip shuts off, possibly overvoltage protection? But again this light doesn't always turn on when it happens.
In regards to my inverter, I notice that for some reason when when I have a lot of energy coming in the fan is more likely to be on for and will often turn off then on and off and on repeatedly for extended periods of time. The fan doesn't turn on nearly as much as night as if the incoming energy has something to do with it. Perhaps because my inverter cables are below my charge controller cables on the batteries? Looked up the red light warning I got and it was an over-voltage protection light which has automatic recovery. So what's causing this and what can I do to fix it? The only thing I've changed from my system from before when it didn't happen to now is I added 2 more solar panels, so they are in series parallel but even before they were still in series so it should increase the voltage... right?
It doesn't really cause me too many problems as it's only for a short period of time here and there but since it's happening more often and it's a newer issue that hasn't been happening for the last year that I've lived on the boat, I'd like to address it to prevent any bigger issues. Any help would be greatly appreciated, if you need anymore information let me know. Since this has never been an issue before I'm operating under the idea that this is an equipment issue.
I have 4 100 watt renogy solar panels in 24v config, pwn charge controller that came with the panels in a starter kit, and 800 watt 24v pure sine wave inverter and 2 interstate wet cell 12v batteries in series so they're 24v. The only thing that connects to the plugs of the inverter is the power strip/surge protector to which my devices connect. I usually only use a relatively low power laptop and sometimes a small fan. Fan uses about 20watts laptop anywhere from 10w-30w. I have my inverter leads at the lowest on the batteries with the charge controller leads above them.
My batteries/leads seem fine no real corrosion, topped with water.
Never had any problems with panels or charge controller.
I've only ever had my inverter beep at me if the batteries got too low during nights after days of heavy clouds. Although there was once when the red light on it would flash at me randomly one day but it didn't happen often, hasn't happened with this current problem (not even close in time frame) and only happened the one day. Not even sure what it meant.
Power strip is just standard strip/surge protector you could pick up at walmart.
My guesses are:
1.) The power strip is getting too much juice from the inverter and is shorting out and if that's the case how can I prevent that, but my inverter has protections for that and shouldn't be happening.
2.) Power strip is just getting old and having interior degradation issues and can't handle what's being given to it. is it possible that it could rust on the inside and cause this? it's not exactly an outdoor model.
3.) Somehow the switch between using energy from incoming solar to using it from the batteries when switch from sunlight to cloud is too sudden is causing a momentary gap in power transfer but I would figure that electrons travel faster than clouds and a rocking boat and also my inverter would beep at my for low voltage. Maybe it has to be sustained long enough for the low voltage alarm to go off? Or perhaps the other way around and the solar panels hit the sunlight and my inverter gets a push of energy somehow before it can tell it not to give it so much.
I've been watching it a little closer today and I've noticed that the power strip on/off light switch doesn't always shut off when the power drops only sometimes. I've also just noticed that the red light on my invertner turns on sometimes when the power strip shuts off, possibly overvoltage protection? But again this light doesn't always turn on when it happens.
In regards to my inverter, I notice that for some reason when when I have a lot of energy coming in the fan is more likely to be on for and will often turn off then on and off and on repeatedly for extended periods of time. The fan doesn't turn on nearly as much as night as if the incoming energy has something to do with it. Perhaps because my inverter cables are below my charge controller cables on the batteries? Looked up the red light warning I got and it was an over-voltage protection light which has automatic recovery. So what's causing this and what can I do to fix it? The only thing I've changed from my system from before when it didn't happen to now is I added 2 more solar panels, so they are in series parallel but even before they were still in series so it should increase the voltage... right?
It doesn't really cause me too many problems as it's only for a short period of time here and there but since it's happening more often and it's a newer issue that hasn't been happening for the last year that I've lived on the boat, I'd like to address it to prevent any bigger issues. Any help would be greatly appreciated, if you need anymore information let me know. Since this has never been an issue before I'm operating under the idea that this is an equipment issue.
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