I'm over my head

[Brush Ape]

Wow. No, I am not too embarrassed to show up. I came here seeking knowledge, direction, and help. Your analogy of 200 tomato plants seems not to be based on how I would help you, but how you want to help me. I would not roll on the floor laughing at you. I'd try to help you find a solution. I haven't burned the house down. I haven't killed any one. I shut the system down. I'm trying to figure out what to do next. I don't hold much hope you guys are going to do much other than mock me.

[Sunking]

Looks like Brushape has gone bye bye and too embarrassed to show up. Either that or seen the replies and shot his buddy dead and is now in prison. Or blew up and burnt his house down.

[Sunking]

My bad, just read the Tristar manual and it looks like there is no setting for limiting the charging amps.

Just delete your post. Old saying goes you never make a mistake until someone someone else sees or knows about it.

[PNjunction]

YIKES - stop for a reconfiguration NOW.

While you are researching, to save those batteries, get them on a charger that will eventually go to float. Leave them in float for at least 24 hours before proceeding to the next one.

One thing not mentioned is the easy ability for all those batteries to become unbalanced and create a hazard of their own. Charge each one individually initially while sitting down for a re-think.

[Mike90250]

I concur with Sunking and sensij

[Sunking]

Sensi I edited that sentence a bit.

[sensij]

For what it is worth, I think Sunking is giving you good advice. Another alternative would be to re-orient most of the panels east and west. Done correctly, it will lower the peak power generated throughout the day without costing you much in overall energy harvest, and could help avoid overpowering your controllers.

[Sunking]

Also, The setup I have was designed by my buddy who I thought knew this stuff thoroughly. So the answer to why do I have 4 charge controllers? I thought they were to control 2 kw each. Beyond that, I don't know. It's why I'm here. I'm a carpenter and a farmer.

Your so called buddy is a moron, wasted a lot of your money, and putting your life in danger. I would say file a law suit against him to get some of your money back , but you would loose that too. I would like to help you, but you do not have anything I can work with. Everything you have is mismatched and not made to work with each other. Example.

The batteries are completely inappropiate for your application, and grossly undersized for the amount of panel wattage you are applying to them. As you stated you have 8 Kw system and eight batteries. If you look at the spec you linked too it is easy to see the maximum safe solar power is 600 watts per battery. You have 1000 watts per battery. In addition to being too small, you should have never used 12 volt batteries or AGM. That forced you to install them in 4 parallel strings. There is no excuse to do that. What this means is you will be replacing all of them very soon if they do not go into thermal runaway first.

Just based on 8 Kw of panels you should have:

48 volt Battery using 2 volt 1200 AH FLA cells. That would be 24 batteries wired in series.
2 x 80 amp MPPT controllers.
48 volt Inverter

Sorry I wished I could help you, but I cannot. To put it into terms you can understand being a farmer is like me coming to you and say; I have 200 tomato plants, I live on a rock with no soil or sun. How do I plant them? All you could do is roll on the floor laughing at me..

Only thing I can offer you to at least make the system safe is remove 3200 watts of your panels and store them away or sell them along with one of your controllers.. The maximum power you can run with those 8 batteries is 4800 watts. 2000 watts to each controller is to much as they can only handle 1600 watts. You have 2000 watts which is way to much. Reconfigure with 3 1600 watt panel arrays using 3 of your 4 controllers. Do that, then at least it is safe. But with AGM batteries they will need replaced in a few short years. If you do not reconfigure your batteries will be destroyed shortly and possible a fire. Additionally with 2000 watts input to your controllers can and might have damaged the controllers.

Lastly reconsider who you call friends. You have at least one friend who gave you a recipe for bankruptcy and a fire to burn your house down.

If you want to do this right, determine how many watt hours you need in a day. Then design a system that works and is safe. Hope you have a good generator because any off-grider has to have one.

Good Luck

[Brush Ape]

Also, The setup I have was designed by my buddy who I thought knew this stuff thoroughly. So the answer to why do I have 4 charge controllers? I thought they were to control 2 kw each. Beyond that, I don't know. It's why I'm here. I'm a carpenter and a farmer.

[Brush Ape]

[Brush Ape]

These are the batteries I have.

http://www.vmaxtanks.com/SLR175-AGM-Solar-Battery-_p_61.html

Then I have four of these with three hundred amp fuses. One at each end of the four battery string, and one at each incoming cable.

http://www.ceshowroom.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=CWR32561&click=2&gclid=Cj0KEQiA-4i0BRCaudDcrrnDi6kBEiQAZSh5fw_cQQbSlragDmfCAZ7eu5yPnX9zD4GXq59lNMXHniAaAkoA8P8HAQ

[Sunking]

My batteries are set up at 48 volts. 4x12 twice.

OK why are you running 4 x 60 amp controllers? It is still a miss match. My other concern is for your safety With 8000 watts @ 48 volt battery produces some 160 amps of charge current, and it takes one heck of a battery to take that kind of charge current. Me thinks you are no where close to a safe capacity because you stated you are using 12 volt batteries which was another huge mistake.

If those batteries are Flooded they need to be a minimum 1280 AH, and if AGM 650 AH. No way can a 12 volt battery be that large. It would take multiple parallel strings to get close to that using 12 volt batteries. Batteries that large require 2 and 4 volt batteries.

This will give you two very negative results.

1. A significant fire risk and thermal runaway. I seriously doubt you have the battery capacity to absorb 160 amps of charge current.
2. Extremely short battery life which will cause you great pain in the wallet. But I really do not care much about that. But your battery guy is going to love you as he will being seeing you shortly for replacement if they do not burn up first.

Good Luck.

[jflorey2]

The lights on the flexnet don't come on at all. Is it necessary to have in there?

You don't need it. It's nice to have.

Do I have to do something to get my charge controllers to communicate with the mate3? Equalize won't run told I set up parameters. Can't find those set ups anywhere

They are in the inverter setup menu, which needs a password to access.

Again, what do you want it to do that you think it is not doing?

[Brush Ape]

Yes they are AGM. So they don't get equalized? Also we have had solid rain since I lit it. I'm guessing little to no electricity has been made. As far as the flexnet dc, any ideas why it doesn't light at all? Does the mate3 supercede it?

[sensij]

The lights on the flexnet don't come on at all. Is it necessary to have in there? Do I have to do something to get my charge controllers to communicate with the mate3? Equalize won't run told I set up parameters. Can't find those set ups anywhere

If your batteries are these, they are AGM. Your charge controller may have been set up for AGM batteries and is smart enough to keep you from destroying them. AGM batteries do not get equalized, except in rare and controlled circumstances.