NiyiOmoIyunade:
I have new information to report on the ZHC HA02 battery balancer.

I have now observed it moving up to 5amps between two mismatched 12v batteries one at 12.3v and the other at 10.5v. This is higher than the 2amps max at 12v I thought it could do.

This should be good news for the end user hoping to bring his mismatched battery bank into better equilibrium.

NiyiOmoIyunade:
Battery Charging Voltages Must Always Be Temperature Compensated

I was with a client recently who wanted to upgrade his solar charge controller due to poor performance, we eventually settled on one of the premium options and setting it up at midday I noticed his battery temperature at 43°C but did not think much of it although I found it odd.

Client called me a few days later to say he had observed his controller saying Absorb when in fact the voltage was below 14v per 12v battery and we had set an absorb voltage of 14.2v on the controller. He wanted me to come check/replace the controller because he felt it was not achieving the programmed Absorb voltage setpoint but I was like NO! that cannot be possible (premium CC having issues and undercharging within the 1st 2 weeks)

It was at this point that it struck me. The batteries were under the stair case behind a wooden cabinet in very poorly ventilated conditions creating heat and so the premium CC was *temperature compensating* by lowering the voltage setpoints.

The lesson I want the house to take away from this is that battery charge voltages are set usually at a 25°C reference point. To avoid under/overcharging batteries and prolong their life one must increase the charge voltage for battery temperatures colder than 25°C and reduce the charge voltage for battery temperatures hotter than 25°C. Here in the tropics we would need to reduce our voltage setpoints as my own battery bank temperature sits at around 33°C on a good day and 28°C during the cold harmattan period.

Using a reference case 24v AGM battery bank set to charge at 14.4volts * 2 = 28.8v Absorb setpoint. If the battery temperature were 33°C like mine, the correct temperature compensated absorb point would be (33°C minus 25°C) × -0.03v {the temp correction factor for a 12v battery} × 2 batteries to make 24v

So 8°C × -0.03volts × 2 = -0.48v. Thus all charging sources connected to this reference battery bank should Absorb at 28.8v minus 0.48v = 28.32v when the temperature is at 33°C.

For those with premium CCs this is not a big deal because most have a temperature sensor cable attached and perform temperature compensated charging by default but for the bulk of inverters and budget CCs out there especially who lack the temperature compensation cable or port the only way would be to manually adjust the charge voltage to a lower setpoint bearing in mind the average battery temperature your battery is exposed to.

What does the house think? Could lack of temperature compensated charging be part of the reason why batteries die early in the tropics and never achieve the kind of long lifespan we read about in the foreign blogs (easily 5+ years).

NiyiOmoIyunade:
From my own experience a 195L freezer is not so large or power hungry. See attached below a name plate picture of a larger size size 219L Thermocool freezer with rated output at 140w.

I would cap your freezer at below 200w rated wattage but you can either check the nameplate or plug one of your watt meters and observe the running watts.

A solid 1000w inverter should be able to handle this freezer as the only load - choosing to go with a 12v setup will help you keep your battery bank balanced easier but you will also be operating at the bottom of the efficiency curve for charging and DC to AC conversion. I am sure you will be using more than one 12v battery whether you go the 12v batteries in parallel or do 12v in series to make 24v or 48v all can work if properly managed but I will be the first to admit 12v parallel will keep your battery bank balanced by default vs other voltages where you may need to put more effort to battery balancing.

NiyiOmoIyunade:
This is my struggle - per conventional wisdom lead acid batteries require an absorb voltage of at least 14volts especially when used in a deep cycle application. Why do the Quanta folks think an absorb voltage as low as 13.8volts is best for their own AGM battery?

NiyiOmoIyunade:
Many thanks for this Sir.

I myself have seen a similar document that made me more confused because it mentioned 13.8v boost voltage as the upper cap

Please how do you interprete the boost voltage guidance especially the upper/over voltage limit?

Is it 13.8v per 12v battery or between 13.8v to 14.2v per 12v battery?

NiyiOmoIyunade:
Good day Oga GeorgeD.

While we are at it please would you happen to know what the recommended/ideal absorb voltage for Quanta batteries is.

I have read 13.8volts as the 'freshening charge' on the spec sheet and also the Amaron Quanta website but I struggle to believe this to be true.

In real life I use 14.1v or 14 2v as the absorb setpoint for Quanta batteries at client locations but I always lose some sleep thinking whether I may be overcharging their batteries.

kiekie1:
Its sad to see this newly commissioned ipower 5kva 48v power system develop "fault" in less than 2 weeks of installation. It powers less than 950w load on 2kw PV array .
The major disadvantages of this is whilst on "warranty repair" ;
- solar array remains dormant
- client can't enjoy inverter set up.
- client remains sceptic problem might persist.

Nevertheless, most client prefers hybrid systems even after vivid orientation .. It's well !

cyif2003:
Good day house. Pls I want to no d best 200 mah battery to get. Was offered sunfit batteries new into the market Nd genus battieres. D price diff is about 30k.... I wan quality and reliability

Oshomo12:

seriously
I no know o

jarkbauer:
what is the max load in watts a 1.5KVA invereter should carry

earthrealm:




using cartons to differentiate fake and original is wrong, sellers can always swap cartons.

NiyiOmoIyunade:
Yes you can connect 4 panels with VoC of 46volts in series to the Magnum PT100 without issues.

The Magnum PT100 lists VoC limit as Max PV input voltage: 200 VDC + battery voltage, or 240 VDC - whichever is lower AND
Max PV operating voltage: 190 VDC

If you like risk you can even do 5 such panels in series sef

I know 2 sites here in Lagos who are using 330w 45-46v VoC panels setup as 4 panels in series connected to the Magnum PT100 without issues.

cc Mr Olagunju

mcTrinity:
please, I need clarification on Magnum PT-100 SCC.

from the manual, it states you can connect up-to 5 panels (with 37.4Voc and 37.8Voc) in series.
looks like the SCC actually works best with more panels in series.

And I'm planning on using it for Solarworld 325w panels with 46.1Voc. Following the numerous calculations in the PT-100 manual, it seems I can connect 4 of the solarworld panels in series without any issue.

Anybody that has experience with it can help..

Thanks

c0ogumo:

How many batteries are reading 2V It will be cheaper to replace just one battery than to replace the whole bank. We have a replacement battery for your Trojan L16RE (USL16E) Contact Solar Depot 0803 260 2629

Ijeoma660:
@mcTrinity @NiyiOmoIyunade @makavele

Thank you for all the selfless support you are providing here...

Please I am about setting up and commencing my DIY solar project. I have

i. a 3KW, 60A mppt CC
ii. 4nos PV panels whose capacity [wattage] were not stated but made by afromedia. i assume they about 250w each.
iii. 1.4KVA inverter and
iv. 2x200AH deep cycle batteries

Kindly advice what size and type of cable I require between the pv panels and the CC. The distance from pv panel to CC is estimated around 12m max.

sinistrian:
Where can I get PV cable for sale? Or can I just use regular 4mm² wires? This is for connecting the panels to my hybrid Inverter/Controller

NiyiOmoIyunade:
You have a 24v nominal battery bank.

A 2×2 nominal setup for your 24v panels combined with a good MPPT controller will ensure that the controller has sufficient 'headroom' to provide a output amps 'boost' by converting the excess voltage coming from your 2×2 series panels into useable amps going to charge your batteries or power your loads.

If properly setup you may expect 15% to 30% more power generated from thesame quantity/wattage of panels using an MPPT vs. a PWM controller in this your proposed 2×2 config.

Some watchouts - you have 2pcs 200ah batteries so you need at least 4pcs 300w panels except you plan to supplement solar charging with Gen or PHCN on a regular basis. I daresay you need at least 6 to 9 panels (yes 9 because I prefer you to do a 3×3 config to lock in that 'mppt headroom' I mentioned earlier) to really give you energy independence but how many panels you need will depend on your loads/power consumption sha.

If you do not plan to expand your battery bank or solar panel size much in the next two years then you can get by with a solid PWM controller and stick with your 300w panels all in parallel (1×1 config) - the 300w panels I have come across usually have a rated voltage/VmP of 35v to 36v - on a good day this will be sufficient to provide PWM charging to a 24v battery bank - if however you look at the panel specs and you see like 30v rated VmP then please buy your MPPT CC peacefully and do 2×2 or 3×3 series connection for your panels for better results. Be sure to buy a proper capable MPPT because they really are not born equal.

Overall for upgrade flexibility and overall ease and benefits I guess you should go with MPPT over PWM - you need to get so many things right e.g panel specs & config, cable gauge & length e.t.c to really enjoy PWM whereas MPPT is kind of more forgiving of mistakes (allows you to be lazy) and you will still get good results. Besides a solid American or European PWM controller costs just a little less than a decent chinese MPPT aka Fangpusun or EPSolar MPPT.

If you do choose MPPT please go for one that allows you to do a 3×3 panel config and then steps down the voltage to what your 24v nominal battery bank can handle - you will get best results that way.

SolnergyPower:
We purchased according to project requirements.

Here is the pump configuration

Electrical data:
Motor type: MSF3
Power input - P1: 1.4 kW
Rated voltage ac: 1 x 90-240 V
Rated voltage dc: 30-300 V
Rated current: 8.4 A
Power factor: 1,0
Rated speed: 500-3600 rpm.

You can reach me privately for the project cost.

Thank you.

SolnergyPower:
Solar Pump!!!

We just completed the installation of a solar pump for a water tank of 50,000 litres capacity!

Products used

a. Grundfos Pump
b. Grundfos CU200 Box
c. 20 units of 100W solar panels
d. Cables

Distance between well head and the tanks stand is almost 120 metres!!!

You may ask any question.

sinistrian:


Attached are the specs for the new 3kva hybrid inverter and the 300W panels. My batteries are new (less than three weeks, i just changed them) and the total daily load is between 260W and 350W - no AC, no fridge, no cooker

sinistrian:
Hello guys, I'm a new member. I've been using an inverter (Luminous EcoVolt 1500) for about a year now and I've decided to go solar because NEPA has become awfully unreliable and i cant get my batteries (2 x 12V 200AH connected in series) charged enough.

I bought a 3kVA hybrid inverter that claims to have an inbuilt Solar charge controller supporting 50A max, and 2x 300W 24V panels. What's the best way to arrange the panels to get my batteries charged in the shortest possible time? Do i need more panels?

If I want to add 2x more batteries in the future, will the system be able to accommodate it and what will need to change?

bodeface:
MCTrinity,
Just going through the thread, I saw your post, I am having a similar issue, am using two sukam inverter, have solar 2790W installed serving one bank, my concern is the two battery bank are not same age, do you advice combining the two banks or what will you suggest based on your experience.

Godliftedme:
@Kiekie, thanks for your elaborate explanation dousing my suspicions about Kung Long batteries.

My second findings is as regards inverters;
I have a Sukam 3.5KVA, 48V that has really served me for over 4 years and still serving, by I have observed that batteries (4x 200Ah, 12V AGM) doesn't last more than 2 years even with adequate care and avoiding deep discharge.
I have seen discuss here, though I didn't really follow it, about Sukam not having capability to effectively charge the battery.
If this view is uphold, what low cost inverter will you suggest, that has sufficient current and charging algorithm to effectively charge this 48V, 200Ah AGM monoblock battery effectively.
If my view about Sukam is not correct what will you recommend for me to do about this situation as the cost of battery has skyrocketed and I don't want to be replacing battery often.
Team, please help with your experience. Appreciate renowned brand proved and trusted to adequately protect battery and the parameters could be set to suit battery type.

zeestone99:
Hello house and fellow installers, contact me for your solar panels n other products at affordable prices. We also do payment on delivery.

Solar panels

Sunshine solar
300watts mono=58k
300watts poly = 55k
250watts mono=50k
250watts poly=46k
200watts mono - 42k
200watts poly - 37k
150watts mono - 29k
150watts poly - 27k

Other products in stock includes Canadian solar, suntech, flames etc

Inverters
Felicity
3.5kva/24v( 35amps charging current) - 150k
5kva/48v ( 30amps charging current) - 185k
7.5kva 48v (40amps charging current) - 340k
10kva 48v-
Other products includes sukam, vilpower, microtek, axpert etc

Charge controller
Ep solar 60amps - 129k
Ep solar 40amps - out of stock

Batteries (200ah)
Quanta - 130k
Long - 115k
Other products in stock includes luminous, genus, monbat, toplight etc

Call/watapp 08117398294 or email Info@monzpowersolutions.com

You can also like our page on facebook.com/monzpowersolutions

zeestone99:
Hello house and fellow installers, contact me for your solar panels n other products at affordable prices. We also do payment on delivery.

Solar panels

Sunshine solar
300watts mono=58k
300watts poly = 55k
250watts mono=50k
250watts poly=46k
200watts mono - 42k
200watts poly - 37k
150watts mono - 29k
150watts poly - 27k

Other products in stock includes Canadian solar, suntech, flames etc

Inverters
Felicity
3.5kva/24v( 35amps charging current) - 150k
5kva/48v ( 30amps charging current) - 185k
7.5kva 48v (40amps charging current) - 340k
10kva 48v-
Other products includes sukam, vilpower, microtek, axpert etc

Charge controller
Ep solar 60amps - 129k
Ep solar 40amps - out of stock

Batteries (200ah)
Quanta - 130k
Long - 115k
Other products in stock includes luminous, genus, monbat, toplight etc

Call/watapp 08117398294 or email Info@monzpowersolutions.com

You can also like our page on facebook.com/monzpowersolutions