₦airaland Forum

chris81964:
I have a few installed indoors. I use water miser caps. You can manage the smell. Excessive: if you equalize it will outgas. How often: depends on the charge and discharge.

Wow! Do you still have the Miser caps? I need 24 caps.

abunafiu:
Thanks kiekie for d prompt delivery even though u no allow my phone rest for alert.
I must confess...ure simply reliable. Only that you av never considered any promo 4 me. Godwin.

Trust Frank on the alert issue; can be annoying at times. Cutting edge businessman. But he typically is prompt with delivery. And often follows up on delivery.

Awaiting my own bonanza/promo too

abunafiu:
Bought a number of L16 us batts from c0ogumo.
This is my first time of physically sighting the batts. From casing to cell design shows no difference from our beloved trojans. I consider them a very good alternative. A number of his T105 categories are still in stock.
I shall be updating this forum with performance update.

I've used a few of his L16. The only perceptible difference is probably in the weight. Indeed, USA Battery has an array of L16 types and the one c0ogumo has in stock is 360Ah rather than the 375Ah Trojan markets; probably the source of the weight discrepancy. Reviews are very good however.

.

Research ran into a snag. Seems the Tesla PowerWall isn't going to be valid for RE applications after all. Too tightly constrained in charging and discharging parameters. What a shame.
@Abunafiu my friend, kindly take note.

Optimixim:
pls stop talking trash what you don't know you don't know, I have done series of projects with trojan besides its our company sir. So talk what you know, I have done so many . Where are you and I ill take you to places where I have used it and its has been working for over 5year now, so what are you saying? I am not fond of series posting here doesn't mean I am a fresher sir, so mind you to say eva is bad for flooded batteries. How do you test distilled water? How do you know any test on water analysis? Do you think I will come here to post trash or drag space. Besides I am not even free for some projects sir. Mind you when you quote what you don't know. So review and come back sir. Do you know how to revive a dead battery? Conditions of revival? Mind you sir. I have deposited. Listen and learn sir! Good luck ask of optimixim at solarshop when next you get there. No be moi moi

The words in bold typeface are offensive. I see no reason for such. If that's how you feel, there are other ways to carry your opinion across without being rude. That's by the way.

I have had access to an analytical lab for years where testing the quality of reagents, solutions, solvents and material was (is still) being conducted. All table water thus far tested contain significant quantities of potassium. Most contain significant quantities of calcium and magnesium. Lots of impurities are to be found in others too. While pottasium in trace quantities is pretty harmless, calcium nor magnesium is. Just saying.

I use distillers and deionizers. Distillation is quite expensive and there is no way Coca-Cola would be able to make Eva water commercially available at that price even if all they did was distil and bottle it, much less label and market. And distilled water tastes .... funny. No one would drink pure distilled water. I am not speculating nor making conjectures. If in doubt, bring any sample of water you so wish and I'll analyse it free of charge for you. All you need do is stand by and watch. And I would produce not only distilled water for you, I would give you any reagent grade type of water you wish.

Having said that, Eva water does indeed contain pretty low quantities of ions compared to most but enough to make it unsuitable for many things. If it works for batteries, fine. I would still not recommend it. For the record, I have used nothing apart from distilled water for batteries. If you can come up with proof of your claims, I believe the entire house would whole-heartedly follow your trends, I inclusive, for Eva water is not only cheaper but readily available. After all, we are here to learn.

chris81964:
Dangerous assumption. Bacteria and dust exist in the water coming from your AC. I have used it in a pinch. I have seen sediment and stuff in the collected water

I wholly agree with you. Water from the A/C unit is the closest you'll get to distillate as it is actually condensate too (final processing of distilled water before collection). The tubing and hose leading the water outside are often the culprit (if not the collecting container). Occassionally, you might find the cooling coils are to be faulted.

Optimixim:
When we talk of using distilled water service a flooded battery, many installers get confused on. The concept, what is a distilled water at first? It is the purest form of water which was purified by a laboratory process know as distillation . Pls forget the grammar abeg let's go to what I know too well sir. Some go about searching for where to buy distilled water. Pls stop the search cos if you don't , the man at the battery shop will give you acid that will damage the battery . Pls go and buy a pack of "EVA" water . Eva water seems to be the purest water out there that will do the miracle on your batteries sir. Don't use cway or any other I warn you. Kindly use eva as I stated here. Thank you

Eva water is dangerous as far as batteries are concerned. It might be free or particulate matter but have you considered the dissolved impurities such as ions? Ask your battery guy for distilled water and if you're ready to pay the price, you'll get the authentic stuff.

pdozie:
Thanks a lot Saipro. I've changed the configuration now to 3 X 3. One panel lying redundant. Will have to buy 2 more panels to compliment and get 3x4.

Distance from the panels to CC is about 15m. Funny enough even with old config, I never saw anything above, 30A in my CC LCD. Unless it did while I was not there.
Is there anywhere maximum current from the PV is recorded in the morningstar CC as historic data?
I've seen PV max voltage, battery ah, total watts etc, but nor max Amps

30A is fine. I wouldn't be much worried; you can check you logs to dispel your doubts. The truth of it, if you consider NOC (normal operating condition) values, your CC output should be limited to 33.5A (assuming a charging voltage of 57.6V; higher current when battery bank voltage is lower i.e. 37A @ 52V and 38.5A @ 50V). And here's the paradox: many CC would overstate the output (charging) power, mostly the current but occasionally both current and voltage. A good DC clamp or reliable voltmeter should set you right. My highest readings are typically on cool mornings during the rainy season or after brief showers with clear skies on rainy days. You might see the full charging power of your panels on such days.

To get more power out of a panel than its nominal rating would require either an unusually bright day (I've experienced "cloud edge" brilliance on occassion and was able to get full rating but not above it - and this has been independent of panel brand) or ambient temperatures lower than 25^oC (I saw this in two intallations in winter [USA]; not happening anytime soon if you're not in Northern Nigeria, in which case the dusty air lowers panel efficiency). Any way you look at it, NOC prevails and you typically get about 73 - 80% of the rated panel power. When in doubt, whip out your meter and take simultaneous readings. Trust your meter and not your CC display.

Regarding experience with MorningStar MPPT, ask Abunafiu. He "lives" with one.

All said and done, your system is working seemingly perfectly; don't go tinkering with it thinking something is wrong when nothing is. Beneath is a picture of cloud edge values from my 2.16kW of panels on a cool day while using a 24V config.

PS: I made offset adjustments so readout values could be accurate. Even the acclaimed Midnite was about 0.3V off on the PV and 0.2V on the battery bank. Previously, cloud edge gave 2,182W as an all-time high. Post-adjustment high was 2,152W

chris81964:
Today we finished another installation in Port Harcourt. We used the US batteries for the first time. They are rated highly in the United States. We will keep you posted.
This 3 kva comes with a 60 amp AC charger and a 40 amp MPPT controller. At 11 am we were seeing 750 watts from 1500 watts in panels on a not very sunny day.

Nice one. I've used a few US Battery batteries. I'll give feedback at 2, 3 and 4 year intervals.

I like to read from honest open-minded individuals. Abunafiu is as opinionated as any other person on this forum but doesn't let that make him distort facts. A quality which has always (and will always) endear him to me.

I'm in direct communication with two US Battery company execs (well, two individuals there). I'm not sure of their T105 batteries but I assure they make far many more L16 than any other battery maker known. Indeed, they make L16 batteries for many of the top battery manufacturers (check out Deka, Interstate, etc). It's no secret they're rivals with Trojan. Have always been. They even sport an RE line of the same batteries too.

Simply an honest report. Stick to Trojan if you must but know the truth for it shall set you free.

PS: I haven't checked the PDF link but I doubt I need to. I'm speaking from my last check about 6 months ago. I don't know if much has changed since then but I doubt it.

pdozie:
My Learned people, please help me out with this (CC: Chris, Saipro, Abinafu, Rich etc)

My 2.5KW panels runs off a 45A controller. With a 2x5 configuration (2 in series and five parallel strings). Each Panel has approx of 8.6A which is 43A for the 5 strings. Rated 24v.
I plan adding about 2 more panels. If I add the string to the existing ones, it will take the Current to 51.6A. That means the 45A controller will leave some juice to waste right?

Option one is to upgrade to 60Amp controller

Option two is to get another 45A controller, connect the new panels to it and parallel the output of the controllers

Option three is to change the strings configuration 3 x 4 (3 in series & 4 parallel strings). This will maintain a current of 34.4A which the existing controller can handle. But the voltage from the 3 strings could rise as much as 123v.

Option 3 is more economical but is there Any implications or trade-off in terms of efficiency? The Controller can handle max of 150v though.

I saw the The following attached diagrams in the controller manual. (Battery Current Vs Array Voltage) and (Tristar MPPT 48v Efficiency). One is showing that Current to the battery starts reducing at 140v, which seems OK for my option 3. The other is showing efficiency is higher at lower voltage.

Please advice

I like the answers you have been given and everyone is right. Your controller should more frequently see in the range of 33A to 38A and occassionally, 43+A. For a 48V system, your configuration is perfect (efficiency rises as you narrow the difference between Vmp and nominal system voltage. This might however not be the case in instances of long distances from the panels to the CC (often quoted as in excess of 30m - 50m, depending on autority and other parameters). High voltage = lower transmission loss and this can often offset whatever gain you hope to achieve by using strings of 2. My system is similar to yours (250W x 9) in three strings of 3 for a nominal 48V system. It works the CC a bit more (a Midnite Classic 150) but I have no worries on the transmission efficiency over a 10m stretch using 10mm² cables. Those are the academics of the logic.

Back to the question, if your cables are the right size (10mm² or higher), go for the 4 strings of 3. If your cables are smaller, you might want to consider 3 strings of 4.

pdozie:
Hi Saipro,
Thanks for your contribution. I've swapped most of the 'swappable' devices to the energy saving ones. Bulbs, tvs etc.

For the energy consumption at night:
5pm - 11pm = 2060WH
11pm - 8am = 390WH

Total (5pm - 8am) = 2450W

I already multiplied the loads(W) with hours of run. But like I said, I have to power off by 11pm or 12 midnight else the inverter will run out before morning

Run out before morning? That shouldn't be happening. My 5pm to 8am consumption varies between 1.8kWh and 2.8kWh depending on usage of fans and the number of them running. At that, I still run a 1kW kettle for 30 - 60 minutes almost every morning. Never gone below 50%, that I can recall. That's an open-circuit voltage of roughly 48.4V (estimate) and around 48.0V - 48.2V with an idling 3kW inverter.

For you ...

48V (nominal system rating) * 200Ah (bank Ah capacity) * 0.5 (anticipated DoD) * 0.85 (estimated inverter inefficiency)
= 4,080Wh bank capacity till you reach 50% DoD

If load estimates are right, (4,080 - 2,450)Wh = 1,630Wh to spare.
Granted that the CC and inverter have some self-consumption, your reserve to 50% DoD would be lesser. Unless they have quite high self-consumption (I know my PowerStar 3kW consumes nearly 100W when idling in a closed circuit and about 10W in standby mode), you shoudn't be exceeding 50% DoD, much less running out of power. Look for some rogue consumption somewhere in your system (backfeeding of panels in the dark, AVR left on, parasitic loads, etc). Give feedback. Let other members contribute their experience and data as well.

pdozie:
Team,
I'm trying to figure out if my installation is giving optimal output. I tried reading the meter but I need help to decipher. I have:

10 solar panels now (average of 250W each).
4 x 12v x 200ah Batteries (48v)
Total Load x Hours = 9645WH (load = 1535W; Individual devices have different hours of run)

I get these reading on my Morning Star Controller (45A) from the logging data
Today, Battery 3490wh; battery 68.5ah
Day (-1), Battery 4560wh; battery 85ah
Day (-2), Battery 5260wh; battery 103.6ah
Day (-3), Battery 4520wh; battery 83.5ah

Then I also have these on the front reading: 1613kwh; 73112ahT; 3649kwhT; 31908ah

On a good day my battery goes beyond 49v just before midnight and I have to shut it down. Are my installation undersized for the load?

Impressive figures. 49V isn't bad at all. Even with minimal loads, there's a voltage drop. When boiling water on the kettle in the mornings, I get as low as 47.8V over a 30 minute to 1 hour period, if usage was extensive overnight. When I tak the loads off, I get about 48.x to 49.x (occassionally returns to 50V when I switch off the inverter off just to take readings). That's for a system that at times runs nearly 2 weeks off-grid when NEPA feels "generous".

Are you off-grid? If not, what is your night time total energy consumption like? I think you're in equilibrum. The first rule of RE is energy conservation, not energy generation. Though difficult, try cutting down on energy consumption. LED TVs CFE/LED bulbs, fans instead of A/C when dark, etc

For the record, your system is similarly sized with mine. 48V 225Ah battery bank, 240W PV panels x 9.
As advised, you can up your battery bank but please let's have your post-5pm to pre 8-am energy consumption data (the sum not breakdown).

This thread seems dead. Well, lets inject some life into it!

It's no news that the MBC channels are FTA on Nilesat 7.3^oW but it's news that they're still FTA and pretty easy to track all over Nigeria so long as you have a minimum dish size of 100cm. Their frequency, polarization and symbol rate are 11.559 H 27.500

More or less the same position as the previous channels. The downside is these channels replace the MBC Sports and MBC Sports HD channels.

AkoEja:
..... By the way, what bsttery would you recommend to buy now? My Chinese made batteries just died after 3 years service

Frankly, any reputable deep cycle battery which matches your budget. I use flooded lead acid batteries and favour Trojan (extensive research and availability). And the cost per kWh is perhaps the cheapest on the market (you have to consider cycle life). Hoppecke would do but seem a bit more expensive per kWh. Rolls Surrette would do fine but I've seen just one set in the country. I think it's more popular in the USA.

For the "cheaper" AGM and VRLA batteries (they're not cheaper by the time you factor in cycle life), I think Exide and Zenith rule. Luminous seems quite popular and I've seen them work fine when used right. Sadly, occassionally a battery randomly fails and Luminous seems more prone to this.

I've seen two Chinese brands work wonders over the past 2 years (most I've seen fail within 18 months) and I'm still watching them. Will give feedback when they clock 3 years.
Ask GeorgeD1 about Zenith batteries. His testimony is inspiring.

For Trojans, ask any major dealer here. Be sure to go for the 6V RE series. Those ones are engineered specifically for renewable energy cycling and use. Difference in cost is marginal. Trojan makes other long-lasting deep cycle batteries and their testimony is similar to what you might get with the RE series (but slightly shorter cycle life). If you've got deep pockets, give the Idustrial series a tryout. That's one set of batteries engineered to withstand abuse (so long as you neither overcharge nor undercharge them). They also seem to live forever. I use Trojan batteries.
For the Exide (an Indian brand), and other good Chinese brands, find a reputable dealer on this forum too. I've seen too many imitations and repackaged ones to emphasize the point.
Avoid untested brands unless your gut goes with it. Blame no one for the results, when you do.

I hope I haven't confused you with the options. Making an informed choice is the way to go as individual needs vary.

abunafiu:
I thought I was d only one here following Tesla batteries.
No doubt, tesla is future ......

Bros, you're not alone o! Who no like good thing?

AkoEja:
Teslas battery tech is based on lithium ion battery tech- the type used in laptop. I am surprised there are not many manufacturers of similar large batteries. Tesla is like the iPhone of renewable energy packaging an old technology in a sexy form and hyping it's capability and price beyond what it is. The 10kwh battery is priced at $3500 in America which is rather steep for a relatively small battery by renewable energy standards

Exactly. The main reason I have my eye on it. New technology is often expensive on account of recouping research and development costs (not as if the technology in this case is really "new". Watching keenly for when the market breaks and the price crashes.

By the way, I made slight modifications to my post while you were posting yours

.... and forgive my lengthy posts. I discovered most readers use the forum for reference and correspondence, much more than other uses. That highlights the need to be accurate for all of us.

Times change thus information evolves. Don't feel ashamed if you post something today only to discover it had been superseded or made inaccurate the previous day.

tivta:
So you use your fridge and freezer for just an hour every day?

Thanks for asking rather than assuming.

No, when home, I power them on between 9am and 10am. They are powered down between 3pm and 5pm (mostly around 3pm for the freezer and around 4pm for the fridge). Earlier in the year, they could be powered an hour longer as my panels didn't get shadowed till 5pm. On bad weather days, they could be on for as little as 2 hours.

During continuing days of bad weather, they're powered on alternate days.

When away, they're powered by timer switches.

jazzman2:
Compliments of the season Saipro, please can you shed more light on the LiFePo4 batteries you used: specifications, vendor and price (if you allow)? Thanks

Very valid question. I deliberately kept it short.
1. They're generic batteries hence "unbranded".
2. I got them off a friend who got them off the black market.
3. They appear to no longer be in the Nigerian market and the cost of importing them prove prohibitive.
4. They came in 12V 480Wh units but pack a punch! You wouldn't believe the stuff these batteries are capable of. I often doubt their power capacity (I suspect they're higher than rated; much higher).
5. I had to string quite a number together in series-parallel combinations because of their lower capacities. Multiple strings are a strongly discouraged practice in RE and should not be emulated. I was hedged into a corner hence had no choice.

On the plus:
1. Though expensive, they're long lasting and ultimately more convenient than lead acid batteries. I'm speaking of design life.
2. They typically have longer cycle life too (they had better do, not at that price)
3. They are incredibly lightweight. You will doubt their capability when lifting them
4. No mess, no spills
5. If you bottom-balance (as I had), you might not have to worry about "equalling" their charge state
6. Did I mention they're odourless too?
7. Smaller space requirements and no need for extensive aeration like their lead brothers. They're just as sensitive to temperature though.
8. Working with partial state of charge? 50% of the time, mine were never fully charged. Indeed, they like being not fully charged. No noticeable degradation in performance with partial SoC.
9. By the way, they can sit on the shelf forever with low self-discharge rates. This is different from design life and cycle life. Good riddance to hard sulphation!
10. ....... and the list goes on.

Honestly, if not for their price, lead-acid batteries would be redundant by now. Well, lead-acid wins when it comes to heavy current draw applications. LiFePO4 (like AGM and VRLA) however are intolerant of long spells of overcharging. Another win for FLA. And FLA are cheap (probably the most important point, if you don't abuse them; no battery is built for abuse). If you must abuse them, FLA is the sole consideration. Mightiest win. But it will cost you gallons of distilled water.

I have a new interest though.
I'm currently following Tesla technology and I have my eye on it. Been following it awhile and will continue to.

abunafiu:
A brilliant analysis. I personally appreciate the way you explained every bit in ur post. You have done nothing wrong sir. You have just demonstrated that one can start a solar power sytem even with a relatively small budget. I humbly request you come back with results so that many other sideline readers can equally benefit.
Being in a rented apartment is not a barrier at all.
waiting for ur results sir. Meanwhile, permit me to share ur story on my facebook page.

A motivating story too. Abunafiu here is aware I ran a modified sine-wave inverter for about 13 years until I switched to LED lights (which don't do well on anything but pure sine-wave power).

My initial package was a 12V QVC (Chinese product) inverter with two truck batteries. Nifty product with surprisingly robust performance. Made my fans hum like crazy though. Over the years, I swapped out many of these 200Ah 1V truck batteries only to realise both the type of battery and charging current were wrong. My bad. I had to work within both my budget and knowledge. And "available resources" (who had ever seen an RE battery then?)

Then came in this Mercury inverter. 24V with a lot of promise. Didn't take long for me to trash it and return to the QVC. Moved on to a 24V Sukam Falcon. Beautiful inverter with excellent performance. If only the charge current could be higher, I'd have stuck with it. All these were done with max expenditure of N150,000 at any point in time. Somewhere along the line, I discovered LiFePO4 batteries. I kid you not when I say they are the best there is. Four of these babies would power my house nonstop for 60 hours. Best of all, they can be discharged up 80% (20% SoC) with insignificant degradation in performance. Mine even had automatic cutoff at 90% discharge. They also cost a fortune so I wouldn't recommend them unless you have a need for them.

Then I met Abunafiu. I had never seen anyone use 16 RE batteries for anything other than commercial purposes before then. I found motivation and, with his urging, I tossed out my batteries and inverter and went for broke. Equipment supplied by Frankie. 8 RE batteries and a 3kW PowerStar inverter later, I was smiling to the heavens. Heck, the inverter even had variable charging current adjustment. Didn't come cheap but certainly affordable.

Two months later, I acquired 240W PV panels × 6 and an iTracer IT6415ND CC. Double-shielded 10mm telecom cables link the panels to the CC. CC, inverter and interconnects are linked via 35mm cables. Batteries linked via 50mm cables. Courtesy of extensive research and Abunafiu's urging that I should get the best I could afford. A month later, I added 3 more solar panels.

While writing this article, power supply has been muck in my neighbourhood and this is my 7th day off-grid with uninterrupted power supply. My record is 10 days (not because I had to switch but because grid power was restored).

Boil water in electric kettles in the morning (1kw and 1.2kW ratings), fridge and freezer come on by 9am - 10am, pump water around midday and I power the washing machine whenever I desire). Routine devices are powered at will. Even when there's grid supply, I routinely switch to backup power at night because at some variable point during the night, the power would go off and I can't be bothered to get up and switch over.

CF bulbs are important and I spent about N45,000 five years ago to change all my bulbs to A-grade types. Two months ago, I spent much more than that to swap them out for LED bulbs and lamps. No regrets. Interestingly, most of my original CF bulbs (now five years old) are very alive. Changed about 10% in five years. Had to give them all out.

My point? It's true going green is capital intensive but you really can start not only small but equip yourself in stages. With the mounting global energy crises, we all should give renewable energy more than just a thought (wind and micro-hydro are viable alternatives I've seen in action).

temizeee:
mr frankie is probably not the type of dubious person he is very prompt with delivery,i sent almost half a million naira to him without knowing him in person....u wont bliv i got my goods d following day
i dont knw d prob but, i know he is going to deliver 4 sure and dont tink hez running away with yr money alot of people know him n do buisness with him n infact most people avent meet him in person.....u can count on him.

For the record, Frank is by no means dubious. He might have a temper and be eager to close a cash deal (his trademark) but he is not dubious. I think he got his fingers burnt vouching for goods which weren't on ground yet presumed they'd arrive on time. The dangers of relying on someone relying on the relied upon. It does happen in business chains and I had a similar experience with a big league departmental store in the US barely two weeks ago. UPS messed up the delivery time for a product I ordered from the Home Depot. Such is life. We've both learnt our lessons. He was let down and consequently couldn't prevent the eventual outcome.

Frank and I are still on good terms and have done business in the millions of naira. I have another big supply I'm about handing him. We will continue to do business even after this as it is an aberrant case in the midst of many normal ones. Do not think less of Frank.

Barring this instance, he has a typical turnaround time of 24-48 hours (another trademark of his). The shortest amongst everyone else I've tried on this forum.

earthrealm:
users of ep solar:
am a lil confused abt mine..........the batt SOC values usually show abt 93% around 10am n then as charging continues..it reduces to 70% and even 51%...........i dont really understand..
am wondering if there is anything wrong in the parameter...especially the 2nd pic {thats the parameter setting...its adjustable by user}

abunafiu:
saipro!

Well, it would be unfair to state that the functioning of the firmware of the EP Solar iTracer is not an exact science but thus it appears at times. It simply emphasises the fact that the SOC is a poor measure of true state of charge. I had to buy a reliable hydrometer to put my mind at ease. Having said that, the observations you've stated are weird. Unless you're consuming more than you produce in the early hours of the day (my electric kettle is fired up at the crack of dawn and sometime between 8am and 10amm the fridge then freezer start up in that order), your SOC should be rising not falling, regardless of the what's going on. It might be a fault in the CC but before we jump to that conclusion, try the folowing in this order (assuming you use FLA batteries):

1. You won't believe the sun changes its path significantly during the course of the year, even the tropics. Be sure your panels aren't deep in shadows in the morning. I noticed the iTracer somehow "feeds back" the solar panels during the dark hours up till early dawn. Results of extensive isolation tests and data collection.
2. Early in the morning, not the SOC then disconnect all loads from the CC (inverter inclusive). Monitor SOC every 30 minutes till noon. It should keep rising, gradually at first but more rapidly as the morning wears on. If it doesn't and it's not from [1] above, your device might have an issue.
3. Whip out your trusty hydrometer. Test a battery you're sure is okay and representative of the bank take SG readings every hour from 8am till 2pm. No load. IT MUST CONTINUALLY RISE TILL ABSORB VOLTAGE IS REACHED AFTER WHICH RISE THEREAFTER MIGHT OR MIGHT NOT BE NOTICEABLE, DEPENDING ON THE HEALTH OF YOUR BATTERIES.
4. If [3] above doesn't help, proceed to check SG in all your batteries. While an unlikely source, a single dead cell has been known to cause haywire readings. Multiple cells may decide to abruptly go bad.
5. Measure VoC incoming then after closing the circuit. See if it correlates (+/- 5%) with the display of the iTracer. Notice the Vmp on display and confirm likewise with your meter.
6. Seek a "professional" who would look over your system to give analysis and possibly diagnosis.

Kindly give feedback. I at this point implore otherwise who've had more experience with iTracers to come out and render some counsel.

Afterthought: I remember an issue I had with a friend's setup once. It's possible you're somehow reaching float by 10am and voltage falls thereafter. In addition, if you're simultaneously charging from another source (say the inverter or a second CC), you might have that problem too. The display merely shows what the iTracer thinks. 12.6V is okay as float and will show 100% but the same voltage might register 70% or less SOC during bulk (for a 12V system).

Another instance I've seen that issue is with and absorb duration set pretty low (say 90 minutes? 60 minutes? Lesser?). What's your set absorb duration? What's your voltage for rebulk?

kiekie1:
Sales of Trojan batteries commences by 4th of January.. Please if you are urgently in need of mercury tubular/flooded batteries 12v 220a(18 months warranty) , simply call now for purchase...Thanks

Sir Frankie, I have a grouse with you concerning ordered and already fully paid for batteries for a few months now. Since you're already giving me a bad name on this issue (I have a deadline of tomorrow 29/12/2105 to retire the contract), I've decided I would table the matter here for others to judge if I don't get a suitable response within 24 hours. Thanks

Pharyn:
What a Great Privilege!

Just installed
- Magnum Inverter MS4348PE;
- 8 units of Flooded L16E Batteries (USB) from www.solardepotng.com

The 55A Charging Current (@48V) is complete and that brought the batteries to float successfully within 2 hours.

Would soon post pictures.

If money is not the challenge, go for Premium Inverters. Go the Magnum Way!

Nice going. I'm balling up for a similar system.


Sir Frankel, I am not happy with the way you've treating me lately. Do you wanna ruin our friendship?

Treat your brother well, abeg.

samnaija:
the inverter is a 1 kva kevin inverter the charging current 30amps.when there is nepa the display shows about 225 volts entering the battery , the soc will try to reach 100% but does not get there till nepa takes light.always reaching 97%.about 13.8volts.. this is only when there is light. i want to upgrade to solar. and I want to make no mistakes. thnks in advance.

Pardon me for saying this but there's a problem somewhere though I don't quite know where.
1. 13.8V doesn't correspond to any SoC for any lead-acid battery I know. At rest, 100% is typically between 12.7V and 12.8V (depending on battery manufacturer, make and type). Float at 100% is about 13.2V to 13.4V (depending on the same aformentioned) and absorb is typically between 14.1V and 15.0V (once again depending on the aforementioned). Nowhere does 13.8V show up though I know some AGM/VRLA brands state 13.8V as the lower limit for absorb voltage
2. SoC doesn't necessarily correlate with voltage (as depicted above) and that's why FLA batteries are often preferred to the others (due to benefits of SG measurements) but not often used (cost and at times tedious maintenance not to mention non-applicability in many scenarios). I hope your batteries are FLA.
3. On a different level, you stated 225V as "entering the battery". I'm certain that's a typo. Regardles, most lead-acid batteries require an average minimum of 14.4V to stay happy in absorb. In avoiding over-charging, you might be dangerously undercharging your batteries. And I'm aware the Sukam you speak of has a fixed charge algorithm in which you can't alter the charging parameters.

You could
A. Get a better inverter with a reliable (better yet, flexible) charging algorithm or
B. As you suggested, hook up with solar. You would still need to get your charging algorithm right but it's more in your hands now as there often are more options. Like you hope to do, I charge solely with solar and I'm slightly over-paneled so I'd almost never have to fallback on charging via NEPA/gen.

Just my personally opinion from personal experience. I expect no criticism. It's candid talk.

By the way, don't always believe/rely on the displayed value from the display panel of euipment you use. Read with an external device occassionally. You could be hitting 100% without realising it

chris81964:
Funny comment.
Safety is important. I am not convinced that an over charge lasting an hour would result in an explosion.
Many people here have deliberately shorted batteries and they did not explode.
At the end of the day we all do what we find comfortable.

You're quite right the likelihood of a battery exploding from overchaging AND internal shorts are quite small (about 10 - 20%) of all battery explosions. Most are due to ignition from an external spark. That data is from countries which keep statistics. I have no clue of local statistics. Indeed, asides from one and only one incident, all battery explosions I have witnessed are from external sparks. I periodically overcharged dying car batteries to revive them WHILE MONITORING BOTH SG AND TEMPERATURE. I still tried reviving one two weeks ago over a period of two days. I had about 30% success but it came to life sufficiently to be of short-term use. One should be safe doing that. However ......

In as much as it might seem a funny comment, those who've experienced explosions (I have a friend with a scarred lower face and upper torso) will tell you it's a life altering experience not to be taken lightly. Remember, most of the things posted here are not for the sake of the pros but for the amateurs.

chris81964:
Thank you for your feedback. Like I said an instructor that teaches the class suggested it. I will try it. Granted for less than 1 hour. Another suggestion that I saw was to increase the float voltage by a few volts for a few days.
It is all experimentation. If it works we look like geniuses, if it does not we look like goats.

The batteries have one foot in the grave so why not?

Indeed. You're quite correct. However, above all outcomes you might seek, bear your own health and safety in mind. The batteries have one foot in the grave, not you.

chris81964:
I don't do the Indian brands. So I am not familiar with them and can't give a qualified opinion. The reason why they list cycle uses on batteries is so that you know the maximum and minimum voltage you can charge the batteries to. When they are not charged properly sulfation occurs and there is no particular manner in which it occurs. Differences in tightness of your lug, distance of battery to the charge source, imperfections in the battery can be the reason why one fails before the other.

I attended a class over the weekend and the instructor told us that you can equalize your sealed batteries. Give that a try and see if it will bring it back. At 12 Volts your battery is flat. It is beyond flat at 11 volts. You might want to set the alarm for 11.5 Volts.

Run the equalization and get a desulfator. The instructor swore by them. If the batteries are not too far gone you might be able to rescue them with the suggestion that I made.

There are lots of reasons postulated for the positive/negative terminal batteries failing earlier but the truth is, many at times, for no discernably obvious reason, they simply fail. Just like that.

I have great faith in desulphators as I have used a few with testimonies (Abunafiu is aware of this) but the issue of equalizing sealed lead acid batteries/AGM batteries ......
.... at best, one would be killing the batteries faster (shortened lifespan/cycle life). Note that the risk of explosions become real when equalizing AGM batteries. A suitable alternative might be holding the absorb (or bulk voltage for those which have different+higher bulk voltage) for many hours. Both safe and effective.

Oops, I've said more than intended

kiekie1:
Good morning all, Trojan J185p is almost out of stock... Thanks and remain blessed !

..... still waiting for the day Trojan T105-RE (6V 225AHr) will become available once more

shithapuns:
Is anybody having battrey desulphator hooked up to his battery and chatge controller assy?
was reading a review where some1 claimed the battery desulphator fried his cc...
he claimed the desulphator works by generating a spike which helps to dissolve the deposites on the plates of the batteries, and that this spike is dangerous to electronics, cc/brainbox etc
currently have desulphator hooked up to my running car battery for 4wks now...zero issues

There are those on this forum who can attest to the fact that I have been using desulphators for a while now (over two years, not sure if above three years yet). They're installed in cars of similar engine cappacities and use. Not ideal lab conditions but would suffice. Not only do they work (the two other batteries of same make and capacity and bought within 6 weeks of each other used as controls have begun showing signs of diminished capacity) but I've used them to bring back to life a few automotive batteries and with cycling. two AGM 200Ahr 12V AGM (a few critics said it's impossible). In fairness, I must mention it failed on many other AGM batteries and those are the only two recorded AGM successes I have (could they be vented lead acid batteries?).

As GeorgeD1 said, don't believe everything you read.

clown:
This is cool. How do one measure this self consumption?

I let my battteries go into float. Inverter stays off. I monitor the Midnite Classic's output for a few minutes. I flip the breaker disconnecting the loads from the inverter. I power on the inverter. I leave for a few minutes and read steady state output from the CC. The difference comes from the cables and inverter. Since my cables are short and thick and don't really "consume energy", transmission losses are neglible. Inverter therefore is held accountable for the difference in energy consumption. Case adjourned!

Mine has a self-consumption of closer to 100W. That's the much touted MustPower PowerStar IR series

clown:
Help rate these guys

http://www.pscsolaruk.com/inverters

I concur with previous ratings and comments. My own addition is: I wish there were a way we could give feedback to make improvements. My greatest grouse with most Chinese inverters is their high standby energy consumption.

1kinggy:
It is not advisable to run fridge/freezer on inverters but I have a friend who does. 3 KVA inverter with 4 batteries. Also know that you cannot run it for an extended time. Get a big Gen to support it.

I recently installed two solar RE installations with 3kW inverters, each with eight 225AHr 6V batteries. One is a 24V system, the other is a 48V system. Identical fridges (same manufacturer and same model). Fridge on one runs 24/7 while the other runs the fridge only during the daytime. The difference between them? Panel wattage and overall load on the system and how long these loads run. And when those loads run. Those are 4 different and largely independent variables.

My point is, it's difficult to say what an already existing system will support until an analysis of the loads are made. Or the system is designed off the ground to support intended loads.

badaru1:
Good day guys, I have this Auxano 2kva 24v inverter, recently it stopped working and it's showing this message on the led screen. What could be the solution?

donmajor2:
I think the message can be interpreted to mean: MCB(Miniature Circuit Breaker) tripped, please Reset. To bypass(the Circuit breaker), select option 2'
Just reasoning from the prompt.

Or if it has bypass reset switches (often push buttons), activate it. Upload a snapshot of the rear end or any other part which has buttons or other stuff.

I 100% concur with your submission. The problem is, when you're telling a learner/novice/starter to buy cheap without mentioning the specifics, such an individual often gets swindled into buying the substandard items (at times at the same price {heck I once bought substandard at an even higher price}) hence the recommendation, either buy the expensive ones or go with recommendations.