Morningstar CC Question

monoloco
monoloco Solar Expert Posts: 103 ✭✭
in Off Grid Solar & Battery Systems #1
On my system I am running 10) 75w BP panels through a Flex Max 60 and 2) 315w Kyocera's through a Morningstar PS-30, charging 8 Concorde 305AH AGM's, I noticed that while my Outback CC shows charged, the PS-30 shows a blinking green light and a solid yellow light. I am wondering if this is normal? I am concerned that I may be overcharging my AGM's. Routinely I am seeing 28.2 volts when the Outback is showing charged but it seems like the PS-30 continues to charge, sometimes I have seen the voltage rise as high as 29.1v. Shouldn't the batteries settle back to a float voltage of 26.6-26.8 after a while?
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  • niel
    niel Solar Expert Posts: 10,300 ✭✭✭✭
    #2
    Re: Morningstar CC Question

    can you be more specific on the setup for each system and what kind of settings you put inro the controllers? i can say for the 28.2v that this may be a bit too low of a setting and 28.6v would be much better. also say if you have a bts on each system.
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  • Coach Dad
    Coach Dad Solar Expert Posts: 154 ✭✭
    #3
    Re: Morningstar CC Question

    As Neil stated your Absorb voltage is low.
    The settings for the Concorde 305AH batteries should be: Absorb = 28.6V, Float = 26.6V and Equalize = 31V. The temp compensation should be -0.060V/degreeC (24V)....
    Yes the voltage should switch from the Absorb voltage to the Float voltage at some point. But that depends on the settings of your Charge Controllers.
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  • waynefromnscanada
    waynefromnscanada Solar Expert Posts: 3,009 ✭✭✭✭
    #4
    Re: Morningstar CC Question
    Coach Dad wrote: »
    As Neil stated your Absorb voltage is low.
    The settings for the Concorde 305AH batteries should be: Absorb = 28.6V, Float = 26.6V and Equalize = 31V.
    Caution on the Equalize, he has AGM batteries.
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  • monoloco
    monoloco Solar Expert Posts: 103 ✭✭
    #5
    Re: Morningstar CC Question

    The Outback is set to 28.6 in absorb but the Morningstar only has 3 settings flooded, sealed, and gel. The Outback reads charged after the absorb cycle, but it seems like the Morningstar wants to continue to charge and sometimes I have seen the voltage go to 29.1 volts.
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #6
    Re: Morningstar CC Question

    Which do you have the Morningstar set at? Sealed?

    You can adjust the Outback's Voltage readings and set points to match the Morningstar's exactly, but that doesn't mean they'll actually agree in use.

    Running those big Kyocera's with their 39 Vmp through a PWM controller is kind of a waste. I know; it's what you had. Since you can get about 20 Amps out of either panel set and the Outback can handle 60, why two controllers? Is one array pointing off in a different direction?
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  • monoloco
    monoloco Solar Expert Posts: 103 ✭✭
    #7
    Re: Morningstar CC Question
    Cariboocoot wrote: »
    Which do you have the Morningstar set at? Sealed?

    You can adjust the Outback's Voltage readings and set points to match the Morningstar's exactly, but that doesn't mean they'll actually agree in use.

    Running those big Kyocera's with their 39 Vmp through a PWM controller is kind of a waste. I know; it's what you had. Since you can get about 20 Amps out of either panel set and the Outback can handle 60, why two controllers? Is one array pointing off in a different direction?
    I didn't think that the Kyoceras would be compatible with the lower Vmp BP's. How would I need to configure the panels to run them all through the Outback?
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #8
    Re: Morningstar CC Question

    The others are 17.5 Vmp? You run two is series x five parallel? That gives each string a Vmp of 35. You could parallel the KD315's to that. At about 10% difference it's a little on the high side, but it should work. Total array would be (750 + 630) 1380 Watts and ought to provide around 44 Amps on a 24 Volt system.
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  • monoloco
    monoloco Solar Expert Posts: 103 ✭✭
    #9
    Re: Morningstar CC Question
    Cariboocoot wrote: »
    The others are 17.5 Vmp? You run two is series x five parallel? That gives each string a Vmp of 35. You could parallel the KD315's to that. At about 10% difference it's a little on the high side, but it should work. Total array would be (750 + 630) 1380 Watts and ought to provide around 44 Amps on a 24 Volt system.
    Right now I have the BP's wired in two strings of five with each string wired in series then paralleled at the combiner box, so it would require a major rewire. To make things even more confusing, I have two 115w Evergreen panels sitting unused in the garage that I have been trying to figure out how to add to the system.
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #10
    Re: Morningstar CC Question
    monoloco wrote: »
    Right now I have the BP's wired in two strings of five with each string wired in series then paralleled at the combiner box, so it would require a major rewire. To make things even more confusing, I have two 115w Evergreen panels sitting unused in the garage that I have been trying to figure out how to add to the system.

    Good thing you're not doing that up here! The cold Voc on a string of five of those would go over the input limit of the controller. As it is your array Vmp is pretty far away from your system Voltage so the efficiency is down a few points.

    So you're running an array Vmp of 87-88? The two 315's if in series would be about 78, and that's rather a lot of Voltage difference (over 10%).

    Even if you could add it as another string you'd need a fuse per string because there's more than two parallel connections. And the existing wiring might not like the additional current anyway.

    The only "ideal" options come with spending more money. As usual. :cry:
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