Controller wiring

kenny
kenny Registered Users Posts: 2 ✭
in Solar Beginners Corner #1
Hi. Instead of connecting controller battery live to battery can I connect to my shore charger feed. They would both meet at battery anyway. Maybe up rate cable?
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  • mcgivor
    mcgivor Solar Expert Posts: 3,854 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    #2
    Paralleling is possible but without figures, charging currents, conductor size, length, voltage etcetera, any suggestions would be a shot in the dark.......Welcome to the forum, hope we can be of assistance, details are needed to provide any useful information  :)
    1500W, 6× Schutten 250W Poly panels , Schneider MPPT 60 150 CC, Schneider SW 2524 inverter, 400Ah LFP 24V nominal battery with Battery Bodyguard BMS 
    Second system 1890W  3 × 300W No name brand poly, 3×330 Sunsolar Poly panels, Morningstar TS 60 PWM controller, no name 2000W inverter 400Ah LFP 24V nominal battery with Daly BMS, used for water pumping and day time air conditioning.  
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  • kenny
    kenny Registered Users Posts: 2 ✭
    #3
    Thanks for responding. Solar panel is 150 watt. Battery is 12 volt 110AH cables from solar panel are 4 MM. Think maybe I won't risk frying the charge component of my pms3 power management. I'll run an individual live to battery and neg to earth. Hope I've made sense? Blame my age!!
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  • Estragon
    Estragon Registered Users Posts: 4,496 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #4
    Combining charge sources (and loads) on a common buss is done quite frequently, and can be preferable to trying to make good connections using a bunch of individual wires and a big stack of connectors on battery terminals. Typically the buss would be close to charge and load devices, with fairly short runs from buss to devices and with breaker and wire sized appropriately for each device. From the buss, a home run of quite heavy cable is run to battery/bank.

    Depending on the output of the charger, 4mm (~12ga?) may be on the light side, especially if there's much distance from charger to battery. One potential problem is voltage drop can result in the charger outout voltage actually getting to the battery may be too low to properly charge.

    Whichever way you do it, it's important to install proper (size and type) overcurrent protection (breakers/fuses) for each device.
    Off-grid.  
    Main daytime system ~4kw panels into 2xMNClassic150 370ah 48v bank 2xOutback 3548 inverter 120v + 240v autotransformer
    Night system ~1kw panels into 1xMNClassic150 700ah 12v bank morningstar 300w inverter
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