MX 60 stuck on EQ?

System

My Outback MX 60 seems to be "stuck" on equalize. It holds the 1000 AH 24 volt battery voltage at 30 v, as if the charge controller were on equalize when it is not. If I go to the equalize screen and manually stop EQ then it will go to float. This is the only way it does so. Is this a problem with the MX 60 or the batteries?

BB.

Re: MX 60 stuck on EQ?

Have you measured the battery bank voltage with an accurate meter and the specific gravity (if flooded cell)?

Do you have a remote battery temperature sensor? Is it reading the correct temperature?

Check the electrical connection between the solar panel, charge controller, battery bank to make sure all connections are secure?

Are the absorb and float settings in the charge controller correct (voltage and time values)?

-Bill

waynefromnscanada

Re: MX 60 stuck on EQ?

Boreal wrote: »

My Outback MX 60 seems to be "stuck" on equalize. It holds the 1000 AH 24 volt battery voltage at 30 v, as if the charge controller were on equalize when it is not. If I go to the equalize screen and manually stop EQ then it will go to float. This is the only way it does so. Is this a problem with the MX 60 or the batteries?

I've had my MX60 in 12 volt operation for 3 years now and all was fine until about two months ago when we had a full day of sun and I noticed mid morning that it was in EQ, pushing 15 volts. Crossed my mind that by that time of day the EQ should have been finished, but still I walked away thinking that any minute the MX would switch to float. After all, it always had. Only checked again in late afternoon and was shocked to find it still in EQ pushing 15 volts and my batteries as hot as hell:(
Upset? One might say that. I too had to go in and manually select EQ Off. Then for good measure, I shut off both input and output switches to the MX60 to do a reset, and after the restart, all appeared OK, and it has been OK ever since. It appears the MX60 had a brain fart that may well have damaged my batteries. At the very least it "boiled off" a lot of water. I was thanking my stars I have flooded batteries, the L-16's have been VERY forgiving through the 8 years I've had them. They've served me well during my early learning years, and still do today. I dare not think of what would have happened, had the MX pulled a stunt like that with non flooded batteries. I used to think I was being excessive, keeping too close an eye on the battery voltage, but no more. This could have been a disaster. So far it's only done this once in 3 years. When will it pull a repeat? Will I be home to catch it next time? Could be a dangerous situation. Perhaps I should be looking at replacing it. At least this time of year the days are short, with a high percentage being dark and stormy, so Nature will tend to hold sway over any evil the MX may come up with. At least till Spring.

Ralph Day

Re: MX 60 stuck on EQ?

Have either of you with spurious MX60 behavior had any satisfactory answers from Outback Tech support?

Ralph

waynefromnscanada

Re: MX 60 stuck on EQ?

Ralph Day wrote: »

Have either of you with spurious MX60 behavior had any satisfactory answers from Outback Tech support?

Ralph

Actually, it never crossed my mind to contact them, the warranty being long gone. Might be worth a try anyway. Thanks for that thought.
Wayne

czyhorse

Re: MX 60 stuck on EQ?

What firmware version were you using?

Had some issues with mine (stuck in bulk charge mode), and Outback upgraded me to current firmware at no cost. No problems since.

Tech support from them was top-notch.

niel

Re: MX 60 stuck on EQ?

waynefromnscanada wrote: »

Actually, it never crossed my mind to contact them, the warranty being long gone. Might be worth a try anyway. Thanks for that thought.
Wayne

that is a good idea wayne for just because it is out of warranty does not mean that they won't give support to the product.

blackswan555

Re: MX 60 stuck on EQ?

You may also want to post your problem on the outback forums http://outbackpower.com/forum/?page_id=forum As-well as "non employee`s" The tech`s read and respond often, Failing that, give them a call, As mentioned probably the best tech help / after sales service of them all.

Have a good one
Tim

PhilS

Re: MX 60 stuck on EQ?

blackswan555 wrote: »

You may also want to post your problem on the outback forums http://outbackpower.com/forum/?page_id=forum As-well as "non employee`s" The tech`s read and respond often, Failing that, give them a call, As mentioned probably the best tech help / after sales service of them all.

Have a good one
Tim

I gotta say that Tim (and the others) are spot on.

I posted a problem I was having with an FM60 at the Outback forum and got a PM from a tech at Outback. They ended up shipping me a new FM60 with the newest firmware at no charge. I didn't have to take mine down and ship to them first. I had asked in my post what the expected turnaround time for a firmware update was, and then figured on waiting until a "no sun" period to send it to them.

The first replacement had something rattling around inside (there was a thread there about others having that problem) so they shipped me another.

Outback said there were some problems when the CC was used on a system that had a Xantrex inverter (and mine does).

Although somewhat better, the newer firmware helped but didn't solve the problem... it would randomly harvest less power than a smaller bank next to it on an MX60. And BOTH of those banks wouldn't harvest in a direct relation to a still smaller bank on another MX60. The two larger banks used 24V and 36V inputs, the smallest used 12V input (voltages for theory only since the incoming voltages are totally controlled by the CC).

The problem was solved when I removed the two battery De Sulfators from my sytem. The two larger banks started immediately to reflect a harvest proportional to the size of the bank.

I guess I should make a post over there, eh? I don't visit regularly because 1) the posts are all Outback specific and mine are working great and 2) I have to log in each time I visit even tho I tell it to remember me.

Phil