Problems getting the new Schneider/Xantrex C-35 controller to work...

Solray · July 2017

How is aquarium maintenance frustrating?

BB. · July 2017

26.4 volts at battery when charging is really not charging--Just low float voltage.

For your bank, you need ~29.0-29.5 volts minimum for around 4-6 hours (deeply discharged battery bank.

How many AH is the battery bank? 10 amps charging into a 200 AH or larger batter bank is not a lot of charging current, and you need to support that with charging current from your other system/genset/etc.

A battery is not really equalizing unless you have 30-32 volts (typical) during equalization. And the battery needs to start being mostly charged (>90% State of charge) before you can really equalize.

You said that you had two bad cells... Are they still in the bank? How are they bad (open/shorted/bad Specific Gravity)?

Have you measured/logged the specific gravity for each cell?

-Bill

softdown · July 2017

BB. said:

26.4 volts at battery when charging is really not charging--Just low float voltage.

For your bank, you need ~29.0-29.5 volts minimum for around 4-6 hours (deeply discharged battery bank.

How many AH is the battery bank? 10 amps charging into a 200 AH or larger batter bank is not a lot of charging current, and you need to support that with charging current from your other system/genset/etc.

A battery is not really equalizing unless you have 30-32 volts (typical) during equalization. And the battery needs to start being mostly charged (>90% State of charge) before you can really equalize.

You said that you had two bad cells... Are they still in the bank? How are they bad (open/shorted/bad Specific Gravity)?

Have you measured/logged the specific gravity for each cell?

-Bill

The bad cells were in a 12 volt battery in the 48 volt system.

Perhaps it is time to try a different controller.

softdown · July 2017

Solray said:

How is aquarium maintenance frustrating?

Fish are animals and they need healthy water. List of things that can, and do, fail:

Ah hell....there are 100 reasons. Maybe 150. Have enough other problems to solve.

Estragon · July 2017

In theory, both the neg and ground should be at the same potential. The voltage readings should be +whatever from that. Where are the bolt heads making contact? I'm assuming there's an intentional B- to ground and this isn't it?

Just to clarify in my mind, where are you getting the battery voltage reading.

westbranch · July 2017

how many Amps is the CC putting out?

softdown · July 2017

Estragon said:

In theory, both the neg and ground should be at the same potential. The voltage readings should be +whatever from that. Where are the bolt heads making contact? I'm assuming there's an intentional B- to ground and this isn't it?

Just to clarify in my mind, where are you getting the battery voltage reading.

I get the same reading whether I use the battery terminals or the bolt heads that connect the charge controller. I believe that is the usual case.

Funny that the battery voltage has not changed considering it is powering two freezers over the week-end. Based on that, it is likely getting charged.

Seems I always have a lot of distractions. A rental house got shot up and the tenant split. The other rental was discovered to have 8 holes where rats are getting in. Bill: At least $1200. What were my tenant and manager up to anyway?

littleharbor2 · July 2017

So let's get this straight. You are running 2 freezers off a 360 watt array charging a forklift battery through a Xantrex C-35 charge controller. Correct me if I'm wrong. If this is in fact the case then it's a miracle your battery isn't completely dead.
It would've been much easier to diagnose your problems if all this was brought up in the beginning. I know this thread started with your controller being in equalize mode and has morphed to where we are now.
Bottom line, without going through your loads, or matching your array output to your battery AH rating. You are grossly under paneled. If I remember correctly you have some more panels available. If not you need more. Max out your C-35 ASAP. This is still less than your battery needs but with the paltry 10 amps, max you have connected now it's a miracle your freezers are still running.

softdown · July 2017

littleharbor2 said:

So let's get this straight. You are running 2 freezers off a 360 watt array charging a forklift battery through a Xantrex C-35 charge controller. Correct me if I'm wrong. If this is in fact the case then it's a miracle your battery isn't completely dead.
It would've been much easier to diagnose your problems if all this was brought up in the beginning. I know this thread started with your controller being in equalize mode and has morphed to where we are now.
Bottom line, without going through your loads, or matching your array output to your battery AH rating. You are grossly under paneled. If I remember correctly you have some more panels available. If not you need more. Max out your C-35 ASAP. This is still less than your battery needs but with the paltry 10 amps, max you have connected now it's a miracle your freezers are still running.

Wrong....I run one freezer off of two arrays and two battery banks. This week-end things have changed due to the main 48 volt system crapping out at 1am.

So I am running two freezers this week-end and trying to figure out the controller that seems to be in question. It was flashing Equalization mode until yesterday. I can't figure things out so well unless it is isolated while charging. Right now it is borrowing needed juice from the other battery bank.

littleharbor2 · July 2017

softdown said:

littleharbor2 said:

So let's get this straight. You are running 2 freezers off a 360 watt array charging a forklift battery through a Xantrex C-35 charge controller. Correct me if I'm wrong. If this is in fact the case then it's a miracle your battery isn't completely dead.
It would've been much easier to diagnose your problems if all this was brought up in the beginning. I know this thread started with your controller being in equalize mode and has morphed to where we are now.
Bottom line, without going through your loads, or matching your array output to your battery AH rating. You are grossly under paneled. If I remember correctly you have some more panels available. If not you need more. Max out your C-35 ASAP. This is still less than your battery needs but with the paltry 10 amps, max you have connected now it's a miracle your freezers are still running.

Wrong....I run one freezer off of two arrays and two battery banks. This week-end things have changed due to the main 48 volt system crapping out at 1am.

So I am running two freezers this week-end and trying to figure out the controller that seems to be in question. It was flashing Equalization mode until yesterday. I can't figure things out so well unless it is isolated while charging. Right now it is borrowing needed juice from the other battery bank.

Got it. You've got a lot going on there with multiple systems. Hope you get it worked out so you can focus on your other issues and get your boat finished.

Estragon · July 2017

> @softdown said:
> Estragon said:
>
>
> In theory, both the neg and ground should be at the same potential. The voltage readings should be +whatever from that. Where are the bolt heads making contact? I'm assuming there's an intentional B- to ground and this isn't it?
>
>
>
> Just to clarify in my mind, where are you getting the battery voltage reading.
>
>
>
>
> I get the same reading whether I use the battery terminals or the bolt heads that connect the charge controller. I believe that is the usual case.
>
> Funny that the battery voltage has not changed considering it is powering two freezers over the week-end. Based on that, it is likely getting charged.
>
> Seems I always have a lot of distractions. A rental house got shot up and the tenant split. The other rental was discovered to have 8 holes where rats are getting in. Bill: At least $1200. What were my tenant and manager up to anyway?

So Vbatt at battery posts = Vbatt at the + and- bussbars that connect the charge controller to the battery, but Vout at the CC is ~5v higher?

If Vbatt is roughly stable with ~ 1kw load, that does suggest you're getting some charge.

I hate rentals. Been there, got the t-shirt. Don't need another one.

softdown · July 2017

Have two solar challenges at the moment. Recent developments:
Xantrex C-35 shows about 27.6 volts at the terminals. That may seem alright though it is , of course, having little impact on the 1650 pound battery. The battery voltage has risen from 24.1 to 24.2 volts in the past two hours. Maybe the controller is OK now while it was doing nothing while blinking red/green.

48 volt bank survived the night with one battery bank instead of two. Morning voltage was 48.2. Still thinking of using it until it dies. Every month I squeeze out of it saves me ~~$75 in battery usage. Cripes....I could likely squeeze another year out of it by spending ~$400-600 on replacement batteries. Gee.

Genset usage is OK. I just managed it improperly when I awoke, stunned, to a 1am power outage.

Things are looking up today for sure. Yesterday morning was a nightmare. The controller was saying scary things like Comm Error etc. I was worried about a bad controller and/or inverter and/or genset. It was me being stupid.....out of practice.

EDIT: Wrote this sometime yesterday and failed to get it posted.

littleharbor2 · July 2017

Post # 57. Thought I read it before.

softdown · July 2017

It is doing much better today. In spite of the clouds, showing 25 volts under a cloudy charge. Just needs a little help with two freezers instead of one.

Problems getting the new Schneider/Xantrex C-35 controller to work...

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