Owner of a 2023 Aliance AVenue 33RKS which came with a 320W solar panel and a Renogy 20MTT controller and I had a Renogy Bluetooth LiPO 100maH battery installed. On our maiden voyage the battery was at 100% and we were plugged into shore power at the park. Every morning, I would find that the battery was down to somewhere between 75% and 80%. During the day the battery would get back up to 100% and so I'm assuming the solar was doing its thing properly. We never lost power (aka microwave time was correct) and with the bluetooth connection I can monitor the battery easily enough. I see no problems associated with the solar and charge controller. Everything for the most part works like it should on the coach. Is this typical or is something potentially wrong with the battery?
Battery Charge Depleted overnight while on Shore Power
- Thread starter SteveH
- Start date
Yes
DanNJanice
Well-known member
Based on what you described, it does sound like your solar is working. Since the solar can charge the battery during the day I would say the battery is fine.
It sounds like your convertor is not charging the battery for whatever reason. I would start by turning off the solar (you could cover the solar panel with a towel or something if you don't have a disconnect on your solar) to test this theory. Then see if battery charges while on shore power only. Convertors have some fuses that might be blown. I think there might also be a switch on the convertor that has to be set for LiPO batteries (not positive about this). Another question is, has it every worked correctly? If not it could be manufacturing defect where they wired it wrong.
It sounds like your convertor is not charging the battery for whatever reason. I would start by turning off the solar (you could cover the solar panel with a towel or something if you don't have a disconnect on your solar) to test this theory. Then see if battery charges while on shore power only. Convertors have some fuses that might be blown. I think there might also be a switch on the convertor that has to be set for LiPO batteries (not positive about this). Another question is, has it every worked correctly? If not it could be manufacturing defect where they wired it wrong.
There appears to be nothing blown fuse wise or any breakers tripped. I've only had the Avenue 33RKS for 1.5 week. After the first day with it the battery was depleted to 80% so I can't say that it has ever worked properly, but at the same time i can't say its obviously broken. I have no solar disconnect. The Renogy Lithium battery has built in bluetooth so i can what the present current is, present voltage, capacity and such.
If I disconnect battery with the battery disconnect switch, and unplug from shore power, and turn off the Inverter, the battery displays a present current of -3 Amp. Thats a crazy amount of battery use if its disconnected because the charge controller should only take about 100mA at any given time and I can't find anything else it is powering. I am taking it to the Service Group Monday for this issue and a propane leak. If I discover any "a'ha" moments I'll be sure to post it.
P.S. I am going to have to invest in a solar panel cut-off switch so I can have better control. The renogy charge controller doesn't ever power off
If I disconnect battery with the battery disconnect switch, and unplug from shore power, and turn off the Inverter, the battery displays a present current of -3 Amp. Thats a crazy amount of battery use if its disconnected because the charge controller should only take about 100mA at any given time and I can't find anything else it is powering. I am taking it to the Service Group Monday for this issue and a propane leak. If I discover any "a'ha" moments I'll be sure to post it.
P.S. I am going to have to invest in a solar panel cut-off switch so I can have better control. The renogy charge controller doesn't ever power off
No-Ladder
Member
Hi Steve,
Also owner of 33rks here. I will do some measurements on mine to compare. I will als be installing a Victron shunt in my unit this week, It will provide a great deal of visibility into what's going on. When you installed your Renogy Lithium battery, did you change your charge profile settings on solar controller? I need to look, but there is most likely is a battery charge circuit on the converter in the power control center. I don't know if it is setup for lithium ion battery.
I plan to completely revamp my solar/ac/dc system once I aquire all the components.
Lee
Also owner of 33rks here. I will do some measurements on mine to compare. I will als be installing a Victron shunt in my unit this week, It will provide a great deal of visibility into what's going on. When you installed your Renogy Lithium battery, did you change your charge profile settings on solar controller? I need to look, but there is most likely is a battery charge circuit on the converter in the power control center. I don't know if it is setup for lithium ion battery.
I plan to completely revamp my solar/ac/dc system once I aquire all the components.
Lee
If there is a setting on the converter I don’t know if it. It makes sense there should be a setting. Things are starting to look like the battery may be intermittently defective. New battery of same model works as I would expect
If you find a converter setting/location be sure to let me know.
If you find a converter setting/location be sure to let me know.
Ben and Kathy
Well-known member
This!!! Should be a standard on all solar installs.
No-Ladder
Member
Steve,
Here is the manual, bottom right of the controller screen displays battery type currently set. Is your controller mounted on a standoff board? Well behind that board is a home rolled bussbar with circuit breakers, (3 as I recall) don't even run through the battery disconnect.
I did test my idle draw 530ma
Here is the manual, bottom right of the controller screen displays battery type currently set. Is your controller mounted on a standoff board? Well behind that board is a home rolled bussbar with circuit breakers, (3 as I recall) don't even run through the battery disconnect.
I did test my idle draw 530ma
Thanks for all the help folks. To clarify things, the Renogy Charge Controller has settings for battery type and it has been set correctly and I know where it is and I bought the optional bluetooth module so I could monitor everything it does.. What I don't know is if the Converter, the device that takes 120VAC and makes it 12 VDC, has a setting for a LiPo Battery. I neither know where it is or if it is configurable at all. I doubt it or I think it would be obvious. The dealer still has my RV so I have not yet resolved all the issues yet.
I will say that once we replaced the RENOGY battery with another, it appeared in the brief time I was looking at it, seem to operate more predictably. Hopefully some of the issues are just a bad battery. I will be lookign at an isolation switch. That is too good an idea not to have standard as Ben and Kathy have stated.
I will say that once we replaced the RENOGY battery with another, it appeared in the brief time I was looking at it, seem to operate more predictably. Hopefully some of the issues are just a bad battery. I will be lookign at an isolation switch. That is too good an idea not to have standard as Ben and Kathy have stated.
Ben and Kathy
Well-known member
For the solar isolation switch I bought this from explorist.life Could have sourced it elsewhere but I was in a time crunch and I liked having the option to add a second array to the same cutoff switch later (likely portable ground panels.) Since I was installing my own panels I also put a 63amp double pole +/- breaker in a junction box on the roof so that I could both protect and isolate the wire from the roof to the cutoff switch co-located by my solar inverter. Three pairs of two solar panels terminate in the junction box. Each panel pair is connected to it's own fuse and then connected to a bus bar. The bus bar is connected to the breaker and the breaker is connected to the wire that runs to the main bay where the Victron hardware is located.
Picture below is of the roof junction box before any wire had been run to it; terminated ready to go. I'll be getting more photos tomorrow when I add another pair of panels to the roof.
No-Ladder
Member
I installed mine below in between panels and the charger. I have the Solar plus package . I don't have a final picture, but here is a drawing of what I sent Alliance, before I finally did it.
Attachments
DanNJanice
Well-known member
So based on no-ladder's pictures there does appear to be a mode switch to go between Li and LA it is show on the bottom of the last page. They call it a mode switch.
Mike in North Wales
Well-known member
The wiring diagram shows the location in the converter. Bottom right side of the page. I think it's a small dip switch.
Yes, I see that mode switch in the documentation, listed as optional.... and I have asked the dealer since they have it for the propane leak to verify that. That could very well be the source of the problem.
Yes, Listed as optional so I hope mine has it. RV is at the dealer so I'll have them verify, but I am guessing that is that it is set incorrectly.
Mike in North Wales
Well-known member
I hope it's that simple for you!