Solar Panels on Valor 37v13

[JandKRip]

Can someone help me in figuring out my solar panels, battery, cutoff switch, etc.? I have 2 solar panels and the Renogy 40amp charge controller and one lithium Ion battery. When sitting at my house ( in the Seattle Washington area) I unplug from shore power and by the next morning the batteries are totally dead. The only thing that is on in the trailer during those 24 hours is the refrigerator. Am I missing something on there? I'm also curious as to what the blue cord/button are on my battery. I was never taken through how that system all works, makes me feel like there is no way for me to ever go without shore power for more than 24 hours.

A simple explanation as how I can keep the batteries charged with the solar even with the cloudy days. We use the trailer occasionally when the house loses power during big wind storms but not sure that's going to work with how fast the battery dies

 

[BryanValRox]

Hi folks, sorry I can only offer basic advice based on what has been posted. Also apologies for keeping it simple, I can offer the following.
1. Do you keep your solar main disconnect in the on position?
2. While it would be a pain to remember to press it every night, if you aren’t in the coach everyday, our frig has a night mode switch that alters the frig operation for @ 8 hours(it’s also adjustable down from there)
3. You might investigate the draw on the battery with a clamp on amp meter and determine your battery capacity and determine how much the frig draws.
4. Have you checked to ensure that your solar controller is set for the proper battery type?
5. Have you checked your converter setting for the proper battery type?
6. There is a Bluetooth module (BT-1, BT-2) available from Renogy that allow for remote system monitoring via an app. This could be helpful tracking and bringing visibility to your demand / charge cycles.
7. Depending on your battery, some lithiums tie into a network that allows direct monitoring of the battery as well.
8. Have you checked basement and compartment lights to ensure something else hasn’t been left on that would draw on the battery?
9. Have you checked the solar controller for any error codes?
10. Is this a Renogy Battery, Has it been placed in the active mode? There is a switch that plugs into the communication port and it is used to switch between “Shelf Mode” and “Active” mode.
There is a wealth of information out on the Alliance Owner empowerment site and resource site within this forum.

I am not a solar expert, but wanted to give you some basics to think about and investigate.

Please circle back with your findings, so we all can learn from you experience !

Best of luck!

 

[Oregon_Camper]

Which frig do you have? Our 2023 340RL came with a Norcold 12v only frig. From the specs (see image) it can draw 12amps an hour (peak) so if you have the same frig, it can easily consume your entire battery (guess 100 amp hour) in a little over 8 hours. Now...the frig doesn't run at peak all the time, so my guess is it is killing your battery in about 15-18 hours.

In the Winter in the PNW (I'm in Central Oregon) your solar production will be VERY limited, due to the angle of the sun and the limited daylight hours.

With Lithium batteries, you NEED a battery shunt. Using the battery gauge will never work, as lithium hold over 13 volts until ~15% of charge. Meaning your battery gauge inside the RV (with the 4 LED's) is a joke to really showing battery charge for lithium.

Here is what you need...a Victron BMV-712 shunt. This will show you exact amp draw and amps going into the battery from solar and converter. Without one of these you have no clue as to the charge level of your lithium battery, unless the battery has BT connection and you can read the BMS from the battery directly.

https://amzn.to/3RBZQP6

 

[Focker]

With basic solar I was able to keep the batteries charged with reasonable sun running my 12V fridge all the time. For @Oregon_Camper reference, the Valors come with a EverChill 12V.
The first two things I would investigate are, is the fuse the roof where the solar wires connect working? When you are up there you can test to make sure both panels are providing power. The second things to confirm is that the Renogy solar controller is functioning properly. Let us know what the display says.
@BryanValRox provided a nice list of troubleshooting.

 

[Oregon_Camper]

With basic solar I was able to keep the batteries charged with reasonable sun running my 12V fridge all the time. For @Oregon_Camper reference, the Valors come with a EverChill 12V.
The first two things I would investigate are, is the fuse the roof where the solar wires connect working? When you are up there you can test to make sure both panels are providing power. The second things to confirm is that the Renogy solar controller is functioning properly. Let us know what the display says.
@BryanValRox provided a nice list of troubleshooting.

We need to hear back from OP. I read this as he was only connected to shore power, and once he unplugged at night, the battery died overnight (so never had a chance for solar to help). I didn't read it as he was in full sun and trying to use solar. I thought his question was once he was camping, would the solar provide enough power.

 

[JandKRip]

Hi folks, sorry I can only offer basic advice based on what has been posted. Also apologies for keeping it simple, I can offer the following.
1. Do you keep your solar main disconnect in the on position?
2. While it would be a pain to remember to press it every night, if you aren’t in the coach everyday, our frig has a night mode switch that alters the frig operation for @ 8 hours(it’s also adjustable down from there)
3. You might investigate the draw on the battery with a clamp on amp meter and determine your battery capacity and determine how much the frig draws.
4. Have you checked to ensure that your solar controller is set for the proper battery type?
5. Have you checked your converter setting for the proper battery type?
6. There is a Bluetooth module (BT-1, BT-2) available from Renogy that allow for remote system monitoring via an app. This could be helpful tracking and bringing visibility to your demand / charge cycles.
7. Depending on your battery, some lithiums tie into a network that allows direct monitoring of the battery as well.
8. Have you checked basement and compartment lights to ensure something else hasn’t been left on that would draw on the battery?
9. Have you checked the solar controller for any error codes?
10. Is this a Renogy Battery, Has it been placed in the active mode? There is a switch that plugs into the communication port and it is used to switch between “Shelf Mode” and “Active” mode.
There is a wealth of information out on the Alliance Owner empowerment site and resource site within this forum.

I am not a solar expert, but wanted to give you some basics to think about and investigate.

Please circle back with your findings, so we all can learn from you experience !

Best of luck!

1. The battery disconnect is in the on position
2. I'm storing at home but didn't get a chance over the summer to use as it spent 4 out of the 6 months we've owned in the shop
3. I'll look next time about this if I get the error
4. Battery set for LI
5. I'm not sure where my converter is so I'll look into this
6. I'm going to look at the bluetooth option
7. I have monitor for the battery that I'm watching what the load is that is taken out
8. Nothing else is on other than the fridge and of course the gas detectors
9. No error codes
10. I'm not sure how to switch between shelf and active mode on the battery.

I'm monitoring now when it is unplugged what the charge amount is to the battery and what the battery is providing to the load. I did notice that the mode the charge controller is in is set to 15 which is factor default where you have to turn it off and on manually, should this be change to something else maybe? Like I said I haven't had it long to test it, and maybe winter isn't the best time, but I need to know in case I need to use during a winter storm.

I do appreciate everyone's input on this.

 

[BryanValRox]

1. The battery disconnect is in the on position
2. I'm storing at home but didn't get a chance over the summer to use as it spent 4 out of the 6 months we've owned in the shop
3. I'll look next time about this if I get the error
4. Battery set for LI
5. I'm not sure where my converter is so I'll look into this
6. I'm going to look at the bluetooth option
7. I have monitor for the battery that I'm watching what the load is that is taken out
8. Nothing else is on other than the fridge and of course the gas detectors
9. No error codes
10. I'm not sure how to switch between shelf and active mode on the battery.

I'm monitoring now when it is unplugged what the charge amount is to the battery and what the battery is providing to the load. I did notice that the mode the charge controller is in is set to 15 which is factor default where you have to turn it off and on manually, should this be change to something else maybe? Like I said I haven't had it long to test it, and maybe winter isn't the best time, but I need to know in case I need to use during a winter storm.

I do appreciate everyone's input on this.

Hi folks,
It might be helpful if you supplied a picture or two of your controller, monitor and battery disconnects. We have two disconnects, one for battery and one for solar. Your converter would normally be with your fuse/breaker panel and would have a small switch that allows battery type changes. Take a look at the electrical resource section on this forum and the online owners manual on the actual Alliance website. There are a few pages in there on your solar operation and switching from shelf mode to active mode. There should be a plug in switch that connects to the battery communication port and the color of light on the switch indicates what mode the battery is in. The pictures or better yet a short video of the controller display while active would help this group determine the operational health.
I believe the 15 number you are referring to is related to the Load function of the solar controller. Our controller doesn’t have any wires attached, so that function doesn’t apply to my basic/standard solar charging system. If yours has wires attached to load that would need to be understood more to help. This could boil down to a capacity/ draw issue and the fix would be to increase capacity , but like Jim stated in his post the frig shouldn’t be pulling Full amperage all night, only when the compressor cycles on. I have found the documention on the Renogy website to be very helpful, and the owners manual for your valor has good content regarding solar also this forums resources section is loaded with supplier documents as well. With our 310 RL sitting in the driveway without shore power, the solar is active all day, keeping the battery topped off. However, we don’t have any substantial draws at present as were winterized, and only use it for Sunday football😀 Oh, one more thing, you stated you have a load monitor, what is it saying your discharge rate is when sitting overnight? This would be key to help determine a capacity issue.

 

[JandKRip]

Pics attached

First is the monitor, the 7 goes down to 6 when I shut the lights off only thing running is the fridge

2nd is the blue light I can't get to go dim for shelf mode

3rd is the controller itself

 

[BryanValRox]

Well, the pictures are very helpful. it appears that your controller is fault free and is charging your battery. They also confirm that you have no wires attached to your load output of the controller, so the 15 setting really doesn’t factor in.
The picture of your switch, appears to be a bright result, so I would say you are in the active mode. Do you have access to get a picture of your refrigerator tag? Similar to what Jim posted earlier? It appears you might have a different frig based on amp and watts displayed on your monitor. Can you confirm the model and specs on you battery and confirm that your monitors is programmed accordingly? In theory only based on what you have supplied, it appears you are discharging @ 7amps(after you turn your lights off)and you have a 100 amp hour rated battery, that gets you @ 14.2 hours without anything being placed back in.
I will defer to anyone else with additional solar experience, but I am starting to wonder, if you could have a problem with your frig running continuously for some reason and the constant amp draw is depleting your battery overtime. I still can’t reconcile the 14.2 hours in my mind, because I would think that the controller would exit night mode at some point less than 12 hours and start to input to the battery. Is you frig a critical load currently? Could it be shut down to see if the issue still exists? Personally, I am leaning towards a capacity issue or a problem that is causing your refrigerator to run continuously or to much.
Best regards,
Bryan

 

[BryanValRox]

One addition comment, the charge rate on your controller looks low for your application, I can’t say why at this point, but, I would think something @ 14 volts would be normal while trying to top off a depleted battery. These controllers have different charge rates based on the batteries condition. Just something else to think about. You should be able scroll through the display to get, panel output, amps , watts to aid your investigation.

 

[BryanValRox]

I failed to mention this earlier as well. When looking at your monitor, I might be stating the obvious to some but just in case and for the education of others here goes.
You are showing a battery rating of 99ah. The current state of charge of the battery is 100%. The current battery voltage is 13.1 volts and is in the discharge mode at a rate of 7.97 amps (104 watts)(v x a). The discharge time remaining at that rate is @ 13 hours and 5 minutes. These numbers kind of support what you are experiencing from a timing standpoint.
So, I think it supports that either your frig is running continuously or to much or the battery capacity just isn’t enough to meet your expectation and might need increased to perform the way you would like it to.
The key point, investigate the true root cause of the 7.97 amp draw.

 

[Focker]

I agree with you Bryan that there are probably some other small loads that are drawing the battery down.
I will make a comment here on my Valor, I added a second battery the day I bought my Valor however with the basic solar my two batteries never got below about 80% running the fridge running.

 

[BryanValRox]

Hi Focker, First off, Happy Holidays!
I have to wonder if the addition of the second battery is the key to meeting the expecations of JandKRip.
It really boils down to a supply and demand issue. The battery has a given capacity and the timing is a direct result of the demand that is being placed on it.
Happy Holiday’s everyone!

 

[CornCrib]

Just to add a couple of real world numbers I've experienced ... On my Norcold 16 cuft 12v fridge, I'm running at 4.5 amps after fully cooled, and not going in and out of it. Also seeing about an additional 15w as a normal draw with nothing on .. so must be smoke/co detectors and whatever power the system itself is drawing. With those #s as a baseline, 1 100ah battery is not going to be enough... so what you're experiencing seems spot on. I agree with the other observations that something else must be running to draw 7.97amps total ... unless what you're experiencing as a draw from your 12v fridge differs from my experience. (if you have an inverter, and are not currently needing 120v outlets powered .. that could be a small draw you could eliminate by turning the inverter off)

Happy Christmas, All

 

[JandKRip]

I ran my fridge and was disconnected from shore power when battery was 100% and the out was around 1.4a, checked next morning and battery was around 70% and being charged by solar. I shut fridge off and was then a +.5a to the battery, next morning (fridge off) battery was dead.

My thoughts and I'm not totally familiar with the electrical system:

1. Not enough daylight (overcast etc.) to charge batttery
2. Gas detectors drawing a lot at night

As mentioned I didn't have it for most of the summer so hard to compare just wondering if this will be sustainable if I ever go dry camping as I don't want to run generator full time unless I use to charge the battery

 

[Oregon_Camper]

I had a phantom 5-6 amp draw and it truned out to be the cable booster. It was behind the rear wall in the passthrough storage. I have a Victron shunt on my system, so I can see the exact amp draw. I tried turning it off inside the RV, but no luck. Once I disconnected the cables from the unit behind the wall the 5-6 amp draw stopped. Check this out..perhaps that is your mystery draw as well.

 

[JandKRip]

I had a phantom 5-6 amp draw and it truned out to be the cable booster. It was behind the rear wall in the passthrough storage. I have a Victron shunt on my system, so I can see the exact amp draw. I tried turning it off inside the RV, but no luck. Once I disconnected the cables from the unit behind the wall the 5-6 amp draw stopped. Check this out..perhaps that is your mystery draw as well.

Cable booster being for like TV cable?

 

[Oregon_Camper]

Cable booster being for like TV cable?

Yes...there were 4-5 cables coming into it. We never watch broadcast TV, so unplugging them was a simple solution for me.

 

[Oregon_Camper]

for more info, you can see my entire power system in the image below. At this point, the RV is in storage in our barn, but plugged into our 50 amp plug. I am seeing ~1.35 amps being used, which is most likely the draw from the 3000w Victron inverter.

 

[BryanValRox]

Hi gang, this sure has been an interesting discussion! I had one additional thought that you might take a look at.
Given that you have a shunt installed in the system, it is important that all of the draws get measured, specifically it is critical that ALL Grounds get effectively connected to the correct terminal on shunt. If some grounds are landed on the wrong side of the shunt, they would effectively by pass the measurement function of the shut and not be reflected in the display discharged rate.

Remember the solar will provide at least some level of charge even on a cloud day. And of course switch to night mode as the sunsets. I remember in one of your previous posts you mentioned having two panels which of course harvest more sun for the controller to work with. Point being if the battery is charged to 100% it is 100%. So as I mentioned before, it is a matter of supply and demand.

Best advice I can give, understand each load and what it belongs to so that you can accurately understand the supply and demand characteristics of your system and increase your capacity if necessary to meet you needs. Or track down any draws that are impacting your capacity expectations.

Great discussion!
Bryan