2000k system only puts out 500 watt why?

[charles2,david000k]

There is some serious debate over PWM and MPPT

[sensij]

There is some serious debate over PWM and MPPT

Not much debate, really. For you, both are much better than what you have. Unless you go bigger with your battery, pwm would be fine. Power from your array is not the problem.

[charles2,david000k]

that CC in the link you provided is for 12v batteries only. my 1st CC was a MPPT and it did not charge my 24v batteries . i wasted alot of $$$ and time because of this CC. i suspect your problem is your CC , you alluded to that at the begining of this thread, you suspected the CC was rubbish. you will find that your panels are fine. if the voltage and current on each individual panel checks ok then there is nothing wrong with them

I was looking at the PCM-3024 24 volt model it just shows the 12 volt for sale but what brought me to that one is the reviews and testing of the product plus the wide input range and price. I like reviews when people really get into the product and do a teardown I like to see what is under the hood even if I have no clue of what any one is talking about.

[charles2,david000k]

get flooded lead acid, not sealed lead acid. you need access to the electrolyte to know the SOC. iv saved alot of $$$ buying scrap FLA batteries. 50% of them are ok the rest i get my $$$ back since i only pay scrap value. the plates on scrap batteries are either caked in lead sulfate crystals or the plates are totally corroded and gone. if they are gone the electrolyte is black. the ones with clear electrolyte can be salvaged. apply an equalizing charge for a few days and they will come back to 100% SOC.

also never overload your inverter. i was using a 2000w sine wave inverter sometimes overloaded it, always relied on the overload cutoff until one day it didnt cutoff and the inverter burnt out. so now i use 2 inverters to split the loads. got a 1700w pure sine wave off ebay for $210au free delivery to run the fridge. works fine.
[ATTACH]8003[/ATTACH]

Equalizing charge?
Would the de sulphation cycle setting work from my inverter 15.5 volts for 12v and up to I think 85 amps of current the cycle runs for 4 hours.

[LETitROLL]

So basicly just wait until the same time of year I got and set up the panels and everything should just return to normal?

Sorry , I am just trying to make sure we have not overlooked any of the basics that could affect Voc, is the front glass of the panels as clean and clear as possible? If so is there any possibility of a film of some sort left over on them from some kind of cleaner(s) or protective coatings?

[almac]

Equalizing charge?
Would the de sulphation cycle setting work from my inverter 15.5 volts for 12v and up to I think 85 amps of current the cycle runs for 4 hours.

when they are caked up with lead sulfate crystals the resistance is high so they wont draw much current. yes 15v is fine but the current will be a trickle. can take several days. better to use no more than 15v. at 15.5v if you dont watch it all the time and the current starts to increase you can get a runaway heating up of the battery. so even 14.7v will do the job. some cells might take up to a week

[charles2,david000k]

Sorry , I am just trying to make sure we have not overlooked any of the basics that could affect Voc, is the front glass of the panels as clean and clear as possible? If so is there any possibility of a film of some sort left over on them from some kind of cleaner(s) or protective coatings?

It's ok I sound frustrated when I'm not I have three kids and my parents talk me into building my home next to them so ya lol. But yes I mop my panels down once every two weeks sometimes once a month depending on weather I even went out and got me a new mop just for the panels. I still have a gut feeling though the voltage drop has something to do with the solder strip peeling up off the cell inside the panel or poor quality silicon if that is possible. I say poor quality silicon only because the cells themselves changed color from a really nice dark dark blue to a white blue almost white in three months of exposure to the sun. some of the panels changed color not all of them.

[charles2,david000k]

when they are caked up with lead sulfate crystals the resistance is high so they wont draw much current. yes 15v is fine but the current will be a trickle. can take several days. better to use no more than 15v. at 15.5v if you dont watch it all the time and the current starts to increase you can get a runaway heating up of the battery. so even 14.7v will do the job. some cells might take up to a week

runaway heat up sounds like fun something I should do outdoors would want to burn down the shed or my home. Do you know any good links to video?

[almac]

runaway heat up sounds like fun something I should do outdoors would want to burn down the shed or my home. Do you know any good links to video?

there is nothing to it. forget about "smart chargers" because they are not smarter than you are. smart chargers wont restore a sulfate caked battery. get a cheap old dumb charger or dc power supply , set the voltage under 15v. even 14v will work if you leave it on long enough. same goes for CCs the solar hours are not long enough for "smart" charging the 3 stage bulk float absorb. set the voltage on a 24v system by checking your batteries SG weekly. if they are not 100% SOC at days end then up the voltage . i set my 24v CCs at about 29v this time of year. (spring in australia)

[charles2,david000k]

there is nothing to it. forget about "smart chargers" because they are not smarter than you are. smart chargers wont restore a sulfate caked battery. get a cheap old dumb charger or dc power supply , set the voltage under 15v. even 14v will work if you leave it on long enough. same goes for CCs the solar hours are not long enough for "smart" charging the 3 stage bulk float absorb. set the voltage on a 24v system by checking your batteries SG weekly. if they are not 100% SOC at days end then up the voltage . i set my 24v CCs at about 29v this time of year. (spring in australia)

So one lead acid battery dump the acid and check the color when I do to see if it's black. If it is not black refill with distilled water not sulfuric acid. then just keep charging it until it holds a charge again.

[inetdog]

So one lead acid battery dump the acid and check the color when I do to see if it's black. If it is not black refill with distilled water not sulfuric acid. then just keep charging it until it holds a charge again.

That is one of the most ridiculous bits of advice I have seen in a long time.

[almac]

So one lead acid battery dump the acid and check the color when I do to see if it's black. If it is not black refill with distilled water not sulfuric acid. then just keep charging it until it holds a charge again.

what? never said anything about dumping electrolyte . was talking about scrap batteries. said if a scrap battery has black electrolyte the plates are gone. if the electrolyte is clear in most cases you can recover the battery with an equalizing charge. has worked out for me. essentially im getting free batteries. buy them for scrap value. have recovered under half of them to 100% SOC. get money back on the batteries that are stuffed. even when the good ones are finished i will get my money back on those as well. so far they are still performing just fine

[charles2,david000k]

Question for the group?

How much power would you have to pull from a panel to do a correct load test on a panel granted all weather conditions and panel position are correct?
Could you use something like a small 12v or 24v DC car light as a load?

[charles2,david000k]

what? never said anything about dumping electrolyte . was talking about scrap batteries. said if a scrap battery has black electrolyte the plates are gone. if the electrolyte is clear in most cases you can recover the battery with an equalizing charge. has worked out for me. essentially im getting free batteries. buy them for scrap value. have recovered under half of them to 100% SOC. get money back on the batteries that are stuffed. even when the good ones are finished i will get my money back on those as well. so far they are still performing just fine

Sorry lol you're right that is not what you said. I was in a hurry it was halloween night and the kids were killing me to go trick or treating. But after rereading and watching a few videos this guy sounds like you and him are about on the same page. I watch videos because I happen to be a visual hands on learner. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x-JfckAt20

[LETitROLL]

How much power would you have to pull from a panel to do a correct load test on a panel granted all weather conditions and panel position are correct?
Could you use something like a small 12v or 24v DC car light as a load?

Voc (open circuit voltage) is of course taken without a load and will/should give you the maximum voltage reading you are going to see from a given panel, as an increasing load is put on it the voltage will somewhat sag depending on the amount of current flow. What to use for a test load just depends on what you are trying to accomplish, to find out the maximum capabilities of a panel usually you just check the Voc, and then I put my meter on 10A setting and go straight to the factory pigtail + to + and - to - for a short circuit through the meter and see how many amps I can pull. I checked a new panel I had in the house the other day and set it out on the porch as square to the sun as possible, the panel is rated at Voc = 45.8 and Vmp =36.2 and I got 45.1 initially, it was about 55 degrees out and as the panel warmed up my voltage went down about .1V every 30 seconds, then I checked the short circuit current and was just slightly about the rated Isc.