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missy avatar image
missy asked

Why aren't my batteries charging faster?


Here are current screenshots of my smartsolar output:


And my battery monitor :


I also have an Orion tr 12/12-30 running.

We have been driving for 2.5 hours today, and have only gone up 1%. We started yesterday fully charged, but used a laptop and inverter for several hours, plus a heater overnight. That dropped us to 76%, 12.63V.

Screenshot from this morning, before we started driving:

I would have thought that we would be recharging quicker given the sunny weather and the Orion (it's new, am I expecting too much of it?)


Ive reread the instructions for the monitor and mppt, I can't figure it out.

We have a fridge running, a fan on low, no other draws.



battery charging
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screenshot-20191105-131515-comvictronenergyvictron.jpg (291.0 KiB)
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Murray van Graan avatar image Murray van Graan commented ·

What’s the rating of your panels?

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missy avatar image missy Murray van Graan commented ·

390w, its bifacial so could go up to 500w but I've only ever seen it reach 390!

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2 Answers
Matthias Lange - DE avatar image
Matthias Lange - DE answered ·

Batteries? Capacity? Settings? Is the shunt wired correctly (pictures)?

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missy avatar image missy commented ·

I have 3 x 100ah agm batteries. The solar was charging the batteries fully in June/July, we hit float most days.

Then August was rainy and cloudy and we dropped to 50% many times, having to charge up with mains hookup.

I thought adding the Orion would make up for the lack of sun during winter. Unfortunately I accidentally bought a non-smart one, so I have no idea how it is performing while we drive.

I'll get a picture of the shunt in the morning.


Thanks!

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Daniel avatar image
Daniel answered ·

I could be wrong. Are your MPPT, BMV, and Battery in the same Location? Your BMV shows -1°C. Maybe the Charge controller doesn't give out more power because of its cold. I don't know if the MPPT has a Temperature Probe. If you have the temperature sensor on your battery I higly recommend to make a VE.Smart network.

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