Solar panel problems

[Mikecortina]

Hi all can any one advise me on a problem with my solar panel charging system, I have a steca PR1010 control panel which only reads 35% and showing a sad face, the display is continuously flashing. I have removed wires that go to control box from the solar panel I am getting 20.9 v input when sunny, my leisure battery reads 13.8v the m. home has not been connected to mains for 4/5 weeks and I have checked my 2 leisure batterys which are less than a year old and top quality and show good voltage.
Any advice please.

Many thanks Mike.

 

[berni109]

What voltage are you getting at the leisure battery in full sun with everything switched off. If its 13.8v that looks like a float charge so would suggest s/charger is working ok. What type of batteries are they(not make) lead acid agm?
Probably needs the control panel resetting

 

[Mikecortina]

 

[Mikecortina]

They are lead acid batterys. Do you have any idea how to reset the control panel. Thanks Mike.

 

[Mikecortina]

The battery reading is with everything turned off.

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[Campervan_man]

Check the 12V fuse hasn't blown near the battery.

 

[GeoffnDee]

According to the operating instructions it means----Deep discharging protection activated----whatever that means?

 

[Richard n Ann]

According to the operating instructions it means----Deep discharging protection activated----whatever that means?

It means it's switched it's 'Load' terminals off. Do you use them?

 

[Richard n Ann]

The load terminals are the ones on the right.
If you don't use them the controller won't know how charged the battery is anyway.

 

[Mikecortina]

According to the operating instructions it means----Deep discharging protection activated----whatever that means?

No wiser either.

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[berni109]

Download the manual page 12 explains what u need to do.
I would start from a known position by disconnecting every thing and then follow the connection sequence as per the manual.

 

[Mikecortina]

The load terminals are the ones on the right.
If you don't use them the controller won't know how charged the battery is anyway.

Theres nothing wired into the 2 on the right.

 

[Mikecortina]

Download the manual page 12 explains what u need to do.
I would start from a known position by disconnecting every thing and then follow the connection sequence as per the manual.

Will have a look thanks

 

[autorouter]

In a typical motorhome installation, that SOC reading will not be at all accurate. Usually the solar panel is connected to the PV input, the battery to the battery input, and nothing at all is connected to the load terminals. Motorhome loads usually run directly from the battery, via a fusebox, not through the solar controller load terminals. In that situation, the solar controller can't measure the charge going out of the battery, so the SOC display will be more or less nonsense.

Solar controllers like this are designed for powering small loads like street lights, road signs, CCTV cameras etc, and have load control functions like timers, dawn/dusk on/off, and algorithms to cut down load usage automatically if the solar input is insufficient to keep the battery charged. All this functionality and indeed the load terminals are invariably totally ignored in a motorhome installation. The battery voltage display, and the battery input amps, will be the useful display indicators for you. Ignore the SOC.

If you want an SOC indication, you could install a battery monitor like a Victron BMV or SmartShunt, or a NASA BM-2. The shunt that senses the amps in and out of the battery is usually installed right at the battery negative terminal, so that all battery current passes through it.

One possibility is that the solar controller has been connected in the wrong sequence. It's important to connect the battery terminals first, before the solar panel terminals. The solar controller automatically senses if it's connected to a 12V or 24V system when first connected. The wrong sequence might mean it thinks there's a 24V battery connected. It will overcharge it, and might trigger alerts to say the battery is very discharged when in fact it's OK.

 

[Mikecortina]

The system was already fitted to the mhome when we bought it 3 years ago and has been working fine noticed it flashing a couple of days ago.

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[autorouter]

The OP posted this in the Motorhome Chat section. I've reposted it here to help anyone in the future. And to highlight how totally wrong my contribution was

"Hi everyone I posted last night about my solar panel control flashing and only showing a low reading, like to thank everyone for their advice.
I found a video on YouTube with advice it is called a hard reset you do it at night or if you are doing it in the daytime cover your solar panel then disconnect all the wires from the box leave for approx 30 minutes then reconnect your wires and uncover your solar panel. I now have no flashing and good readings and charging.
Regards Mike."