Urgent solar help

Just smiffy

Just smiffy

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some of you may know about my agm batteries threads...
Just been into the moho
my batteries are boiling... I’ve taken the 50a fuse out to stop the charge going in, the fuse is after the controllers but i think I’ve seen that the controllers can get damaged if i don’t isolate the panels to the controllers..?

i have 3 100w panels going to 3 victron mppt 75/15

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All the lights are flashing like a disco...

do i disconnect the input from the solar panels..?
 
I put a fuse before the regulator coming from the panels, and just pull that, if you cant do that, :wink: you will have to get Sue up on the roof to cover the panels a carpet or similar is good because it does not blow away. ? Bob.
 
Ive taken the negative out from each controller....?
 
Richard and Ann said:
Are all the batteries boiling?
Click to expand...

sounded like it but cant tell for sure ...
as i went into moho i saw 17.5v on the meter...!

heard batts fizzing and took out fuse straight away...

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That's too high of course. I would let them cool off for a while, disconnect the solar controllers completely to let them reset. Maybe you could connect them back up one by one? Also if one controller is warm maybe that's the one with the charging obsession ?
 
eddievanbitz said:
Just pull the fuses

Either at the regulator end or at the batteries
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I was going to say that, :wink: but Sue is very helpful and likes to get involved, :hi5: plus I wasn't absolutely sure but have one somewhere. ? Bob.
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I had an identical Victron controller fail the same way a couple of years ago. As suggested, reconnect them one at a time and hopefully the rogue one will reveal itself. Victron have a 5 year warranty so dig out the receipts. :)
 
Yes pull that Garry, but I think that only cuts power to the batteries.
 
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Right I’ve disconnected the negative wire from the panels that go in to the controllers all lights are off batteries stopped fizzing...

i dont think any of the controllers are broken, i think its the batterie, if a cell fails the controller will overcharge...

i will keep it this way until my new G80’s arrive on monday then put it all back together.....
‘I’ve also got a victron 712 bluetooth coming so in future I’ll be able to keep an eye on them better..
thanks guys...??
panic over ..... i think.?
 
I have read this too many times now, it seems the Victron can go into 24v mode somehow.

Martin

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I wouldn't have thought that all the batteries would fail at the same time surely?
 
funflair said:
I have read this too many times now, it seems the Victron can go into 24v mode somehow.

Martin
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i dont think it went into 24v mode but the manual does state in the fault guide ....

D4FB80A8-5115-46A6-A834-EC8C8CB8D075.png

still not good...

i hope the new bmv712 will tell me if anything like that is happening again..
 
Jimbohorlicks said:
I wouldn't have thought that all the batteries would fail at the same time surely?
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it is difficult to see which one has gone without doing some tests on them both, but seeing these batteries are 7yrs old (agm’s) I’m changing them for gels.... original hymer fit...
 
Just smiffy said:
Right I’ve disconnected the negative wire from the panels that go in to the controllers all lights are off batteries stopped fizzing...

i dont think any of the controllers are broken, i think its the batterie, if a cell fails the controller will overcharge...

i will keep it this way until my new G80’s arrive on monday then put it all back together.....
‘I’ve also got a victron 712 bluetooth coming so in future I’ll be able to keep an eye on them better..
thanks guys...??
panic over ..... i think.?
Click to expand...
A failed cell shouldn't make the controllers push out 17 volts. What happens is the voltage of the battery drops to say 10 volts which the controller(s) see as a flat battery so they increase the voltage to say 14.4 volts and stay at that, boiling the good cells once they are fully charged.

I wouldn't connect your new batteries until you've ensured you don't have a faulty controller.

I would disconnect one wire from the solar panels from each controller, reconnect the 12 volt side then connect each controller in turn and see what happens.

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DBK said:
A failed cell shouldn't make the controllers push out 17 volts. What happens is the voltage of the battery drops to say 10 volts which the controller(s) see as a flat battery so they increase the voltage to say 14.4 volts and stay at that, boiling the good cells once they are fully charged.

I wouldn't connect your new batteries until you've ensured you don't have a faulty controller.

I would disconnect one wire from the solar panels from each controller, reconnect the 12 volt side then connect each controller in turn and see what happens.
Click to expand...

I’m intending to do this DBK how long a duration between connecting each one do you suggest....?
 
Just smiffy said:
I’m intending to do this DBK how long a duration between connecting each one do you suggest....?
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You need to see if the voltage shoots up again. With mine this happened immediately the solar panel was reconnected but it was in Spain with strong sunlight.

In theory the Victron controllers remember whether they are 12 or 24 volts the first time they are connected. I believe there is a reset button or hole to poke a paperclip through which will reset it back to the factory defaults, as if it was new. The instructions should cover this but you will need to disconnect one of the battery connection wires first, or pull out the fuse if that disconnects them.

After resetting them, reconnect the batteries then connect the solar panels to each controller in turn and monitor the voltage. Anything over 15 volts indicates a fault. I think you really need some sunlight too. It might work if cloudy but sunlight must be better.

The above would be what I would do although when I had this problem I forgot about trying to reset it but in hindsight I should have tried it. :)
 
DBK said:
I had an identical Victron controller fail the same way a couple of years ago. As suggested, reconnect them one at a time and hopefully the rogue one will reveal itself. Victron have a 5 year warranty so dig out the receipts. :)
Click to expand...
funflair said:
I have read this too many times now, it seems the Victron can go into 24v mode somehow.

Martin
Click to expand...

This may be controversial, and I get my tin hat at the ready, but I don't rate Victron equipment. Yes they have quality metal cases, but the internals don't seem very good.

I had a 475w Victron inverter in the caravan a few years ago, it wouldn't start Ann's hair straighteners and also would only power my hair clippers for a few seconds before switching off. God knows why. Maybe they were too small for it? ?

Tin hat on ? ⛑️
 
When I installed our Votronic solar controller and 2 x 100 panels I put a fuse in-line between each panel and the controller so if needs be I can quickly and easily isolate either panel. I did this because from my research etc it was mentioned not to have solar input going to the controller without it being connected up to anything else as it could seriously damaged the controller (ie 'fry' it!)

If it was my system I'd splash the cash on 3 fuse holders and put one in line between each solar panel and controller so that if you have issues again you can quickly isolate them without having to mess about removing cables.
 
If both batteries were boiling it's got to be a regulator. Have you or any of your mates got a battery lying around you could test them with. You really don't want to try out the new gels on a duff regulator if you can avoid it.

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Last edited:
Silver-Fox said:
Out of interest what size breaker did you use for what size solar.
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There's no real functional reason to put a breaker or fuse between the solar panel and the controller. There's no way a solar panel can blow a fuse or trip a breaker that can handle the normal output of the panel.

However it's a good idea to put a switch between the panel and the controller, because you may want to disconnect the panel - when you diconnect the battery, for example. But it may actually be cheaper to wire in a fuse or breaker rather than a switch, and it can be used simply as an isolator switch even though you know it'll never actually blow.
 
funflair said:
I have read this too many times now, it seems the Victron can go into 24v mode somehow.
Click to expand...
My money's on that, too. Any thunderstorms near you recently? The voltage spikes from a nearby lightning bolt can do strange things with electronics.
 
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This all points to my batteries failing a few days before.... the victron manual does state that if a cell go’s the controller will over charge the battery....

when I get my new batteries I will connect it all up slowly and one controller at a time...
 
Just smiffy said:
This all points to my batteries failing a few days before.... the victron manual does state that if a cell go’s the controller will over charge the battery....

when I get my new batteries I will connect it all up slowly and one controller at a time...
Click to expand...
You could use your existing ones and connect one controller up and see if they're happy with that one, then disconnect it and do the next, then disconnect and try the last one, hopefully that way you will be able to identify the duff one without the risk of frazzling your new batteries.

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