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Post by bupkis on Apr 25, 2019 11:41:16 GMT
Not sure how to attache a JPG of my setup? Any hints? Quote this post, you will get a differnet editor that has "Add Attachment" in the upper right corner. Click "Add Attachment" window with +Add files, click Add files and it let you add files from your comuter, done. Attachments:
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Post by Gordon on Apr 26, 2019 17:07:23 GMT
Hey sorry for the pause in conversation. I commute quiet a bit and don't have good 'net access when I travel.
The article I read said that if you connect 'in parallel' you will be pulling mainly from one battery, not from all at the same time. As a result you will shorten the batteries life.
The recommendation was to connect the battery bank 'in series' to even out the load.
Both my Charge Controller (Renogy Rover) and my Inverter (Power TechOn PS1004) are capable of handling 24v but I am not particularly interested in creating a 24v battery bank. I only want the most efficient setup.
I contacted Carmanah, the maker of the batteries, and they said the connect in series all the time and that it should not be an issue. Clearly for me it is an issue so.. what am I doing wrong.
I have reconnected in batteries in parallel and everything is working fine at the moment.
In parallel to me is - Positive -> Positive as in the diagram above.
In series is - Positive -> Negative, Positive -> Negative.
The only thing I can think of is that the batteries were connected to both the CC and Inverter when I tried to make the connection.
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Post by Gordon on Apr 26, 2019 17:35:43 GMT
Sorry for the pause. I commute quite a bit and do not have good 'net access at those times.
The article I read stated that batteries should always be connected in series for the most efficient use of them. He claimed connecting in parallel would cause an uneven draw from the bank and shorten their lives.
I am not interested in creating a 24v system, although both my Charge Controller and Inverter are capable of handling that. I only want the most efficient system.
I was attempting to attach - Positive -> Negative - as I understand that to be 'in series'. They are currently connected in parallel - Positive -> Positive.
Still trying to attach a JPG but when I do click on Quote I don't see anywhere to Add Attachment.
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Post by tattoo on Apr 26, 2019 17:36:12 GMT
Hey sorry for the pause in conversation. I commute quiet a bit and don't have good 'net access when I travel. The article I read said that if you connect 'in parallel' you will be pulling mainly from one battery, not from all at the same time. As a result you will shorten the batteries life. The recommendation was to connect the battery bank 'in series' to even out the load. Both my Charge Controller (Renogy Rover) and my Inverter (Power TechOn PS1004) are capable of handling 24v but I am not particularly interested in creating a 24v battery bank. I only want the most efficient setup. I contacted Carmanah, the maker of the batteries, and they said the connect in series all the time and that it should not be an issue. Clearly for me it is an issue so.. what am I doing wrong. I have reconnected in batteries in parallel and everything is working fine at the moment. In parallel to me is - Positive -> Positive as in the diagram above. In series is - Positive -> Negative, Positive -> Negative. The only thing I can think of is that the batteries were connected to both the CC and Inverter when I tried to make the connection. leave them as they are 12v...... Pos to pos and neg to neg.......You can't do what your wanting to do....... That's 24v.......
There is NO advantage to do what your trying to do...... Other than burning out your system that is....
Read this again...
paralleling batteries keeps their voltage the same so 2 x 12v in parallel is correct for 12v. Series connecting doubles the voltage so 2 x 6v in series results in 12v battery or if the batteries are 12v then you make them 24v.....
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Post by Gordon on Apr 26, 2019 18:51:30 GMT
I reconnected my panels in parallel, even though some commenters suggested that for off-grid in series may be the best. Immediately that they went in parallel my battery bank went from a steady 97% up to 100% so that appears the way to go for me.
And my batteries are now again connected in parallel and seem to be working fine. I am currently load testing with a portable oil heater connected to my inverter to see how the system will hold up.
Its an almost clear, cool day here and my charger shows my batteries at roughly 50%. When the oil heater does warm up its pull should drop and even out. I plan to leave it on for an hour or so to see the result.
== The main purpose of my little system is for power outages. We had one that lasted over a week during December/January and I want to build something capable of providing us with heat, light and maybe some cooking if/when that happens again.
Thanks to everyone for their responses.
I just took several photos of my setup and will try again to post them via hitting Quote.
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Post by tattoo on Apr 26, 2019 19:21:23 GMT
What is the voltage of your batteries not the %..... I know you have Li batteries....
Panels don't matter but batteries do on series or parallel....
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Post by bupkis on Apr 26, 2019 20:14:39 GMT
Hi gordon, there are parallel battery haters out there but battery makers will disagree cuz there are only so many sizes off batteries to deal with and if you don't want to increase the voltage then ya go parallel. There are many configurations depending on batt #/size/voltage/etc. You can even do a combination of parallel and series.
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Post by rvroadrunner on Apr 28, 2019 15:01:05 GMT
i just updated my rv system in my case and in plenty others you have to run in series and parallel i have 6 t105 so explain to me why parallel is bad i am lost on the idea parallel is bad because thats sounds a little crazy to me seeing thats the only way to do six batts that are 6v i may be wrong but i can not see it that way feel lots of misleading info here JUST SAYING
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Post by bupkis on Apr 28, 2019 15:13:20 GMT
hi rvroadrunner, if they are balanced it is not an issue, too many setups are not balanced. proper cable termination and clean connections, torque, ... www.smartgauge.co.uk/batt_con.htmlto my surprise my brother listened and use method 4 for his 4 x 12v AGMs = happy (equal) batteries.
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Post by tattoo on Apr 28, 2019 15:15:48 GMT
i just updated my rv system in my case and in plenty others you have to run in series and parallel i have 6 t105 so explain to me why parallel is bad i am lost on the idea parallel is bad because thats sounds a little crazy to me seeing thats the only way to do six batts that are 6v i may be wrong but i can not see it that way feel lots of misleading info here JUST SAYING It is ok to do what you did, my 6v batteries are done the same way yours are but his batteries are 12v so doing what we did he would have 24v batteries with a 12v system.... Do you understand now??
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Post by rvroadrunner on Apr 28, 2019 16:39:29 GMT
tattoo all i was saying is parallel is not a bad thing but what i have read here i get the impression parallel is a bad thing but i believe there are many reasons some set ups are parallel one is like ours or if a persons rig was 12v and had only one batt and could only add one more batt for space or cost reason parallel would be their only option and people come here seeking help because they have no understanding about parallel or series and have to work with what they have i believe there are pros and cons on both parallel and series
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Post by bupkis on Apr 28, 2019 16:58:18 GMT
hi rvroadrunner, the original poster has been misguided by someone that does not know how to parallel batteries. properly balanced each 12v bank (2x6v or 6x2v or 1x12v) shares the load equally! poor balance www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBNoIOOl37I
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Post by tattoo on Apr 28, 2019 17:14:09 GMT
tattoo all i was saying is parallel is not a bad thing but what i have read here i get the impression parallel is a bad thing Yes I agree with you...... Someone was giving the OP bad information or he misunderstood what they were saying.... I think it's the latter.....
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