Mick, Pesky is a nicer term than I had been using. I clamped the charge circuit and watched the amperage come in on final phase of absorb then drop to zero. (Since the voltage stayed at the same 15.6VDC when the amperage dropped off there was some current but my meter could not read it. That is the pesky part. Everything seems to be behaving as it should be. I will try the splitting of the parallel battery strings and check each string. And as Jay suggested, take a different brand of controller with me next time. What is frustrating is this should be as simple as things can get and yet it is so perplexing. Keeps me humble. Thanks, Nathan Jones
------------------------------ On Tue, Jul 17, 2012 11:19 AM CDT Mick Abraham wrote: >Hi, Nathan~ > >Your pesky overcharge situation sounds like a real pain given the long >commute. 15.6 volts on a "12 volt" battery implies zero restriction of the >incoming energy, so this looks like a controller problem...or maybe it's a >wiring problem that prevents proper controller operation. Make sure there's >a -12 in the model number for your Morningstar Sunsaver controls, as those >are voltage specific. > >Eliminate as many variables as possible, Nathan: unhook two of the 6v >L-16's, leaving only two in a 12 volt string. Connect only one PV module >through the 12v controller and see if the voltage will regulate properly. >If you have a clamp style DC ammeter, clip around one lead in the charge >circuit & read the amps with good sun. If the battery voltage continues >high while you see ~ 7-8 amps PV charge...the controller is failing to do >its job. > >Jolliness, > >Mick Abraham, Proprietor >www.abrahamsolar.com > >Voice: 970-731-4675 _______________________________________________ List sponsored by Home Power magazine List Address: RE-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.org Options & settings: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org List-Archive: http://lists.re-wrenches.org/pipermail/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org List rules & etiquette: www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm Check out participant bios: www.members.re-wrenches.org
