Energy Anybody know anything about solar systems?

Batt led is red...according to the manual, the battery is "over-discharged"

Really need to get a meter and see what the input (from the panels into the charge controller) is, and then the output...both at the CC and at the battery terminals.

From what has been posted thus far, I'm beginning to think you are running short on battery and panel capacity for what you are running.

Give us some real world numbers please

@DKR its a 4210RN

 

Manual is found at
http://voile.org/panneaux_solaires/Tracer-3215RN.pdf

Good reviews on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/TRACER-3215RN-Solar-Charge-Controller/dp/B008KWPGA&tag=survivalmonke-20

User group
Ep solar Tracer 3215 mppt charge controller discussion/owners thread

Some U toob troubleshooting videos


another user group
Epsolar Tracer MPPT Solar Regulator Controller. - Caravaners Forum

 

Sounds like I should just hire someone to come out, since I can't answer any specific questions. It's just finding someone reliable here has been impossible so far.

Although I'm beginning to think the problem is the batteries. When they were new, the one panel was sufficient.

In response to whether the panel has sap or water on it and whether it's clean, that is morning dew. I assume maybe incorrectly that water increases the rays absorbed. I scrubbed it about a month ago, so it's clean.

 

Yes, I read the manual when I got it
It is a good unit. The batteries, though. Thoughts, anybody?

 

I may have missed this but how far do you allow them to discharge? Letting them go beyond 50% is murder on the batteries from a lifecycle and duration perspective and depending on the battery, much below 75% can seriously degrade their service life.

 

Yep. If you routinely draw them down so that they are at 11.9v after charging a couple hours, you ought to consider a larger battery bank or less of a load. That's between 60 and 70% discharge...or more.

 

I didn't see if you answered, if you've checked the water in the batteries. I top mine off with distilled water and never a problem with it .
Batteries used/charged heavily, go through water regularly too.
My 6 volt golf cart batteries are over 5 years old and just getting to the point I need to replace them, many of my panels are over 40 years old and still performing nicely.
Panels need direct sunlight , and it would be best if you had a platform to set your panel .

 

People like me who are formally trained to design, maintain and trouble shoot solar power systems are very difficult to find.
You are better off learning to do it your self.
It's not rocket surgery.
It's solar panels, charge controller, battery and power inverter,
All you need to trouble shoot it is a volt meter and an amp meter would help but the amp meter is not absolutely necessary.
A hydrometer is necessary for long term maintenance.

 

Don't buy sealed for repeated daily or almost daily deep cycle use.
They are fine for occasional use and stand by or emergency power.

 

Okay. Deep breath. Thanks to all of you for your replies.

As far as doing any of this myself, that is a problem. To me it IS rocket science. I don't even want to touch anything for fear of electrocuting myself, or screwing it up so I end up having NO power. I'm impressed I've learned as much as I can, but I have more questions than answers to all of your posts. Start talking volts and amps and my brain shuts down.

I have a deep distrust of anybody selling me anything at this point, since I've now spent about $2000 for 2 years worth of very minimal power. For those who didn't see my original post, I live in a one-room cabin, off-grid as a single, older woman. I have no fridge or toilet. The only things I use the solar power for are:
1. Internet cable modem. This takes a lot of the energy. I've been reduced to using it about 3 hours a day.
2. Propeller-type fan. Second biggest user of energy. Again, reducing use to middle of the day when there is excess energy showing on the inverter.
3. Charging IPad Pro and iphone.
4. One light: LED 5 watts, only use at night, obviously.

So for $2000 for 2 years, with minimal use, I'm not happy with the cost/benefit ratio. I have no income except disability, so I have to be very careful as to how to spend the money. With your help, I'm hoping to problem-solve this so I can spend the money in the best way.

In terms of location of the panel, I have nobody to help me, so I can only move the panel around on the ground. I would have to hire someone to build a stand or mount it on the roof.

Some questions:
1. If the deep cell batteries were old to begin with, as I suspect, could that be a reason for poor performance?
2. Regarding water, hydrometer etc., the batteries appear impenetrable. So I'm baffled as to this.
3. Given the specs I gave in all the above pix, and my energy use above, is one panel/two deep cell batteries sufficient?
4. The red light on the charge controller comes on every night. That means that I have been drawing the batteries down every.single.day. Is that the problem? And if so, is it because of old batteries to begin with? Can I buy a third battery without having to add another solar panel?

Thanks all of you. I really appreciate your help.

 

I have tent space available if you want free lodging in Hawaii in exchange for your knowledge

 

I think I can do this with. Would this answer the question of whether the batteries are no longer any good? If I go to Ace Hardware, what exactly should I buy? And would I be able to understand how to use it?

 

There are a lot of sealed by deep cycle batteries out there, hard to avoid if you don't know what you are looking for.
You don't want to mix old batteries and new batteries.
Turn off the power inverter to avoid electrical shock and to save battery power.
$2000 really doesn't buy a whole lot of solar electrical gear, I put about $1,000 of solar equipment on my solar hybrid generator and it can only provide enough power to run a refrigerator while the sun is out, if I doubled that budget I could run a fridge 24hr.
The red light turns on with my Morningstar controllers any time the battery gets down to around 12v. So it may not be real bad. That's why you need a volt meter.
Also you should have a generator and battery charger.
If you want something like this done right you are going to have to do it your self.
You can take the batteries to an auto parts store and they should be able to charge them and test them. And they need to have a cell equalization done month or if sitting volts droops below 11.5 on a 12v battery.

 

Ace shows to have a relatively inexpensive meter for around $20. This would allow you to take measurements and determine where the problem is before you "throw money at it."
And yes, it is simple to operate...but if you have questions/issues, you could always ask. We all started at the beginning!

It is important to know what the true voltages in your system are, both during the day when charging and when idle...for example, if your batteries are only getting charged to 12.3 volts then you aren't fully charging them and they will have a short lifespan.
But let's find out what is going on before we condemn any parts

 

I'd cut the grass with scissors, for some banana cream pie!

 

I will go get a voltmeter, and then will likely come back to ask how to use it!

Just a reminder of the problem - the system was working fine for about a year, and now it's noticeably declining.

 

If not explicitly mentioned - TURN OFF the power inverter when not in use. There is something called "idle current" (sometimes called parasitic current) that drains the battery with no load. In your unit, it looks to be (for he pure sine wave unit) 0.8 amps at idle. that is (0.8 A x 120V) 96 watts for just sitting. I dare say far more energy than that used by a cable modem - which average only about 10 watts power consumption while in use.
(http://pdf.donrowe.com/mw_sw_spec_sheet.pdf)

Also - is the panel out in the direct sun? That is - now shade at all? Any shade will make big cuts in the energy produced. Just checking....

Other than your shower, the LED light, battery charger etc seem like very low power draw items. The fan is probably the biggest user of power.

As an aside -
For between 20 and 30 dollars, many places sell so called "travel kits" with a smaller 300 watt inverter and a pair of USB charger ports. Like this:

300 watts would handle the modem and the inverter has a pair of USB ports for charging...


How to use a voltmeter

 

If those are sealed batteries a hydrometer is useless , and if they will not hold a voltage disconnected from every thing ,they are probably done.
Even a standard 12 volt car battery that has one dead cell will hold a 10.5 charge in the rest of the cells IF it is disconnected from all loads and charging.
If those are 6 volt batteries, and disconnected from every thing, and does not maintain a charge, after being charged, they are done.
If your using 6 volt deep cycle golf cart batteries, wired in series for 12 volts , that's a good system normally, it's what I do , but mine are lead acid maintenance required. there are 3 caps on top for access to each cell . water should be with in an inch of the top or so
.
you will not get an electrical shock from this low voltage.
Careless handling and shorting contacts are serous though.
If your going to live on your own, you need to learn about electricity .
there are plenty of books on the subject that simplify it for the traveler specifically those in motorhomes . Off grid dwellers .