Solar Power Help

[Paulro]

I’ve got a 100w solar panel supplied by Roger at Solar Solutions. It’s actually my 2nd panel from Roger and it’s linked to a Epever charger.
We’re in France, in the sun but the fridge stopped working after 4 days without driving, fridge on, raising and lowering the roof each day.
This morning, in sunlight but not at a great angle the pv was 1.5A and rising to 2.2A but only 1bar of charge.
I changed the rear fuse today too, just to be sure. It was ok.
Currently, in hot sun and at a better angle with the roof up it’s showing between pv 2.6A and 3.7A charge, battery at 12.9v but showing no load BUT the fridge is on and drawing 3.2 A and showing that on the overhead panel but not on the charger.
The batteries have now 2 bars of power showing on the charger, the best I’ve seen it for a while.
Do these figures seem correct? It’s 30* hot sun here.
Certainly the charger isn’t recognising the fridge load?
I’m looking for help.
Many thanks
Paul

 

[pjm-84]

100w panel is circa 5 to 5.8 amp at max achievable . Then you need to factor in the solar controller. MPPT being a better solar controller...i,e it will increase amps as it lowers the voltage

I found the 100w panel insufficient on my Burstner last week to run the fridge / freezer (nowt in this but running at -18degrees) and got caught out with the Lithium battery on the 4th day (Voltage and SOC is a different scale to an AGM battery).

To avoid putting another panel on the roof , I'm looking to tap my portable PV panel (carry 2x100w) into the leisure battery via a portable solar controller and the 12v socket on the side of the van

Heat is not good for solar, its drops efficiency. So over 25 degree it drops off. Its why I prefer air gaps under PV panel when installing on buildings

Not sure why the charger would recognise the fridge load?

 

[sticky1]

I’ve got a 100w solar panel supplied by Roger at Solar Solutions. It’s actually my 2nd panel from Roger and it’s linked to a Epever charger.
We’re in France, in the sun but the fridge stopped working after 4 days without driving, fridge on, raising and lowering the roof each day.
This morning, in sunlight but not at a great angle the pv was 1.5A and rising to 2.2A but only 1bar of charge.
I changed the rear fuse today too, just to be sure. It was ok.
Currently, in hot sun and at a better angle with the roof up it’s showing between pv 2.6A and 3.7A charge, battery at 12.9v but showing no load BUT the fridge is on and drawing 3.2 A and showing that on the overhead panel but not on the charger.
The batteries have now 2 bars of power showing on the charger, the best I’ve seen it for a while.
Do these figures seem correct? It’s 30* hot sun here.
Certainly the charger isn’t recognising the fridge load?
I’m looking for help.
Many thanks
Paul

Are you seeing 3.2Ah draw from the fridge? If so that is too high.

 

[Paulro]

Ok, so I also contacted Roger at Solar Camper Solutions.
I’d bought my 1st and 2nd panels from him.
I had sent some pictures of what the charger was reading and he explained perfectly the numbers etc.
The most important thing for me (and I noticed this, this morning) is that the Cali display panel doesn’t recognise the solar but does recognise battery drain and at 11.6 or near enough it is not possible for the fridge to work.
This was the case this morning, before I’d contacted Roger and the fridge was off.
I turned the van round with the top still up to catch hot sun streaming over the top of Mont Blanc and immediately my display panel was reading 12.6, 90% and I switched on the fridge and it worked perfectly.
Roger explained that the control panel goes out of sync, doesn’t recognise the solar and switches the fridge off. Starting the vehicle momentarily resets the Cali panel to reading correctly.
I wish I’d have known this at 3am this morning! Id have slept a bit better.
Thank you Roger