How long does it take for battery charging

PWM CC can only handle '12v' panels. Your MPPT can handle 100V input.

As far as planning, I base that on daily usage and average irradance for you location/time of year.


You batteries need to fully charged from time to time for long life. Your controller is supposed to get them to 14.8v and hold that for 2 hrs on a regular basis. Letting them stay discharged allows the sulfate to harden and possible never be reversed, this causes a loss of capacity.

Also I have figured out that a wind CC is totally different... But at least I'm learning... LOL

Well before I called Renogy I took 2 of the 4 batteries out of the system.... Well low and behold I seen as much as 13.8v and 14a charging?? That's more than I've ever seen..... Now I'm wondering why??

I changed out my entire bank of batteries two days ago....... My problem is fixed.. I seen 14.8 volts for the first time... my batteries are staying around 12.9 at night when idle... Before they would be 12.2 at night after a sunny day at idle....I like these batteries much better. Now I can start seeing what I can run at night....

Thanks for everyones help...

While it's certainly a good idea to run a lower capacity inverter whenever possible, an even better idea is to try to eliminate using an inverter as much as possible in the first place. That's what I opted to do.

When I first got into using solar power, my thought process was essentially "Power everything I currently run exactly as before, but substitute the sun for the stuff coming out of the wall." Based on what I've read in my travels around the Internet, that's a common "mistake" that most beginners make. You quickly discover that solar just cannot accommodate that methodology. Or, more accurately, it cannot accommodate that methodology unless you're willing to set up a massive solar farm and battery bank at great expense.

After reality sets in, you start to find ways to reduce your energy requirements and usage. One of the best things you can do in that regard is to purchase/use/adapt items to run at 12VDC instead of items that require an inverter. Waste not, want not. Inverters can waste around 5-20% power in the conversion process!

So...it's 12VDC LED strips/lamps instead of 120VAC fluorescent lamps/bulbs. It's connecting modems and routers that use a wall wart directly to the load output of the controller. It's recharging cell phones and tablets using car cigarette lighter USB adapters rather than wall warts. It's powering/charging laptops with a "car adapter" rather than a standard one through an inverter. And so on.

You also learn to turn off lights and devices when you leave the room/RV. And, if you must use an inverter, to use it sparingly. I have an inverter, but it usually gathers a nice layer of dust on it between uses. Run it 24 hours a day? Never!



Right to the battery bank, of course.

Hint: Where is it written that all refrigerators must operate at 120VAC? Google "12VDC refrigerator" and look at the results.

In fact, that applies to most things. You want an appliance/device that runs at 12VDC instead of 120VAC? Google it. Guaranteed that, most of the time, it exists. If not, there's usually a way to get there with a little "outside the box" thinking.

For example, I wanted a 12VDC vacuum cleaner. I didn't like the ones that were available, but there were some that run on batteries. So, I found one I liked and use rechargeable batteries in it. Take a wild guess what I use to recharge those batteries: Yup, a 12VDC charger!

It also helps to have a background in electronics. You'll find that most things really run on some kind of DC voltage on the inside and get there by converting from 120VAC either externally with a wall wart or internally using a conversion board. 12VDC wall warts are easy: Snip snip and attach. Internal may require a bit of modification, but if you know what you're doing, it's easy.