Charger and 100W panel connection

sabues
New Member

Posts: 1

Charger and 100W panel connection Jun 26, 2016 7:35:56 GMT -8

Post by sabues on Jun 26, 2016 7:35:56 GMT -8

Hi there,

I'm a new owner of a 100W panel / controller kit. My plan is to use it on an adventure trailer for long term autonomy to charge devices, cameras and some LED lighting (no heavy drainers). I have a Tripp Lite APS1250, 1250W inverter / charger which has a max charge rate of 30A (depending on charging cycle) on a 100Ah AGM battery.
There might be instances where both the charger and the solar controller / panels will be providing charging power to the battery.
Is there any precaution I should take when both the Tripp Lite charger and the Solar panel / controller are connected to the battery? Will they work well together?
Anybody has experience with a similar setup?

Thank you!

jsb2000
Solar Addict

Posts: 169

Charger and 100W panel connection Jun 27, 2016 7:42:21 GMT -8

Post by jsb2000 on Jun 27, 2016 7:42:21 GMT -8

In general, the Renogy controller is designed to watch the battery levels and supply available solar power to charge the battery when necessary.

If something else is charging the battery, the Renogy controller will supply power to supplement the process if needed. If it isn't required (IE The other charger is providing sufficient charge current) then the controller's output will fall to zero.

So, yes, the Tripp Lite should work well with the controller. Apart from normal electrical precautions (fuses, circuit breakers, proper wiring sizes, etc.) it should work flawlessly.

I currently have two 12VDC deep cycle marine batteries wired in parallel being charged by the Renogy controller. I also have a Schumacher charger connected to the battery bank. If I decide to charge with the Schumacher, I just turn it on and forget about it. If the sun comes out, it assists if needed. If not, it doesn't. If I turn off the Schumacher mid-cycle, the solar picks up to finish things off.

No connecting or disconnecting required!

spiderbob
Solar Addict

Posts: 229

Charger and 100W panel connection Jul 12, 2016 7:03:26 GMT -8

Post by spiderbob on Jul 12, 2016 7:03:26 GMT -8

What really works well, let your additional charger do the start up of charging in the morning that way, it gives the batteries a boost before the sun is at high. By letting the solar start out, it is already tapering off by high sun. You can actually get the best of both worlds (perhaps that is not the right word but you get the idea) by using the AC feed charger first.

Admin
Administrator

Transitioning to new forum. This forum will be locked September 3rd.

Posts: 387

Charger and 100W panel connection Jul 19, 2016 10:05:44 GMT -8

Post by Admin on Jul 19, 2016 10:05:44 GMT -8

Hello Sabues,

As these awesome gentleman have mentioned. You can charge from auxiliary sources at the same time you charge from solar. The controller will sense the increased charging voltage and act accordingly.

as far as working well together. What will likely happen is the charge controller will go into a float mode when the other charger is applpying a charge to the batteries. This means the wattage in the controller would be dissipated as heat.
There would be no damage but you may lose a little efficiency.
-A.L.