Solar panels not charging battery

[Lmnhead]

We have the factory installed solar panels on our Basecamp, but they don't appear to be charging the battery at all. I've had the BC in outdoor storage for about a month, in full sun, and have been monitoring the battery weekly. It has progressively dropped to 20% (11.2v) while in storage. The solar panel display shows the battery%, and the voltage, but shows "0" for both solar charge amps and total amp hours.

We brought it home today to plug it into shore power to recharge. The dealership can't see us for 3 more weeks. I took this photo of where the panels plug in, hoping someone might have some advice. If you zoom in on the plugs, it appears one of them has gunk on it. (Just noticed when I came in to clarify the photo). Could that be the problem? Also are they plugged in correctly, and should there be anything in the 3rd receptacle?

Thanks for any help, and apologies if I used bad electrical terminology!

[Lmnhead]

(Also the panels are dirty, but I don't think that would totally block the charge.)

[brokeboater]

Check the connections at the controller and at the battery. I had the positive lug at the controller, from the solar panels, vibrate loose and that did in my charging (actually did in my whole controller but that's another story). But it's simple enough to check and see if all the connections to the controller and battery are tight. Along the way check the in line fuses also.

[WayneG]

Originally Posted by Lmnhead

(Also the panels are dirty, but I don't think that would totally block the charge.)

Dirty panels can have a significant effect on charging voltage & current

[Lmnhead]

Originally Posted by brokeboater

Check the connections at the controller and at the battery. I had the positive lug at the controller, from the solar panels, vibrate loose and that did in my charging (actually did in my whole controller but that's another story). But it's simple enough to check and see if all the connections to the controller and battery are tight. Along the way check the in line fuses also.

Thank you, I will try that! I know where the battery is, and hopefully the controller is identifiable and nearby. I am uninitiated in this topic. (If anyone has pictures of what things are supposed to look like, I would appreciate seeing them. The plumbing photos on another thread were so helpful.)

[uncle_bob]

Hi

If your 11.2V reading is accurate (it easily could be wrong), you need to find a shore power plug to get things charged up. That's a low enough voltage to prematurely age (damage) your batteries.

Bob

[Lmnhead]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi



If your 11.2V reading is accurate (it easily could be wrong), you need to find a shore power plug to get things charged up. That's a low enough voltage to prematurely age (damage) your batteries.



Bob

Bob, see 2nd paragraph...currently hooked up to shore power. If something is wrong with the set up and my battery is damaged, hopefully the warranty will cover a new battery!

[Lmnhead]

Ok, got to the controller and battery. Everything looks hooked up tight - found pics of that on another thread (this forum is awesome). Checked connections up top on roof that were accessible. Checked back of solar display panel. All that looks ok.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

If the connections are all tight, next thing is the switches, breakers and fuses.

Bob

[WayneG]

If all that fails, clean the panels, by the looks of the photo, you should get at 25% boost in efficiency. Also verify none of the cells are shaded. One shaded cell will disable an entire panel.

[Lmnhead]

Thanks Bob and Wayne! All day today has been torrential downpours, thunder and lightning. If this ever stops, I will get up there and check the panels and will also recheck breakers, etc. The rain has been very heavy, so the panels should be much cleaner already!

[uncle_bob]

Hi

... sounds like a good time to go check for leaks

Bob

[WayneG]

Rain helps a little but around here tree pollen sticks to the panels after they dry, add some dust that turns to mud and then freaky stuff starts growing on the surface.
Up here in the Northeast I am up there cleaning the panels before a journey and monthly in between.

[Lmnhead]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi



... sounds like a good time to go check for leaks



Bob

OMG, don't get me started on leaks. Two have been fixed, if there's another one one I might lose my mind! :-/

[WindyJim]

At this point, don't worry about cleaning the panels. The rain already did it. Also, with no solar output, cleaning, with a 25% increase in output, is still zero output.

A strong possibility is the in-line fuse (probably close to the battery, or in the battery compartment) is bad. Replace it even if it looks good. If you have two 100 watt panels, replace it with at least a 15 amp fuse, and maybe a 20 amp fuse. It could be that it is fused too small and blew, or just a bad fuse.

A year ago I contacted my solar controller manufacturer about my solar controller acting up and he said to actually replace the in-line fuse holder (not just the fuse). Didn't make sense to me, as I am kinda knowledgeable about electrical, but I blew the $2 and replaced it with a new one purchased at Walmart. The system then worked fine.

Good luck!

[WindyJim]

I purchased my AS a few years back from the original owner who had had solar installed when the AS was new.

He told me the solar had never worked even though he had taken it back multiple times.

I took the manual for the controller (different controller than yours) and went through the settings. My controller has four internal dip-switches and the instructions for the dip-switch settings for one of the switches was confusing and depending on how you read it, could be interpreted to be in a different position than they had it in.

I flipped that one switch to the opposite position and instantly had solar!

If you have never got solar out of your system, it is possible the controller isn't set up correctly.