Solar panel ‘idle’

[GMFL]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

I would go direct to the manufacturer. If the dealer didn't know enough about the system to wire and test it correctly, there is little chance he is very familiar with this system.

Bob

Bingo

[steilkurve]

Originally Posted by GMFL

We’re the panels getting sun.

Ok so tested again under full sun light. Still reading zero volt. Am guessing the connection on the roof is the problem.

Still waiting to hear back from dealer but got an appointment next week to install vent covers and address a few things picked up at delivery.

I’ll obviously have them look at this as well.

[GMFL]

Originally Posted by steilkurve

Ok so tested again under full sun light. Still reading zero volt. Am guessing the connection on the roof is the problem.

Still waiting to hear back from dealer but got an appointment next week to install vent covers and address a few things picked up at delivery.

I’ll obviously have them look at this as well.

I would be very leery of your installer. These are simple systems. Yours to me seems to be improperly installed.

[steilkurve]

Originally Posted by GMFL

I would be very leery of your installer. These are simple systems. Yours to me seems to be improperly installed.

Well, that’s the official Airstream dealer in my area. They are generally very good from what I’ve seen so far. I’m surprised this happened. Hoping it’s an isolated incident.

[GMFL]

Maybe so....

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by steilkurve

Well, that’s the official Airstream dealer in my area. They are generally very good from what I’ve seen so far. I’m surprised this happened. Hoping it’s an isolated incident.

Hi

..... except this is not an Airstream product they are installing *and* it is very much an off brand setup. This is not there area of strength ....

The reason I keep pushing calling the manufacturer is mostly to find out if they have any sort of support for end customers or not. If you call and their answer is "we only talk to dealers" (which it might be) or something equally un-helpful, I would suggest you consider getting rid of this system.

Bob

[steilkurve]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

..... except this is not an Airstream product they are installing *and* it is very much an off brand setup. This is not there area of strength ....

The reason I keep pushing calling the manufacturer is mostly to find out if they have any sort of support for end customers or not. If you call and their answer is "we only talk to dealers" (which it might be) or something equally un-helpful, I would suggest you consider getting rid of this system.

Bob

Update. Spoke to WattMobile, the manufacturer. Not terribly helpful aside from pointing out that the +/- connections on the roof could not be reversed (?) and that the misconnection of the panel cables at the controller could be the issue.

I followed their procedure of disconnecting everything for 30 minutes then reconnecting ensuring the + and - cables were connected right this time.

I’m still getting the moon symbol, although it’s a full cloudy cover today.

Question: When it’s cloudy, is it normal the panel drives no voltage at all? Beyond cloudy sun is lower being fall and all.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by steilkurve

.....

Question: When it’s cloudy, is it normal the panel drives no voltage at all? Beyond cloudy sun is lower being fall and all.

Hi

Nope, even with clouds the panels will put out voltage. It has to be pretty dark for them to put out nothing at all.

Next step would be to get up on the roof and see what's going on up there.

Bob

[steilkurve]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi



Nope, even with clouds the panels will put out voltage. It has to be pretty dark for them to put out nothing at all.



Next step would be to get up on the roof and see what's going on up there.



Bob

I’ve actually booked an appointment at the dealer next Monday in case I couldn’t fix it myself. Will investigate some more tomorrow as it's supposed to be sunny.

Photo of roof with cloud cover attached. Meter says 0V from solar array.

Odd that connecting the negative and positive cables to the right terminals didn’t solve it. Would mean that on top of mixing up the +/- terminals at the controller, they got something else wrong on the roof? Quite the jackpot I hit... The manufacturer seems to suggest it was impossible to mix up the connections on the roof.

[wulfraat]

I’ll bet you $1 they didn’t connect the MC4 wires up top from panels to the junction box correctly.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by steilkurve

I’ve actually booked an appointment at the dealer next Monday in case I couldn’t fix it myself. Will investigate some more tomorrow as it's supposed to be sunny.

Photo of roof with cloud cover attached. Meter says 0V from solar array.

Odd that connecting the negative and positive cables to the right terminals didn’t solve it. Would mean that on top of mixing up the +/- terminals at the controller, they got something else wrong on the roof? Quite the jackpot I hit... The manufacturer seems to suggest it was impossible to mix up the connections on the roof.

Hi

Well, you now have a system that the manufacturer support people don't seem to know a lot about. I'd say that's at least as troubling as the dealer not being able to install and test it.

You may (or may not) have a fuse up in the box on the roof. Given the quality of information you seem to be getting, the only way to see is to climb up there and look in the box.

It's quite possible that hooking things up backwards inside the trailer pulled more current than the fuse was rated for. Yes, that suggests the fuse might have been a bit to small.

Once the fuse (if it exists, if so why would the support people not mention is ... hmmm.....) is blown, you will get zero volts downstairs. As with any troubleshooting process this is just a guess. You confirm / deny it and then move on from there.

Bob

[Shiny16]

Some panels that are already wired do have a fuse which in OPs case would be on the roof prior to the junction box.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by Shiny16

Some panels that are already wired do have a fuse which in OPs case would be on the roof prior to the junction box.

Hi

There are *lots* of possibilities. Another one is that the panels came from one outfit and the rest of the system came from somebody else. The connections on one side aren't right for the connections on the other. Since this is not a common setup, there isn't much to go on.

Yes, I'm hammering a bit on this. That's because it *does* matter. When you are buying something like this, you need to ask a few questions. You need to understand what you are buying. A "name brand" is worth paying a bit more for. Which name brand is very much up to you.

Yes, I'm sorry that this is after the fact. These threads get read by a lot of people in addition to the OP. I'm also hoping that when this goes back to the dealer there *might* be a point that the OP could say "yes, rip it all out and put in something other people use". There's not much of a chance of that, but it sometimes happens.

Bob

[GMFL]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

There are *lots* of possibilities. Another one is that the panels came from one outfit and the rest of the system came from somebody else. The connections on one side aren't right for the connections on the other. Since this is not a common setup, there isn't much to go on.

Yes, I'm hammering a bit on this. That's because it *does* matter. When you are buying something like this, you need to ask a few questions. You need to understand what you are buying. A "name brand" is worth paying a bit more for. Which name brand is very much up to you.

Yes, I'm sorry that this is after the fact. These threads get read by a lot of people in addition to the OP. I'm also hoping that when this goes back to the dealer there *might* be a point that the OP could say "yes, rip it all out and put in something other people use". There's not much of a chance of that, but it sometimes happens.

Bob

Nothing like Victron components and Zamp or Renogy Panels for sure. Those dang Harbor Freight controllers are crap with NO, Zero, Notta, Zilch, as far as support goes.

[steilkurve]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

I'm also hoping that when this goes back to the dealer there *might* be a point that the OP could say "yes, rip it all out and put in something other people use". There's not much of a chance of that, but it sometimes happens.

So went back yesterday with my ladder. As a new, inexperienced owner, I still haven’t mustered the courage to actually climb on the roof for fear of creasing but was able to look at the installation more closely. The SAE connector seemed well seated in the AS-installed plug-in receptacle. However, I could see under the panel an MC4 connector that seemed, at least to my novice eyes, not fully seated. It was tucked away under the panel but was able to reach it with a weak grip and tried to reseat it. Not sure if I did as the panels are still idle. I suppose I could reset the controller once more but the procedure is a pain. No switch or button, you have remove all wires for 30 minutes and then connect them again.

As stated earlier, going to the dealer tomorrow to install vent covers and address a few minor issues brought up by the dealer at delivery (fit and finish stuff that required ordering parts from AS). I’ve already told them to add the solar setup to the list.

To your point Bob, my intention is to ask for better components. The equipment I got is clearly lower quality white label stuff packaged by a local wholesaler and then sold to dealers. Can’t even find the brand of the hardware, and support was abysmal. And voodoo-like procedures to reset the controller don’t exactly give me a warm fuzzy. Contrast that with my portable Zamp panels. Plug ‘em in and it works!

I’m mad at myself for not being pickier at purchase. I always go with brand names. Assumed AS dealer means higher end stuff. But I guess that’s a reality nowadays. Paying more doesn’t mean better.

Worse comes to worst, will install new gear myself after my AS comes out of hibernation next spring.

Will keep you posted.

[pcskier]

Originally Posted by steilkurve

Worse comes to worst, will install new gear myself after my AS comes out of hibernation next spring.

You have found your answer! Plenty of support around here to help you do it. And you can't beat the price.

[Shiny16]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

There are *lots* of possibilities. Another one is that the panels came from one outfit and the rest of the system came from somebody else. The connections on one side aren't right for the connections on the other. Since this is not a common setup, there isn't much to go on.

Yes, I'm hammering a bit on this. That's because it *does* matter. When you are buying something like this, you need to ask a few questions. You need to understand what you are buying. A "name brand" is worth paying a bit more for. Which name brand is very much up to you.

Yes, I'm sorry that this is after the fact. These threads get read by a lot of people in addition to the OP. I'm also hoping that when this goes back to the dealer there *might* be a point that the OP could say "yes, rip it all out and put in something other people use". There's not much of a chance of that, but it sometimes happens.

Bob

So sorry for pointing out one simple possibility that might have been overlooked by someone asking for help. Obviously the whole system must be junk and should be immediately replaced with some new equipment from a more recognizable brand.
Or some simple things like fuses and connections could be checked.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by Shiny16

So sorry for pointing out one simple possibility that might have been overlooked by someone asking for help. Obviously the whole system must be junk and should be immediately replaced with some new equipment from a more recognizable brand.
Or some simple things like fuses and connections could be checked.

Hi

A system that has no documentation, no support, *and* that does not work is a suspect system. It will not "get better with age". The only point you are likely to be able to do a zero (or low) cost swap out is up front.

That said, fuses (specifically a fuse in the box on the roof) have been mentioned much earlier in this thread.

Bob

[steilkurve]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi



A system that has no documentation, no support, *and* that does not work is a suspect system. It will not "get better with age". The only point you are likely to be able to do a zero (or low) cost swap out is up front.



That said, fuses (specifically a fuse in the box on the roof) have been mentioned much earlier in this thread.



Bob

Dropped off my AS this morning for a number of items including my now infamous solar issue. Dealer confirmed there are no fuses on the roof, only inside. Suspects it’s a connection issue ‘under the panels’. Says they’ve been selling WattMobile systems for 3 years without major problems. They sell/install no other system. They were confident the issue would be easily solved. We shall see. Won’t have news soon. Trailer is there for 10 days replacing counter and sinks that came damaged from the factory, among other things.

[Shiny16]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

A system that has no documentation, no support, *and* that does not work is a suspect system. It will not "get better with age". The only point you are likely to be able to do a zero (or low) cost swap out is up front.

That said, fuses (specifically a fuse in the box on the roof) have been mentioned much earlier in this thread.

Bob

Well I’m certainly sorry for duplicating a suggestion that I must have missed. Thank you for setting me straight.