22 Vdc but controller won't charge ...

[gwold]

I recently bought a solar kit with pair of 100W panels, a 30 amp controller, and a variety of cables & connectors to tie them all together. When I connect the controller to my battery (which is at 12.4V), it lights up & says it's good to go. But when I plug in the panels, which wired in parallel are putting out over 22 V, the controller refuses to see the voltage.

Now, this is the second kit I've used--the first one reacted the same way, so I sent it back for replacement, on the manufacturer's recommendation. This second one did actually start to charge, once, but hasn't worked since that time.

Before I file a complaint I want to ask here: Is there something dumb I need to check, showing it's my own fault?

I have tested for voltage at every possible point between the panels' built-in cables and the bare ends of the extensions just before I screw them into the controller, and they're producing juice. I've also paid attention to the polarity, and it's correct. But the controller's PV light is refusing to turn on, and after I've plugged in the extension cables, the screws of the controller's connectors show no voltage drop at all.

Any suggestions that might help? Thanks!

[SilverHouseDreams]

You might want to share more detail on what charge controller you are using. Mine is a very basic device, it never shows the voltage of the panels..it just shows battery voltage and if it is "charging", which really means "some sunlight may be hitting the panel" and in many cases it isn't actually charging at all due to not enough sunlight.

A good battery monitor gives a lot more detail and would show power going in/out of the battery, but a good one is also ~$200 (e.g. Victron BMV-712 Smart) and can be a bit of a chore to install...but provides a lot of really good info and the ability to actually know how full your batteries are, and some prediction of how long they will last.

[gwold]

It's a Renogy Wanderer--both the first time and this current one. It's set to the right battery type (flooded), shows it recognizes there's plenty of juice coming from the battery to let it run, but despite having 22+ Vdc coming from the panels, the PV light doesn't kick up, and I can't register any voltage across to screw-down terminals for the panel connections.

I got this one to work once, but it hasn't since.