question

ianno avatar image
ianno asked

So, is my Easy solar faulty?

My Victron Easy Solar 12/1600/70-16 230v MPPT 100/50, purchased from Bimble Solar in June 2018, is fitted in a campervan conversion with a single

260w PV panel rigidly fixed to the roof and a brand new Leoch Xtreme 270Ah 12v AGM battery fitted adjacent to the Easy Solar, using the factory fitted

cables and default settings. I have a 230v Electric Hook Up wired to the unit, for occasional use. The campervan circuitry is fitted via a fuse board

separated from battery by an isolating switch. This system is entirely isolated from the standard vehicle wiring.

I have been in discussion with Bimble about this, which they say the have referred onto Victron, but to date I have had no answers to my questions.

With the three position switch on the front panel in any position, charge is still getting to my battery. With it switched off overnight my plugin voltmeter read 13.9v. Mid morning, still switched off, the reading was at 14.7v.

Last week, under very clear skies, this was the scenario.

Tuesday: 8am. With the unit still OFF the reading was 13.5v

10.45am. the voltage had risen to 15.4v so I tried switching ON which had the effect of reducing the reading immediately and by 10.49am it

had reduced to 14.9v. I switched OFF again and the voltage increased rapidly back to 15.4v. When I switched ON again it seemed to regulate again

and voltage dropped to 14.9v. I did not try the CHARGER ONLY position, so I suppose it could be the effect of the inverter, but there was nothing

connected to the 230v sockets, so no draw. Wednesday: at about 10am I notice that voltage was reading as 16.1v and so I physically disconnected my pv panel cables from the unit. By evening

voltage had dropped back to 13.1v and overnight to 13v.

The off switch does not seem to isolate the battery from the charger and the voltage rises way too high, so the large amount of money spent on an all-in-one one system that would keep my battery in good condition, with minimal input from me, seems to be wasted.

The unit only ever sits on Bulk, according to the blue charging lights and I suspect that I may have lost some capacity in my battery due to overcharging.

If someone can assure me that this is all perfectly normal behaviour, then I can an at least know that I have wasted my money on a Victron product that doesn't do what I was led to believe it would. I would much rather that someone from Victron took responsibility for, what I still consider, a faulty unit, and helped me to get this sorted, before it totally fries my battery.

Yours frustratedly

EasySolar All-in-One
1 comment
2 |3000

Up to 8 attachments (including images) can be used with a maximum of 190.8 MiB each and 286.6 MiB total.

thesolarbloke avatar image thesolarbloke commented ·

The switch on the front of the EasySolar 12/1600 only controls the inverter on and off. the solar controller is connected to the battery all the time, the only way to stop the solar from charging the battery is to have a isolater on the PV input, or on the main battery leads from the inverter to the battery.

Toggling the On/Off switch while still having it connected to the battery will have no effect.

most likely your installer either has set the wrong charge settings into the MPPT on the bottom of the unit and that's why your battery is reaching into such a high charge voltage.


1 Like 1 ·
2 Answers
boekel avatar image
boekel answered ·

could it be that the solar charger is incorrectly setup for a 24V battery?

5 comments
2 |3000

Up to 8 attachments (including images) can be used with a maximum of 190.8 MiB each and 286.6 MiB total.

ianno avatar image ianno commented ·

It could be, but was fitted with factory default setting.

0 Likes 0 ·
boekel avatar image boekel ♦ ianno commented ·

ok, well that's the first thing I'd check. do you have the version with a bluetooth enabled MPPT? than it's easy to check, otherwise you need the ve.direct to usb cable.

0 Likes 0 ·
ianno avatar image ianno boekel ♦ commented ·

My understanding is that it is a 12v unit. ( Easy Solar 12/1600/70-16 230v MPPT 100/50)

I have checked dip switches and rotary switch and they are all at factory default settings, which should be appropriate for my setup.

Thanks for your help, but I would just like to get the attention of a Victron technician, but that is easier said than done.

0 Likes 0 ·
boekel avatar image boekel ♦ ianno commented ·

Best to try the supplier of the unit, and if he / she / the company isn't cooperating contact Victron:

https://www.victronenergy.com/support

https://www.victronenergy.com/live/community_guidelines

0 Likes 0 ·
ianno avatar image ianno boekel ♦ commented ·

Thanks, you got me searching through the manuals again. The MPPT 100/50 is a component of the easy Solar and in its manual there is mention of the automatic voltage recognition system and a reset procedure. I ran this past Bimble Solar, who obviously passed it onto Victron, who came back with the fact that if a 60 cell or greater panel is connected prior to connecting the battery, then the charge controller believes it is dealing with a 24v system.

Now I know for sure that the battery was connected prior to the panel and originally the unit went to absorption and float and did not show such high voltages. It seems that I triggered this switch when disconnecting the battery leads to reroute them, without disconnecting the panel first.

Most of the MPPT manual is reproduced in the Easy Solar manual, but not that section and no mention that the 12v unit can believe it is working with a 24v battery. As I said, I believed it was solely a 12v system.

My battery seems to be holding up but will only get tested when I next go away in the van. With such a large original capacity, I am hoping that it will at least be adequate during the summer months.

Thanks again for getting me thinking.




0 Likes 0 ·
sean avatar image
sean answered ·

could it be that Bimble simply supplied the unit - I wonder who did the configuration.

1 comment
2 |3000

Up to 8 attachments (including images) can be used with a maximum of 190.8 MiB each and 286.6 MiB total.

ianno avatar image ianno commented ·

The unit is fitted with factory default settings, which according to the manual should be appropriate for my setup.

I did the installation myself, having selected the Easy solar as being a simple plug and play answer to solar charging in a van..

0 Likes 0 ·