question

aage avatar image
aage asked

Can i charge my batteries safely while the battery switch is in off position?

Hi.

As the title says, i know it is possible, but is it a safe and viable way for me to charge the battery bank while i'm not present at the cabin?

I will attach my homemade wiring diagram which is still a work in progress. The part i am concerned about is the wiring between the MPPT and the battery switch.

battery charging
cabin-solar-setup.jpg (168.7 KiB)
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1 Answer
Alexandra avatar image
Alexandra answered ·

@Aage

In theory a properly programmed system can be left unattended.

You have fusing in place. I assume you mean the main bank there, there is more than one battery in the picture, and the mppt is connected on the battery side if I am understanding your diagram correctly. (So the battery switch is just cutting off the rest of the system normally it cuts the battery off from everything both charge and discharge)

If you leave it in float service there should be no really heavy charging just maintaining a level. So maybe make sure gas won't build up, and they won't run dry.

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Alexandra avatar image Alexandra ♦ commented ·

Couple other comments.

16mm² is overkill from the panel to the mppt. And then 4mm² underkill from mppt to the batteries. Personally I would have those two gauges swapped around. But would prefer 6mm² on the solar side since you want to upgrade.

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aage avatar image aage Alexandra ♦ commented ·
Thanks for the replies! I will probably have 16mm2 on both ends of the mppt, 16mm2 on the solar side because of the distance between the solar panels and the mppt.
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aage avatar image aage commented ·
But if i leave the charger on float, would it then manage to fill up my batteries, or just maintain the voltage that is there when i leave the cabin ?
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