rosszie@me.com Report post Posted October 10, 2010 I had a 100 watt solar panel & control unit installed installed at Camping World about a year ago, I disconnected It 6 months ago because it was boiling out the water/acid in the house battery's, even when I was not connected to shore power, When I was camping on shore power I would lower the charging amps no difference. I would test it and the output reading were correct. After a trip and I noticed that the battery acid came out and sprayed/went down the side on to the next bay's and removed some paint, upsetting to say the least. So I disconnect the panel, I have not had the battery's boil over since', even when I charge at a high rate 30AMP setting thru the Heart Interface. Here is the real question, since the chassis battery's (engine battery's) are not charging when I'm not driving or running the engine, will the solar unit work and will it over-charge when I'm driving (engine on and charging)? The Coach is using 2 8D for House battery's and the same for Chassis battery's Any advise? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted October 10, 2010 First question: What CONTROLLER is your solar panel connected through? A controller functions the same as a voltage regulator does on an alternator. The controller, not the solar panel should determine the charging rate (just as a regulator controls charge rate for an alternator). And, with multiple charging sources functioning at the same time, the one set to the highest voltage/charge rate determines the maximum voltage/charge rate. Second question: On a clear day (solar panels charging max rate, what is the voltage at the batteries? Brett Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jmannett Report post Posted October 11, 2010 I can think of a bunch of things that could be wrong. The first ones that come to mind are: 1. Something wrong with the charge controller. 2. System is wired wrong by the installer. A 100 watt system can be very useful if operating correctly and will not interfere with engine alternator charging (even if wired to charge both banks of batteries). I suggest you get that system to a repair center or back to Camping World right away. Solar is not complicated, believe it or not. These systems are easy to wire and very little can go wrong. Clearly, with yours, something has. James Mannett SUn City, AZ 440 watts of solar 36' Newmar DP. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
