Solar controller overcharging batteries

P

PAC3142

.
Dec 18, 2012
166
Hunter 37.5 Annapolis
I recently installed a 240 watt solar panel with an EPEVER XTRA2210N controller that charges 2 group 31 lead acid batteries connected in parallel. I set the controller to the default settings for lead acid and kept the default setting of 200 Ah, which is reasonable for my 2 batteries.
Now, typically when I get to the boat, the electrical panel voltmeter is pegged at 16V, though the voltage will drop quickly to 13V-ish when I put on a load. Also, I have to add distilled water to the batteries every few weeks. This makes me think the controller is charging the battery at too high a voltage.
I have not checked the battery voltage yet with a hopefully calibrated voltmeter, but will this week.
The photo shows the default settings for the controller. I should be able to change these settings in user mode when Amazon delivers the USB cable.
I have called Custom Marine Products, and they were nice, but did not give me useful advice.
Any advice on correct controller settings or anything else?
Thanks,
Paul

EPEVER Settings.png
 
jssailem

jssailem

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
Oct 22, 2014
23,107
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Your voltage needs to be reduced to the charge voltage recommended by the battery maker, in the range of 14.2.MAX for "Bulk."

Perhaps that is Boost.

The 16V recording could be the cause of your electrolyte boiling out.
 
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J

JBP-PA

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Apr 29, 2022
615
Jeanneau Tonic 23 Erie, PA
Yep, something is wrong. FLA max charging voltage should 14.8, it should not reach 16V ever. 14.4 to 14.8 is OK for absorption. After the absorption period, the float voltage should drop to 13.8. So when you get to your boat after a long time, it should be at 13.8. Solar controllers reset each day (which is dumb, but most do), so if you catch when it is in absorption, you might see 14.4 to 14.8, but you should never see 16, and only 15.8 when you want to do an equalization cycle (which is an incorrect name for desulfation (sp?)).
 
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P

PAC3142

.
Dec 18, 2012
166
Hunter 37.5 Annapolis
Based on JBP-PA's and jssailem's comments and numbers, the default controller settings as shown in my original post are reasonable. I'll check what the actual settings are on my controller. If they are correct, then I may have a faulty controller.
 
P

PAC3142

.
Dec 18, 2012
166
Hunter 37.5 Annapolis
I bought everything from custom marine products (custommarineproducts.com). I may have to do that.
 
Captain Larry-DH

Captain Larry-DH

.
Jun 14, 2010
2,333
Robertson & Caine 2017 Leopard 40 CT
marcham said:
throw away the cheap Chinese controller. Buy a victron.

Test the specific gravity of your cells.

Install a victron smartshunt.
Click to expand
This! Also recommend the Victron Smart Battery Sense to add temperature sensing, and network them (using Bluetooth) with the Smartshunt and Smartsolar controller so the controller will do a temperature-compensated charge. If you have refrigeration aboard, you should also consider the BatteryProtect 65A on your fridge circuit to prevent your fridge from drawing down your batteries too far.
 
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C

colemj

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Jul 13, 2004
591
Dolphin Catamaran Dolphin 460 Mystic, CT
Epever is not a cheap Chinese controller. They produce some of Outback Power's controllers (Outback rebrands them), and those are considered first tier. While maybe not the top of the best, they are leagues ahead of Renogy and the no-name controllers, and tend to be a good budget controller.

For all the fanboys Victron cultivates, they are not the best of the top tier, and have shortcomings of their own. In fact, they only really work well if a part of an entire Victron ecosystem of other gear that can work with them. For a standalone controller, there are better choices than Victron, and I'd consider Victron at the bottom of the first tier for standalone.

Having said that, any controller can go bad, and doing something like disconnecting the battery from the controller while the panels are active can damage pretty much all controllers. Until you know exactly the charging voltages your controller is set to, it is difficult to go further with troubleshooting.

But right now, something is wrong and your batteries are being overcharged.

Mark
 
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FastOlson

FastOlson

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Apr 8, 2010
2,109
Ericson Yachts Olson 34 28400 Portland OR
Maybe the problem is not that new electronic parts can fail initially, but that the vendor is basically not providing a warranty. Perhaps?
I know nothing about this product or vendor, but once bought a new Balmar Smart Gauge, and it failed upon installation. I called them and followed their instructions on measuring voltages at several points... and they immediately had me send it in for replacement. The second one has been working for almost a decade.
Takeaway is that no product is any better than the support from the seller.
Just IMHO, and also my .02 worth. (now perhaps .03 with inflation) :)
 
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Johann

Johann

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Jun 3, 2004
499
Leopard 39 Pensacola
colemj said:
For all the fanboys Victron cultivates, they are not the best of the top tier, and have shortcomings of their own. In fact, they only really work well if a part of an entire Victron ecosystem of other gear that can work with them. For a standalone controller, there are better choices than Victron, and I'd consider Victron at the bottom of the first tier for standalone.
Click to expand
What are Victron MPPTs shortcomings? The only one I can think of is the daily rebulk. They work very well as a standalone. What brands do you consider better and why?
 
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C

colemj

.
Jul 13, 2004
591
Dolphin Catamaran Dolphin 460 Mystic, CT
Johann said:
What are Victron MPPTs shortcomings? The only one I can think of is the daily rebulk. They work very well as a standalone. What brands do you consider better and why?
Click to expand
Without the supporting Victron ecosystem, they do not know the exact battery voltage or temperature, as they do not have those inputs. I consider this unsuitable for standalone installation. They heat up like an oven and their heatsink is in the rear, where it makes mounting it an issue for cooling and not damaging what it is mounted to. They won't turn on until the panel voltage is 5V higher than the battery voltage, which makes them useless for lower-voltage smaller panels. For larger panels and arrays, their wire terminals are too small to support wire sizes for longer runs on most of their controllers. Ironically, I don't know about the daily rebulk issue you mentioned.

Better controllers that do not have those shortcomings can be found with Morningstar, Outback, and Midnight. I'm sure there are more, but those come to mind as upper tier controllers.

Mark
 
D

dlochner

.
Jan 11, 2014
12,904
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
colemj said:
Without the supporting Victron ecosystem, they do not know the exact battery voltage or temperature, as they do not have those inputs. I consider this unsuitable for standalone installation. They heat up like an oven and their heatsink is in the rear, where it makes mounting it an issue for cooling and not damaging what it is mounted to. They won't turn on until the panel voltage is 5V higher than the battery voltage, which makes them useless for lower-voltage smaller panels. For larger panels and arrays, their wire terminals are too small to support wire sizes for longer runs on most of their controllers. Ironically, I don't know about the daily rebulk issue you mentioned.

Better controllers that do not have those shortcomings can be found with Morningstar, Outback, and Midnight. I'm sure there are more, but those come to mind as upper tier controllers.

Mark
Click to expand
Much of what you have written may well be true for large solar arrays, especially the heat issue. However, for smaller arrays they work well indecent of a larger Victron system. I have a small 300w array comprised of 2 150 watt panels with independent controllers. They have been used with both LA and LFP batteries and there have been no charging issues. Voltages are well controlled and when used with LA batteries the current was also limited to what the battery could accept.

The OP has a small 240w array charging a small 200 ah battery bank. The Victrons should able to easily handle the charging without running into heating issues. And yes, the controller will start at the bulk level, i.e., putting all the current it can muster out to the batteries. However, an hour after sunrise, that isn't much current. The 5v delta between panel and battery voltage can be an issue with low VOC panels which are typically fairly small or cheap.

What the OP needs is good useable system that he can manage with support from the manufacturer or dealer and not a gold plated system. He obviously didn't get that with his current controller. He lives in Annapolis and the recommendation to go to Peter Kennedy's shop is very appropriate. Peter is a well respected marine electrician and dealer who will provide the support he needs.
 
marcham

marcham

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Jun 17, 2022
226
Hunter 380 Comox BC
Victrons are simple to instal and configure. It allows to build a system over time, leveraging connectivity between different components and systems. You don't get that with Morningstar, midnight, etc....

Price, ease of use, reliability, connectivity and size are all important parts of the equation.
 
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