Victron Solar Controller 150/60 Placement

Nodak7

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Sep 28, 2008
1,249
Hunter 41DS Punta Gorda, FL
Ok this is kind of a funny (and stupid on my part) story but I thought I would share this with you all so you can learn from my experience. I just upgraded my solar panels and controller from 2 285w Panels with a Victron 100/30 to 2 395w panels with a Victron 150/60 controller. Because the area that it was being put in was tight for space I had mounted the Victron 100/30 controller upside down with the wires facing up so that I had access to them. The system worked very well. I decided to do the same placement on the new 150/60 controller. The controller operated like crap and Victron thought it was a bad controller and replaced it. I put the new controller in and it still operated like crap. I was seriously thinking that the controller could not handle the panels. The technician stated that I needed to turn the controller right side up for it to work properly. I was skeptical but decided to try. Well to my astonishment it worked just fine. Obviously the electrons in the Victron 150/60 know the difference. Who would have thought? Not I! Anyway lesson learned if you are installing one of these units make certain that the wires come out the bottom and not the top!
 
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Likes: Hello Below
May 7, 2012
1,338
Hunter e33 Maple Bay, BC
Yup right there in black and white under para 4.1. Mounting.
“Mount the solar charger vertically on a non-flammable substrate, with the electrical terminals facing downwards.”

Rats. Too much information; however, forewarned is forearmed. Urrrg. My controllers have been working fine to date but I guess I have some relocating to do. That’s going to be a pain.
 

Nodak7

.
Sep 28, 2008
1,249
Hunter 41DS Punta Gorda, FL
Yup right there in black and white under para 4.1. Mounting.
“Mount the solar charger vertically on a non-flammable substrate, with the electrical terminals facing downwards.”

Rats. Too much information; however, forewarned is forearmed. Urrrg. My controllers have been working fine to date but I guess I have some relocating to do. That’s going to be a pain.
Hello, yeah I saw that too but my 100/30 had worked just fine upside down for many years. Never an issue. That is obviously not the case with the 150/60. The electrons are much smarter in the 150/60 since they know up from down! Actually the 150/60 is a significantly bigger unit than the 100/30. Generating much more heat. You would think it should make no difference what the orientation is but obviously it does! Live and learn! LOL
 
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Likes: ggrizzard
Nov 27, 2018
22
Hunter 41 DS Sandusky
Ok this is kind of a funny (and stupid on my part) story but I thought I would share this with you all so you can learn from my experience. I just upgraded my solar panels and controller from 2 285w Panels with a Victron 100/30 to 2 395w panels with a Victron 150/60 controller. Because the area that it was being put in was tight for space I had mounted the Victron 100/30 controller upside down with the wires facing up so that I had access to them. The system worked very well. I decided to do the same placement on the new 150/60 controller. The controller operated like crap and Victron thought it was a bad controller and replaced it. I put the new controller in and it still operated like crap. I was seriously thinking that the controller could not handle the panels. The technician stated that I needed to turn the controller right side up for it to work properly. I was skeptical but decided to try. Well to my astonishment it worked just fine. Obviously the electrons in the Victron 150/60 know the difference. Who would have thought? Not I! Anyway lesson learned if you are installing one of these units make certain that the wires come out the bottom and not the top!
Where did you end up mounting everything and where did you pass the wiring through the deck?

BTW, it's off topic but I may have come up with a solution for the huge draw refer problem that's systemic to our boats. Over the winter I'm going to tear out the couch and rebuild it with a proper setee. Under it I am going to split it 50/50, half for dry storage and half refrigerated. I have a small air cooled Frigoboat compressor and a good sized evaporator that I'll mount in the space with a ton of insulation. I've used these units many times before and once the space is cold they draw very little power over the course of a day. Don't know yet if I'll eliminate the dorm fridge yet but I'm not a fan of it for long term cruising. No capacity and a giant energy draw was a design flaw on Hunter's part but I'm beginning to learn that systems on these boats are made for serious comfort while tied to a dock, not away from it. However, over the next few months I'll get it right.
 
May 7, 2012
1,338
Hunter e33 Maple Bay, BC
That is obviously not the case with the 150/60.
A quick check of your old, probably BlueSolar, 100/30 and my 75/15 SmartSolar and BlueSolar and my SmartSolar 100/20 manuals all state that the terminals are to face downwards. I just never locked in on that but got away with it for 5 years.
 
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Likes: Nodak7