Solar Panel

[Bob Bulot]

Aladdin is showing 24.6 volts and 0 amps for the Solar output.  Is this normal?  Is anything normal in this motorhome?

[David T. Richelderfer]

My Aladdin shows similar solar readings most of the time during daylight hours... upwards of 22 on the volts and 0 (zero) on the amps.  In nearly five years of ownership I think I have seen 1 amp a couple times.  I am glad you asked the question because I have wondered about this as well.

[jeffprupis]

I get 1-3amps and it seems to charge my batteries when dry camping. My question pertains to the VDC. I get between 10-24amps. What does THAT mean?

[Dick Simonis]

I sounds like your panel(s) are not connected to the batteries for some reason.

[David T. Richelderfer]

Jeff - I assume you meant 10-24 VDC - yes?  My explanation is that overnight the solar power output is 0 (zero), and as the morning light comes it will climb up to a small reading.  As the sun comes over the horizon and rises to shine more directly on the solar panel the VDC will rise to over 20 by midday, then start declining back down to 0 (zero) by evening darkness.

[jeffprupis]

VDC I did thanks.

[Joel Ashley]

I think the relatively high VDC reading is normal, and represents the "available" voltage should it be needed to create current flow of electrons.  The voltage varies with solar presentation during the day, as David alludes to.  The panel is not a storage device like a battery, but can supply some minimal current during the time it is absorbing solar energy, and can act as a charger to the battery banks.  Your solar controller protects from overcharging, and on most coaches provides battery charging even when both battery banks are switched off, which is why to avoid arcing one has to work at night, in a building with little overhead lighting, throw a tarp over the panel, or pull a controller fuse when removing battery connections with switches off and unplugged from park power.

Joel

[Jim Edwards]

Hi,  If yours is wired like my 05 was, the solar voltage is measured at the panel (solar input side of the controller) which may produce up to 27 volts (original 100 watt panel) if no POWER is required. Both voltage and current are measured at the input side of the solar controller so you are looking at the actual panel current and voltage output. Not what is going to the batteries to charge. As memory serves me peak efficiency of that panel is 21.5 volts and 4.5 amps.  There are different types of solar panel charge controllers but the basic principal is to take the voltage from the panel down to the 14 or so for battery charging and increasing amps if needed up to the power being produced by the panel. If charge is not needed the controller will restrict the current and voltage on the panel will increase.  (the formula for this is power in watts is equal to voltage multiplied by amperage)

If you are connected to shore power and the inverter charger is ON I would think you should always see close to 0 amps and Higher voltage. This would be because the solar controller is "seeing" the 14 voltage from the inverter charger thus "thinking" the batteries are charged. I can conceive of some conditions where this might not be the absolute case for all coaches ( questionable grounds and slight voltage differences) but it is how it worked with mine. 
If you want to verify operation, remove shore power on a sunny day turn on the inverter, turn some a/c stuff on, then look at solar output. you should see lower voltages and some higher current values. Also note that solar current calibration procedure is in the Aladdin troubleshooting guide.

hope this helps. Best Jim

I replaced my 100 watt panel with 3 140 watt. I added an additional wires from the terminal block on the roof down to the controller. This prevented me from using the current sensor on the input side of the solar controller so it is now looking at the output side of the controller. Full sun and no shore power I can see 25+ amps. for a charge.

[Steve Huber]

Jim,
On my 01 Marquis I would regularly see around 17-18 volts at the battery when they were fully charged and the sun was out. Never had a problem and haven't checked the Contessa yet.
Steve

[Jim Edwards]

Hi Steve, The voltage to the batteries would be dependent on the controller, If any and or course the amount of sun. That high of a voltage with any current I think would ultimately be an issue. Over 15 - 15.5 (dependent on temperature) is considered overcharging/equalization where you are forming gas bubbles in the battery acid. The following link gives a pretty good description on Solar charging controller system types and equalization. I have the equalization turned off on the solar and let the Inverter charger handle it. In my 05 the charge controller that came from Beaver was manufactured by Helotrope (am solar) and is a higher end MPPT controller that will handle up to 500 watts. I am trying to keep my answers fairly general because I don't know what beaver put in at any given time. I am just thinking around 05 they would have put in about the same stuff and some of the posts came form owners of that era.  (could be a large assumption on my part.)

https://www.solar-electric.com/learning-center/batteries-and-charging/solar-charge-controller-basics.html

[Steve Huber]

Jim,
Thanks, apparently my controller was faulty.
Steve