George Anna clark's posts

ah, Dave, I'm not sure if we're having fun, yet, but your last comment certainly gave me a chuckle.

All rightie, will carry out assigned tasks soon, will also try to catch my engineer and see if he has any idea why the last controller didn't work. (sorry, that wasn't clear on my last message  ... I originally had another controller- I think it was a morningstar - but don't remember well. I had problems with the system in general and brought the engineer in who cleaned up the system, and changed the controller...) 

thanks again, and I'm learning lots! I think....

and are you sure that's the right link for the condumex controller? I get a page that refers to condumex, but it's all about (the website) solar water heaters?

George Anna

Hi Dave,

I'll answer as I can, I suppose the cc isn't exactly the same, because it refers to an amarillo (yellow) colored bulb as indicating average battery charge. In these ccs they have the green v red bulbs indicating battery charge (good v bad). And they have a yellow one which indicates whether the panels are doing their thing or not.

controllers are most definitely going to the same battery bank, which consisted of four batteries, now two.

thanks for the advise about the morningstar cc, as I remember, it wasn't working and what was easily available were condumex... hope to get the US soon and will probably pick it up.

regarding your last note, the system is for general use in the house, both day and night. Although it is a very small system.  thanks again...

ah, but what I don't understand is...

voltage output and bank readings would be good to have as well. the one we thought was running right (the cool one) was off both times you checked it.

when do I check the batteries? what time of day, I mean. And where do I check the voltage output? and how do you know that the cool one was off both times I checked it...

thanks again,
George Anna

Hi Dave, et al,

This is what I did... I checked the voltage from the pv panels on the controller with my meter at dark. Is that right? and there was basically no read out... at times it switched from 00 to .01. Same for both cc.

I see that I erred in a previous post, it is indeed the pv panel hooked up to the controller with the fuse that burns that has a lower input. Yesterday I checked it at about 1 pm and it was at 13.80 checking the box behind (below in this case) the panel. Strangely enough at the controller the input measured 13.30. Compare that to the other panel which measured 17.90 both on (behind/below) the panel and at the controller. Right now at 6 pm they're both measuring a slightly higher charge- measured only at the c.c. (I understand that the extreme heat at midday results in a lower charge.??)

I do appreciate so very much everyone's suggestions, sorry for slow responses, internet signal not cooperating...

thanks,
george anna

 

This is the closest to any type of information that I've gotten on the controller -   http://www.solar1.com.mx/calentadores.swf   

click on "equipos voltaicos" and then "accesorios sueltos" and you get a "ta-da..." photo of a similar controller. The dissimilarity being crucial... the fuse that burns out is the one that ISN't shown in the photo--- it is placed to the right of the red (low) battery light, and the left of the dial... it also says 20 amps, as does the fuse to the far left (which you do see in the picture)... the one to the left would be for loads on the system. The one on the right (the one that gets hot) is coming in from the panels.

So to answer some of your questions to the best of my ability... I assume I should be using a 20amp fuse. Otherwise, no idea of ratings.

Wiring, polarity and tightness seem to be as they should be.

I don't think it has anything to do with loads, especially since i don't have any loads at noon, except a 3w/hr antenna phone, no fans coming on, I have the equipment in a little earthbag room, with a "green" roof, and it which keeps temps much better than the 100ºF we're reaching these days.

I cleaned off the panels again today, (btw, the panels were practically smoking, very, very hot) had a 25amp fuse, and it got a little warm, but no melting, at least. Maybe I should put a 30amp fuse in. Is there a downside to using a 30 amp fuse?

and I really dislike gender stereotyping, but notice the Anna as my second name. I'm not stupid, just ignorant, and electricity doesn't come easy to me. Didn't know about the metal melting issue, so that was good to know, and I'm not sure about what is meant about the continuity problem. I used to have a problem with getting the caps to turn so that the fuse "connects" and now it seems I don't even need a cap (on some of the fuses)-- I can get them in and out ok, but they're not loose anymore. Is this good, bad or indifferent?  If/when they get loose their respective light goes off... I check that as well as fiddle with them and they stay tight.

One of the panels seems to charge lower than it should --- its respective fuse (on the cc) does NOT heat up.

So... with all this information that I don't have, any other suggestions? Otherwise, I'll go back to bugging my eng., who is a man of very few words...

Thanks so much for your time, I really appreciate your effort.

George Anna (it's a southern tradition, what can I say?)

Hi, sorry for not getting back, I'm having problems with internet connection and haven't found any information on the condumex controller (I got it used, with nothing written). Meanwhile, "my" engineer who installed the system says to use a "bigger" (i.e. 30) fuse.

Also, besides the spring phenomena, this time it was an "after cleaning the panels," bright, bright sunshine,  plus spring phenomena....

thanks for your comprehensive suggestions... will work on those and get back to you if/when I get more information.

george anna

I have an off-grid system. Two 103W (104?)Evergreen panels, each running to its own Condumex (i live in Mexico) controller. During the spring, as sun intensity (and heat) increases one of the controller's fuses can burn out twice a week  (middayish)... and even starts to melt the cap.

I have had the controllers hooked up to four trojan batteries (12 Volt, 450 AH using four T-105 Deep Cycle Batteries - 6Volts, 225 AH), at present they're hooked up to only two. I need to replace them all, but don't want to until I figure out what's going on. If gone a day or two, the fuse burns, nothing charges, and the batteries thus lose their charge.

I'm not exactly a newbie, but still rather ignorant of all things electric.

Thanks,
George Anna