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Old 03-17-2017, 01:23 PM   #1
Papabear7
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Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: St Louis, MO
Posts: 13
Battery-Solar Switch Question

About to execute a battery upgrade on our 1-yr old Passport and add a 200W solar kit. At the risk of asking a really basic question, I have a switching idea that just came to me. Of all I have read here on solar, didn't see much discussion on switching/controls.

Ordered this popular switch (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1) back when I thought I might do two battery banks. Now I'm just going with a single 2x6V setup for 232amps/20hr ... so the switch is overkill, but I think I still want to put in a cut-off ability on the incoming solar feed to the batteries, led me to a little 'reverse' thinking on the normal way you'd wire this switch ...

Proposal: Put the battery+ lead on the common pole of the switch, put the solar+ on Pos-1, and put the trailer load+ or Pos-2. Then, on Pos-1, we have solar to battery with no parasitic or trailer load, Pos-2 battery feeds trailer load with no solar charging, and Pos 1+2, all connected w/ solar charging & trailer load. Would mount this on the outside of my battery box, and use a short #8 from solar to switch carrying probably 10-12 amps, then use my existing cables (#2 or #4) from switch to battery & loads.

Like I said, risking 'too simple to ask', but does anyone see issue with the solar, battery & load feeds shared on this switch? All Off when performing maintenance on batteries, Pos-2 solar cut-off used when maintaining solar, otherwise, on Pos-1 for storage, and Pos-1+2 when running/using all. No experience with solar controllers yet, do they lose settings with momentary lapse of power?
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Old 03-26-2017, 06:41 AM   #2
SkiSmuggs
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Location: Vermont
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Since most solar controllers require battery power and suggest that you NOT connect solar panels without connecting first to the battery bank, a cut off switch between the panels and the controller are a good idea to simplify battery work.
Doing this means you simply cut the panels off to take the controller out of the system except for monitoring and prevent damage to your controller as well.
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Old 03-27-2017, 08:04 AM   #3
WaltBennett
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I just used 80 amp fused air conditioner boxes. Only problem I've run into is on shore power, that the charger part of my inverter will try to charge the battery bank (four T-105s) at over 80 amps if they're below about 83% (by the Triminic) and blow the fuse. That's when I use the old converter charger since it's only good for 60 amps.
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Old 04-06-2017, 07:30 PM   #4
Papabear7
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Great points I didn't think of ...

thanks for these posts. I had planned & will be wiring switched breakers up and downstream from the solar controller, so I'll have redundant kill-switch between the charge controller & the battery bank with ability to kill panel feed to the controller as well, I'll just have to make sure I always switch off the panel feed before the battery side. Wouldn't mind shutting down solar when on shore power, too--seems unnecessary.

Renogy 200W kit received this week, so here comes the fun part this weekend. Again, thanks.
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