Question for those that have solar panels on their rigs who put them away for the win

[pasdad1]

Originally Posted by ScottHelmann

Just so everyone knows- You don't need to cover your panels or do anything in particular- solar panels will not harm or "cook" any of your electronics if left not connected to a load. When the sun shines on them with no load they just develop a voltage but no current flows anywhere. That is just mis-information.

Scott Helmann
Senior Electronics Tech

In the documentation for Morningstar controllers, they STRONGLY discourage having the solar panels connected to the controller IF the batteries have been removed from the circuit. That is the purpose I believe for having disconnects in the path from panels to controller.

[grassy]

Originally Posted by ScottHelmann

Just so everyone knows- You don't need to cover your panels or do anything in particular- solar panels will not harm or "cook" any of your electronics if left not connected to a load. When the sun shines on them with no load they just develop a voltage but no current flows anywhere. That is just mis-information.

Scott Helmann
Senior Electronics Tech

When I disconnected my batteries, my solar charger when into charge mode. I suspect a fair amount of heat is built up...I think it is exactly like running your car without a battery..it will cook your alternator.

The PO did exactly that one year and the electronics had to be replaced. Others RV'ers have had the same experience.

I didn't come to this conclusion only talking on RV boards, I did talk to "solar panel" experts..research is my second nature.

Myth perhaps..but so is a battery being drained if left on a cement floor for winter storage....but try it.

I spent 20+ years in the IT world..mainly wans / lans and I saw too much of "this isn't possible:..and a lot of what were these "experts" thinking..

In my world, it is better to be safe than sorry.. and this is one worry off my list.

[pasdad1]

[SSG Scott]

Why would you remove the batteries? I just leave them in as the solar panels will keep them fully charged and with a fully charged battery array you won't have to worry about them freezing or becoming sulfated as they self discharge during those months your setup is in storage.

If you are going to remove the batteries then of course you want to disconnect power (or trip the breakers) to remove power from both the input and outputs of your solar charger.

Lead acid batteries left on a concrete floor over winter experience a higher self discharge and sulfation rate due to the temperature differences of the electrolyte between the top and bottom of the battery. It took me a few years running a large batteryshop at a big military maintenance facility to figure out what was going on. We changed to storing batteries on wooden pallets which provided an air gap between the battery and the floor and the problems disappeared.

[grassy]

Originally Posted by ScottHelmann

Why would you remove the batteries?

Scott,

The thread is not about removing the batteries. It is about any downside to leave the system running ...

Lead acid batteries left on a concrete floor over winter experience a higher self discharge and sulfation rate due to the temperature differences of the electrolyte between the top and bottom of the battery. It took me a few years running a large batteryshop at a big military maintenance facility to figure out what was going on. We changed to storing batteries on wooden pallets which provided an air gap between the battery and the floor and the problems disappeared.

" .. says battery manufacturer Yuasa "Nowadays, containers are made from a solid plastic that does not allow any current to flow through it, so the batteries do not discharge, even if they sit in a few inches of water."

We all know to put a removed battery on wood..why we do this is a question for folks far smarter than me..

My rig is now in storage with the solar system running.

Thanks all for your help.

[SSG Scott]

The cautions and warnings you are referring to are pertaining to installing or making changes through maintenance or battery replacement on a solar system. As an electrical engineer when writing cautions and warning I have to consider all the possible things people may do during these phases of use. It's always a better choice to be cautions or even overly cautions. You can never find fault in that.

A lead acid battery's self discharge rate increases (in the discussion about storing them on cold concrete in the winter) when stored where there is a difference between the temperature between the top and bottom of the battery. This is why they often seem to go dead more quickly in storage. There is no current flow through the casing (as long as it's clean between the terminals) since the advent of newer battery casing materials in the 1960 and 70s