Battery Storage Switch

[Grumpy Grampa]

I have a 37.1 Miramar 2017. The storage switch was putting the batteries in storage once activated. I ran the engine for a few minutes, then generator. Batteries were at 50%. After allowing the batteries to build to 75%. The switch worked. Is this normal the batteries have to have a good charge to activate storage mode?

Thanks

[DavidEM]

Yes, I think that is typical. Your MH uses a latching relay that needs a certain minimum voltage to actuate the relay. At 50% charged the resting voltage is too low to actuate the relay. Once you charge it to 75% it is high enough to actuate.

FWIW you never want to store your batteries for long at 50%. Sulfate will drop out and form a sludge on the bottom of the batteries and ultimately cause them to short out and fail. Always store at 100% and have some means of keeping them charged while in storage- shore power hookup or solar panel.

David

[16ACE27]

The power to change the state of the latching relay comes from the house batteries. If in STORE mode and those batteries are too low you will not be able to change to USE mode until they are charged.

If in STORE mode the generator and SP will NOT charge the house batteries. Running the engine DOES charge the house batteries regardless of status of the USE/STORE latching relay.

Using the Thor 4 light battery status display is useless UNLESS there is no charging activated. It is also useless if the latching relay is in STORE.

[Trkyte@msn.com]

Yea but all those lights sure look pretty at the walk through…….

[Grumpy Grampa]

Thanks. I would like to hook up solar power, I have four 6 volt batteries. Can some one tell me what I need to get started. And what happens if the batteries are charged will the solar panel, does the solar panel stop supplying.?

Thanks. This is all new to me.

[DavidEM]

OK, I think I can give you a very, very short summary:

Solar panels are mounted on the roof then fed through a solar port down into the coach to a solar controller that is mounted near the batteries. The solar controller takes the incoming voltage and current (and if wired in series/parallel that voltage will be 30+ volts) and converts it to what the batteries need for charging. The controller will shut off if the batteries are fully charged. The controller is usually wired direct to the batteries, not through the use store switch so the batteries will always be charged.

That is the two cents version. Read, read, read before you think about installing a system.

David

[waynetaylor55]

Originally Posted by smithgarnat@aol.com

Thanks. I would like to hook up solar power, I have four 6 volt batteries. Can some one tell me what I need to get started. And what happens if the batteries are charged will the solar panel, does the solar panel stop supplying.?

Thanks. This is all new to me.

The solar panels are controlled by a solar panel controller. It keeps the solar panels from over charging the batteries. The controller should be sized to accommodate the amount of energy coming from the panels.

[Grumpy Grampa]

Thanks everyone. So if I have 4 each 12 volt batteries, then I need to have the solar panel controller set to a max of 24 volts. And hook the two leads to the main negative and positive battery posts?

Thanks

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by smithgarnat@aol.com

Thanks. I would like to hook up solar power, I have four 6 volt batteries. Can some one tell me what I need to get started. And what happens if the batteries are charged will the solar panel, does the solar panel stop supplying.?

Thanks. This is all new to me.

Originally Posted by smithgarnat@aol.com

Thanks everyone. So if I have 4 each 12 volt batteries, then I need to have the solar panel controller set to a max of 24 volts. And hook the two leads to the main negative and positive battery posts?

Thanks

Do you have (4) 6 volt batteries? Or (4) 12 volt batteries?

In any case, It doesn't matter, your batteries are connected to provide 12 VDC as you have a 12 Volt system in the MH and will require a 12 volt solar charge controller. The solar panels will provide more than 12 VDC so one function of the charge controller to to take the higher voltage solar panel output and convert it to be used in the 12 VDC MH system

[Grumpy Grampa]

I have four batteries, 6 volt each.

Thanks

[Grumpy Grampa]

Thanks for the info. So I will not need a 24 volt solar system right?

Sorry this is new to me.

[DavidEM]

Originally Posted by smithgarnat@aol.com

Thanks everyone. So if I have 4 each 12 volt batteries, then I need to have the solar panel controller set to a max of 24 volts. And hook the two leads to the main negative and positive battery posts?

Thanks

Your four batteries are wired with each pair in series to make 12V and then the two pairs are wired in parallel to also make 12V but with twice the amp hours. You set your solar controller to charge 12V batteries and it takes care of all of the conversion from the higher voltage solar panels automatically.

David

[Grumpy Grampa]

Thank you

[Grumpy Grampa]

One more question. What wattage solar panel would you recommend to just keep batteries charged.

Thanks

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by smithgarnat@aol.com

One more question. What wattage solar panel would you recommend to just keep batteries charged.

Thanks

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