Connecting Multiple Charge Controllers to a battery Bank, July 7, 2023

How do you add separate strings of panels through a separate controller to your battery bank.?

[@brushbum7508]

Thanx for the info G BEAR ! TAKE CARE..

[@GBear]

You're welcome. Thanks for watching.

[@IanYGath]

Having a well thought out plan makes all the difference. You definitely have a good grasp of solar power / electrical systems. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. 🙂👍🏻🙏🏻

[@GBear]

You're welcome.

[@humbertocarrionjr8111]

Hi G Bear. Thanks for the solar information.tutori .It is a complicated set up but very well thought out. Have a nice night G Bear

[@GBear]

Thanks, Humberto

[@noahriding5780]

Wow. This is actually a topic I was very interested in. Thank you. Your system is so well thought out and thorough. you are super awesome, and we're grateful for you being willing to teach us.

[@GBear]

Thanks. This is off grid ONLY.

[@noahriding5780]

@@GBear That makes sense. I'm doing a system that will someday be off grid. I don't see any future for people living in the cities except slavery and being crime victims.

[@GBear]

So true. Remember, that city crime scum bleeds into the desert and will rob you blind if you're not prepared.

[@Ducelick]

Those additions to the scraper are going to make it really awesome. I agree, you are the neighbor of the desert.

[@GBear]

Thanks.

[@1turf32]

Nothing better then the feeling you get helping out friends.❤ have a safe weekend

[@GBear]

Thanks. Yeah, and a nice smooth road to their place.

[@Ocotillobaby]

Good neighbors are hard to find. I wish I had one like you!

[@GBear]

Why, thank you Ryan!

[@commonman7776]

good video

[@GBear]

Thanks CM. Still going through comments. So far still no claim on first prize.

[@NYCamper62]

While I don't agree with the way your controllers are hooked up, it's your system and it works for you. Two different units I would make sure the secondary ones settings match the primary.

[@GBear]

Yeah, all that is gone after 10 years of service. Just installed new LiFePO4's yesterday.

[@GBear]

Welcome aboard!

[@featheredfriendshomestead]

Hopefully the winner will contact you. Love the homemade road grader. Have a wonderful weekend.

[@GBear]

Thanks. No contact from the winner, so i will work up a new spin date to fill the void.

[@oldpelon7623]

Thanks for sharing

[@GBear]

You're welcome.

[@andymoren2232]

Great explanation. Always learn something.

[@GBear]

Thanks.

[@davidgilhooley1173]

Good skills G-Bear. A diagram would be handy, but well described! Thank you👍

[@GBear]

Welcome aboard, David!

[@rickharold7884]

Fun stuff

[@GBear]

Thanks Rick.

[@tonylarson1960able]

Well that's simple enough thanks brother!👌👌👌👌

[@GBear]

You're welcome.

[@rongray4118]

Thank you for posting your video. I see the reasoning behind utilizing 2 charge controllers. I am new to all of this and my wife and I are setting up to go completely off grid on a mountaintop in Northern Nevada. We will be installing a 3.9KW QCELL Solar Array (another to be added) + ALTE PRE-WIRED SYSTEM SCHNEIDER SW4024 INVERTER WITH MIDNITE CL150SL CHARGE CONTROLLER in our container with two 48 volt ABSOLYTE Sealed Battery banks to store power. A generator back up will be installed after we get started. I am trying to configure a 48 volt wind turbine into the system as well. Thank you for your video - I subscribed in case you have more information in the future!

[@GBear]

Thank you for subscribing. If you need a good turbine, check with hydrogenappliances.com about the KT5 48v PMA with the MaxCore.

[@davidpotter9462]

I'm showing 34.2 amps on the 40 amps controller. I should add two more panels. That's going to put it around 39.5 or so amps. Not sure if I should run it that close. It's really pouring rain here. More coming Sunday they say. All my barrels are full. I will try to get another tomorrow. That would get me to 380 gallons of water storage. When the sun 🌞 comes back out, the grass is going to grow about seven inches the first day. The problem is, itll be too wet to mow for a couple of days. It cooled off enough for the tomatoes to bloom again but it's going to be so wet they may not get pollinated. Then it'll be too hot for them to bloom. Now if the green tomatoes don't split from all the rain, I might still get a few. They said heat index 110 for Monday, I bet it's going to be a scorcher in August.

[@GBear]

We are supposed to see triple digits starting next week and hanging around for at least a week.

[@greyman5590]

Windy = Wind Turbines like the one casting a shadow of it’s rotating blades on the ground in your video

[@GBear]

Yep, it's a KT5. Welcome aboard!

[@denisewilson8367]

I hope your 1st place winner contacts you. Aren't you sweet to help a friend and fixing the main road too. I hope everyone shows you a little appreciation in return.

[@GBear]

The 1st place winner did not make contact, even with personal replies to their comments. I will be announcing a new drawing date and time for that prize.

[@mostrogolf22]

You ate the man!😊

[@GBear]

Welcome aboard. Nope, not me

[@1GREATDANE]

I have Extra Panels and Charge Controllers to Add to My Battery Buss Bars for Xtra Storage here in Good Ole Lucerne Valley Ca 🌴 💦 Indian Creek Ranch 🌵 ⛩ Southern California High Desert

[@GBear]

@@1GREATDANE Welcome aboard! You aren't far from here, so you know the heat we are getting. I have a strange observation to report in tonight's video. Stay tuned.

[@1GREATDANE]

@@GBear Located on a Good Mountain Spring Well 💦 fed from 7 Springs and just North of Big Bear Lake Mountain Resorts Community about 19 miles by Hwy 18. @ 3,100 feet from Sea Level 🏝

[@GBear]

@@1GREATDANE Nice. But be careful about giving out your location on YT. The local gang members watch for that stuff, then come out to rip you off. (Voice of experience)

[@1GREATDANE]

​@@GBear🎙 🐾🐾 SEMPER FI 🎩 🇺🇸

[@GBear]

@@1GREATDANE 🫡🇺🇸

[@closertothetruth9209]

elninio laninio whatever they said, here winter is unusually dry and cold in the mornings with frost on the crops, we got an inch of frost a few weeks ago and thats unheard of, i see canada has insane heat like it was a couple of years ago, flooding in unusuall places of the world.

[@GBear]

Geoengineering gone amuck!

[@noahriding5780]

Will the ideas for this still work similar if you were like covering a really big house full of tons of solar panels? (I'm not one of those people, but want to understand well for later building up over time. Although those guys don't usually use battery banks.) Are your bus bars homemade, or are there certain things you look for in those when you go get them? With the wiring going to opposite ends of the battery bank like your system does... will that show a bit slightly higher average voltage charge in the system, since the way it flows lends momentum to the flow? And does it matter if you have more than just a linear single connection in the battery bank for it to work your wiring way? (Like I didn't know about your ideas. And I'd been worried about the battery bank having bottlenecks in the wiring... so I've mostly got a single linear flow in the wiring from 1 battery to the next, except that in the middle I have 2 extra connections in the battery bank. But if I convert to your system I wonder if that adds any extra risk to me.)

[@GBear]

First, if your system is working, DON'T FIX IT. Battery bank wiring should be consistant in sizes and length. I don't do on grid solar, so I wouldn't recommend any of this for grid connect. Different components are required.

[@noahriding5780]

@@GBear One problem I recently found out I have is that the cheap charge controllers are taking up too much of the incoming energy. I started low budget so I was doing those little cheap 20 amp max controllers. And after having like 3 or more of those I realized they were using up tons of the incoming energy of the day, so it would take a lot longer for me to fill up the batteries. So I have to make changes anyway. First I've found its better to just go with a high max amp charge controller with high capacity (on # of solar panels) rather than use low capacity ones. However I did still gain by using the cheap ones for a time because I didn't know what the heck I was doing. And it was better for me to learn on cheap parts while I was still fumbling stuff around. (I still am figuring stuff out.) Thanks for your input.

[@GBear]

Yeah, we all learn the hard way that cheap stuff is junk. I love the efficiency of the Midnight Classic controller

[@reeftheseaforever]

cool setup I noticed that u dont have any fuses from ur mppt to the bus bar s no issues ? I know I see alot people put in a 40amp fuse in . thanks

[@GBear]

8 years out here and 1 year before. No issues.

[@GBear]

Welcome Aboard!

[@closertothetruth9209]

i had a weird issue with charge controllers one would pump out the amps yet the second controller would do nothing so i checked all connections no change, i changed to another high end controller same deal , weird, considering battery voltage was below float voltage , i might try conecting them to the same batteries and see what happens.

[@GBear]

Let me know what happens.

[@joeabad5908]

Hello newbie here, Can I connect 2 units 12v charge controllers to charge a 24v battery?

[@GBear]

Welcome aboard! Many 12v charge controllers are 12/24v, while some others are 12/24/36/48v. The charge controller will set up automatically for 12 or 24 volts, just by connecting the battery to the controller FIRST. It isn't recommended to connect 2, 12v charge controllers together in series, unless they are specifically designed for that purpose. Check the label on the controller and if it says 12/24v you are good to go. Also, an mppt controller is much better than a PWM controller. Just remember, battery to controller FIRST, then solar panel(s).

[@grunwode]

Please send dry wind our way. It's too hot in the shade, with the dewpoint around 80.

[@GBear]

No doubt! You need a tote-cuzzi!🤣👍

[@vincentsgaming]

So if you have 2 mppt controllers you just put them into the bus bar and the busbar connects to the battery? I think this is by far the best video ive found to figure out ny issue which no1 seems to really post. I have 2 panels 660w each. 1 charge controller for 12v only takes in 520W to 920W depending on the controller. So obviously 1320W wont be used so i need to controllers. But havent been able to find a good video showing how to.

[@GBear]

No, the bus bars are for the incoming solar from the panels. To use more than one controller, the battery connections are the important part. I assume you have multiple batteries in parallel. (All the positives connected together, and all the negatives connected together. ALWAYS CONNECT THE BATTERIES TO THE CONTROLLER FIRST. For the first controller, use the positive from the first battery of the group, and the negative from the last battery of the group. Then connect the maximum watts of solar to that controller. Next, for the second controller, connect the positive from the LAST battery, and the negative from the FIRST battery, then connect the max solar panel wattage to that controller. That's all there is too it. If you add a third controller, use the positive and negative from the middle battery of the group, the add solar panels to that one. A few notes. Don't connect the solar panels to the controller while the sun is beating on them. Either wait until after dark, or cover the panels with a tarp, cardboard or blanket, or turn the panel upside down with the back of it facing the sun if possible. Connecting them under load could damage the controller. 2. If connecting a 12v to 120v inverter, do the same as with the battery connections, using opposite ends of the battery bank. Any of questions, just ask, and I will do a special video for you. WELCOME ABOARD!

[@vincentsgaming]

@GBear thanks. Uh, I guess im confused again lol. Not using multiple batteries. So i have just 1 12V 100ah battery, a 12V 2k/4k pure sine inverter, and the 2 panels i plan on getting are 2x 660W panels. The issue i have are the charge controllers for 12v systems are usually PV max input of 500w to 920w max. So i cant use just 1 controller ubless i spend like $300 for a huge crazy 1 that can support that much PV input. So now im trying to figure out how to parallel 2 charge controllers so i can at least get my full pv input needed.

[@GBear]

@vincentsgaming That can't be done. The smaller charge controller is worthless with those size panels. So, you have only one LiFePo4 battery? If so, you cannot use a standard lead acid controller on LiFePo4. Your system sizing is not efficient. What are you planning to run off of the system? You don't need those large solar panels, unless you need to run 1000 watts only during the day. Once the sun sets, one 12v battery won't run much for very long. Lead acid batteries are to be considered to be dead at 50% level or 10.5 volts. A LiFePo4 can be discharged to 99% and recharged, but doing that often will shorten the life of the battery. To properly size and set up your system, you first need to make a list of each appliance wattage. Then the battery bank size can be determined, then the solar panels size, then the controller size. For more efficiency, you might think about at least a 24v system, as it will save you money on copper wire sizes.

[@vincentsgaming]

@GBear gotcha, so i am just only running my ac unit. Its a 8k btu single hose ac that i just want to run during the summer days. I wont need it at night so im ok with the 1 battery. It runs at 1032 watts which is why i wanna get the 2 660W panels to sustain at least 1kw throughout the sun part of the day. Im in sunny CA so plenty of sun. Not running anything else but the ac unit. And yes its a lifepo4 battery. I just spent 159 on the 12v inverter and a 24v inverter is about the same so i was just trying to save myself but if i HAVE to go to 24 volt i will. Just will be more upfront $

[@GBear]

@vincentsgaming most 12v controllers are 12/24v and auto setup once the batteries are connected. 24v would be a more efficient system for running an AC unit, but you may also need a hard start capacitor to help start it. So, by going to 24v, you increase the volts, but the amps stay the same for the same watts. Lower amps means smaller wire, and cooler running. You are going to need a controller that will handle the total amps. Multiple 24v x the ah of one battery for total watthours of the battery bank. That number is how many watts the batteries will handle for 1 hour after dark. Now, the solar panels. Connect in series, positive to negative and you double the voltage of one panel, but the amps stay the same, so lower amps may help with the controller cost. Possible for just one 60a controller at 24v output to batteries, if the amps of a single solar panel are below 60a. What are the VOC and ISC of a single 660w solar panel?

[@noahriding5780]

Can it work safely to have your solar panel wires twisted together right where they go into the solar charge controller, permitting that you are still under max wattage permitted for the device? I have some of those Y branch connectors for solar panels. And I do use them. But I wondered if you actually need them? It seems like where you strip the inch of wire off at the end of the solar wiring leads that goes into the charge controller box you could just twist them together with another set of wires probably? (Edited in later... although I am also not liking how the wires going into a charge controller's bottom end are so close together. It seems like some people might have accidents with that. I would think it would be better for them to widen the spaces on those screws a bit.)

[@GBear]

Yes, you could do the twist, but I woul recommend soldering and covering the connection with heat shrink tubing to prevent accidentally shorting.

[@noahriding5780]

@@GBear Oh. That's a cool idea. See, its always interesting to talk to you.

[@GBear]

@noahriding5780 Also, solder the end going into the controller before inserting it so it makes a better connection. And if all the solar wires coming in are #12, Solder a #10 pigtail from them to the controller.

[@rontech34]

Question I have 2 PowMr 24v hybrid inverters 3000w each I have 24v 600ah Lipo4 battery bank can I connect both inverters to the 1 battery bank? But can I connect 4000w solar panels to 1 Inverter to charge the batteries ? The reason why because I don't want to split the panels in half and run another set of wires from my roof down to the garage it's to much work

[@GBear]

I suspect you are grid tied solar, because off grid we don't connect panels to the inverter, nor do we connect controllers to the inverter. Off grid, only the battery bank connects to the inverter. Sorry, I don't do grid tie systems, so I can't help you there.

[@rontech34]

@@GBear I am OFF grid my panels are connected to my charge controller hybrid inverter but my question was answered thank you

[@jussikankinen9409]

Which way windmill

[@GBear]

My wind power comes in to a rectifier, then directly to the batteries. Then the batteries are protected by a dumpload controller.

[@earthenergyhex]

I am the first place winner, please send it to me.

[@GBear]

Nice try.

[@cliffandrews]

I'm the 3rd place winner. How long before you send me Doggie Daddy?

[@GBear]

@cliffandrews lol, id love to give him a forever home. He's a very loyal dog!

[@davidpotter9462]

It's beyond me. Thanks for not saying who won. What a mess. It's thundering here. I'm in the middle of planting some taters. Two more cool days then it's over 100 for a few.

[@GBear]

The winners were announced, many subs congratulated them, and second place has already sent his mailing address.

[@digitaldreamer5481]

Aloha G Bear, I stopped this video at 3:32 to say that I’ve watched every one of your videos and still have not seen anyone announced as a winner yet. You mentioned something about a live stream and I haven’t ran across that either. If I won 1st place, please give it away to someone else. The 2nd place prize was the only item worth winning to me because it’s something that I would use everyday. The other would go into a drawer to never be seen again.😂🤣😂 As far as the 30 mph winds, one thing I saw in this video is the shadow of your wind turbine generating some killer power for ya. 🤙🏻 Speaking of which, I have a vertical wind turbine that I will mount on a tripod for EmComm communications that should take me only about 10 minutes to set up. I have two other conventional wind generators that mount on quick release tripods in which I keep one in my Jeep at all times. I’m tell ya, ham radio is where it’s at these days as our world becomes more and more dangerous under the Bozo Joe Cocaine Administration. 😂🤣😂 You’re living the good life and away from the big cities I think. Even crime here in Hawaii has gone through the roof in the last two years because they are trying to keep the jails empty and save money???? 😢

[@GBear]

@@digitaldreamer5481 kzbin.info/www/bejne/jn-oXoiubNeNjZY