Solar Charge Controller Do's and Dont's

[@worldswatchdog]

How do you hook up more than 1 Coleman 40 solar panel to charge a deep cycle battery?

[@kd_enterprise3404]

The very simple way is hook them up separate, meaning just has you hooked up one panel and one controller…. Hook up the second the same way… so you would have two panels and two controllers.. it’s not going to hurt anything and when it’s sunny and under load it will utilize both. I’ve done it this way for years…. The other option, which is only necessary with either higher voltage systems and using a smart controller either in a multiple battery, or grid tie would be wiring the panels in parallel or a series depending on requirements.

[@ricardoaguilar4750]

Thanks for this video

[@endtimefreak]

I just got one, thanx for the heads-up :) (subscribed)

[@1111111914]

Will the controller work on a 12 volt lithium battery?

[@kd_enterprise3404]

Honestly I don’t know, however the controller is only checking voltage, it starts to charge when voltage goes down to a specific level, and stops when it goes up to specified level…. It’s not a smart controller… it just does what it does… .. lead acid batteries like to be fully charged all the time, some lithium batteries don’t like to be fully charged and just sitting doing nothing for a week, unlike a lead acid that prefers sitting doing nothing forever… what I’m saying without full certainty, if the lithium battery is being used daily and getting run down a bit it’s probably A-ok and yes the controller will charge it no problem..

[@clockworkbike]

Unbelievable that Coleman would not protect the circuit from overloading and burning out!

[@rejmonwilson]

I installed an inline fused, to be safe. I fried my inverter by placing wrong terminal. So just add inline fused to save your controller or inverter .

[@kd_enterprise3404]

good plan!

[@Hail2MasterChief]

Great video

[@arturog17]

Can you connect two batteries to one panel following sequence from battery 1 to 2?

[@kd_enterprise3404]

just make sure to hook batteries up in parallel.. for these panels you want to keep everything at 12 volts....

[@arturog17]

Thanks!🙏

[@fatfish2067]

I have two batteries hooked up in parallel with the same charge controller connected to a 100W coleman solar panel. The batteries are connected to a pure sine wave power inverter. This should work but the power inverter always indicates that the batteries are only 50%. However the charge controller's green light comes in indicating the batteries are fully charged. When I try to use a 300W appliance the power inverter won't work due to insufficient voltage. Can anyone help? Thank you.

[@liammccarthy2277]

The Coleman 100w panels with 8.5amp charge controllers I bought in the US recently - no connectors on panel conductor ends, or on the charge controller conductors that connect to them. The conductors going to the battery had terminals, that’s it! Pain in the behind.

[@kd_enterprise3404]

Liam McCarthy yes, I guess it depends on how it was advertised, seems to be many variants...I just saw one on sale with a stand, controller and wiring... yet I have seen some you described... consistency, In question for sure...

[@baculpojl]

You can always add a fuse super easy to do.

[@themusicman.fromcanada.9550]

if you got it wet it will damage the diode in the cotroller

[@dylanstuckless5669]

Are you able to tell me why my 30a colman charger controller can handle 450w? Cuz 450w is 37.5a

[@kd_enterprise3404]

Dylan Stuckless yes you are correct if you go by the numbers on the stickers or ratings. You are correct on the 37.5 for 450w, however that will be ideal conditions including temperatures, the hotter the panel gets it drops down significantly. When it’s running see if the 30 amp controller is hot, better yet buy a multi meter for 20 dollars and test the output directly from the panel, I think you might be surprised, most of these panels are way overrated. But to put your mind at ease, test it... the controllers are also normally over engineered to handle more than stated.. so all these things combined lead me to believe u be fine. Sorry for the delay on response.

[@dsoul4290]

I've been considering a solar panel for trickle charge method of a car battery that has some minor electrical issues (fuse blows when put in reverse) Well, rather then lugging the battery to oriellys for the umpteenth time, (I know just get the car fixed haha) I'm considering this solar panel method. I appreciate your advice and will take it into account before purchasing. I do realize this is just for the controller and not the panel itself, however, Coleman is not in my top 3 (too many negative reviews) thank you sir, I appreciate you! -D

[@kd_enterprise3404]

D souL panels are perfect for charging batteries. If you just plan on trickle charging a small panel will work fine. My 3 Coleman panels have been on my roof for several years and still working. Might depends when they were made and who made them regardless of brand name. Good luck, thanks for watching.

[@tlc6756]

@@kd_enterprise3404 Hi, do you know if the Coleman 10watt trickle charger would fit inside/on top of dashboard in a Jeep Grand Cherokee? (If so, could it be mounted?). Also, I've read that this doesn't need a separate control charger because it's under 30 watts. Do you know if that's true, or what is your take on that? Thanks.

[@kd_enterprise3404]

@@tlc6756 the small 10watt should fit on the dash, and you are correct, no controller required, especially on a car battery that is actively being used. I’m not sure how successful it will be depending on what the issue is with the jeep, meaning.. if something is drawing more power than the panel can provide, the battery will still go dead, might just take longer…

[@tlc6756]

@@kd_enterprise3404 great, thanks so much for your quick reply.

[@tlc6756]

@@kd_enterprise3404 ps. Can I ask what you mean by if the car battery is being actively used? I sometimes don't drive it for a week or two. Would the panel need a controller if it sat for a long time? Also, I was thinking of getting a 22 watt as I don't mind spending extra money, but my main concern is if a higher wattage may harm the battery or more importantly cause a fire. Is it pretty much certain that anything under 30 watts without a controller is s worry free?

[@1111111914]

HI I emailed the manufacturer of the Colman controller and he replied, " Lithium batterie save a more complicated charging parameter and so we always advise purchasing a solar charge controller that has a lithium setting. Sunforce at this point does not offer such a controller." The Colman controller is made by Sunforce

[@kd_enterprise3404]

Thanks for the post…

[@edwardkasimir8016]

This video starts at 3:05

[@George196207]

These are very low end controllers with very limited amount they can handle as well . can only handle I think it's 3 of the 40 watt panels .

[@skipwilliam5639]

Im sure something that simple happens a lot more times then people think..

[@HaroldMcDermott]

I got 3 30 amp Coleman charge controllers 1 burn out mediately, so doubled checked the wiring and everything was fine, The other 2 worked fine but the freaking idiots put the screws too tight you end up wrecking the screw so I had to solder them on, Chinese junk😤

[@arendscholten6835]

Anyone recommend noma 100w panels vs coleman 100w panels?

[@kd_enterprise3404]

Arend Scholten I personally have not seen too much re: comparison, I’m guessing price point and manufacturer would be the key.. I’m thinking when you get into the larger 300+ watt panels then more consideration and investigation is required, especially for type poly or mono, and longevity plus efficiency for larger installs..

[@radekw708]

@@kd_enterprise3404 Noma have awful reviews from what I seen

[@kd_enterprise3404]

Radek Woj I did a review on fence post Noma solar lights, It was an initial review, probably positive at the time, I will have to update as I do go back with my reviews after a year...they were horrible... the flood light so far after a year is still good... but .. ya.. fence post.. not good...subscribe and I do updates on my vids of reviews..,

[@victornewman4804]

That is not entirely true about what fuses look like, now days there are surface mount fuses have been for for sometime now. Most electronics do have them installed, but is not changeable by just anyone without the know how or what thay look like. So with that being said, I'm not sure if that are on that circuit board or not. If so it would usually have a F right near it. Some times not. Most electronics is so protected by the manufacturer that even schematics are almost impossible to get.

[@kd_enterprise3404]

Thanks for the comment, I’m sure many devices have built in fuses or very common would be power surge protection. I guess at the end of the day if you can find something that has consumer replaceable fuse that’s the best route. For example many don’t know the cigarette lighter adapter for either USB or a regular power cord have a replaceable fuse.. Just trying to present the easy fixes available that cost next to nothing if a person takes some time to investigate... thanks again for comment plus watching.

[@robertarnott1483]

If you look at the bottom of the controller, you will see a black wire and a red wire and follow them down to their plugs, they are reversed, so if you plug the battery into the solar panel side or solar panel into the battery side you could damage the controller.

[@kd_enterprise3404]

Robert Arnott good advice and comment.. thanks.

[@jackcoleman5618]

You forgot one MOST IMPORTANT THING...DONT CONNECT TO PANELS WITH DIRECT SUN-light !! Cover panels first dummy or ALOT OF PEOPLE are gonna PISS-off you didnt tell them ( COVER YOUR PANELS) lastly,...uncover them to begin charging