In this guide, we explain the the cause of charge controller not charging the solar panel and step-by-step DIY to fix the system. Are you experiencing difficulty with your solar batteries? Or just discover that your solar charge controller is not charging your solar batteries properly? Worry no more as I will be explaining the possible reasons and how you can easily fix the issue yourself.
What size of charge controller is best fit for a 500W solar panel?
Why is the solar charge controller not charging my battery?
Your solar battery is connected to the solar panels but the battery is not charging properly. Even while making use of charging controllers, these are what might likely cause the battery not to charge well.
- Wrong solar system wiring/ configuration.
- Faulty solar charge controller or wrong settings.
- Damage solar panel modules.
- poor solar panel Watts to charge the batteries
Note: To have a good solar system installation, solar panels, batteries, and charge controllers must be configured and rated appropriately.
How do I know that my solar battery is not charging properly?
When the solar batteries are not charging properly, this is how you can notice.
- The battery or solar power drains faster at night when the panels stop receiving power from the sun.
- The charge controller will display a voltage below the inverter volt.
- Continuous tripping of the inverter when running a load.
Among others are the signs that your solar batteries are not charging properly. The following sign can be a result of other faults too which might not be the battery charging problem.
How to diagnose the reasons why the charge controller is not charging the battery
When the solar batteries are hooked to the solar system but the battery doesn’t charge properly, the problem is likely to be associated with the solar panels, solar charges controller, or the battery itself. Or even caused by poor installation configurations. So below is a simple way that we can diagnose and know the main reason while the controller is not charging our solar batteries.
Note: The solar panels, charge controller and battery must be configured well with their appropriate ratings before the battery can be charged properly.
Follow the steps below to check the reason behind why the charge controller is not charging the battery.
Step 1: Disconnect the solar panel from the charge controller.
This is done by using a screwdriver to lose the panel wire from the controller.
Step 2: Use a multimeter to test and check the solar panel, charge controller, and battery.
Set the multimeter in voltage mode and measure the volt of the panel while the panels are exposed to the sunlight. The meter is supposed to read a voltage that is equal to or greater than the system voltage. But in a situation when it doesn’t read, then the problem is coming from the solar panels. It can be a panel diode or the cable is open circuit, so check the panel to fix the problem.
How many solar panels can a charge controller handle?
Step 3 Connects the panels to the controller and test for the output volt of the controller.
Step 3 Connects the panels to the controller and test for the output volt of the controller.
Use a multimeter set in volt range to measure the output voltage of the charge controller. Is expected that the output will read a voltage will reads a define battery charging voltage, but if it doesn’t then the fault is from the charge controller. So replacing the controller should be the next option to make the system work.
Step 4 Test the battery to know it’s working conditions.
Measure the battery volts, and note down the readings. If the battery is more than one, lose the battery connections and test them separately. The voltage of the battery should read equivalent to the battery voltage or a little more. When the voltage is far below the battery ratings, then the fault might be coming from the battery. So replacing the faulty batteries with good ones will fix the problem.
when follows the above procedures, you should be able to find out reason behind battery not charging. And the same time fix them to work again.