electrical problem

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My comment was from a more organizational point of view.

* i've heard from several battery experts that mixing age and type is myth son who knows. *
 
the problem, regis, is i dont even know howto connect them to a busbar or circuit breakers.   im a rank beginner seeking ELI5 advice and pictures.   lol
 
Get to a mobile solar installer since this is above your (and mine) paygrade. It will be money well spent.

Did the batteries need a gallon or more of water to get full?
 
I don't know where you are getting this info from but if I may suggest that you read and study "Battery University" I would study everything that pertains to batteries from them. having 10 batteries in one string is too many I believe, there is no good way to balance them. 3 strings of 3 would be much better.

around here we can get GC2(Golf Cart 2) 6 volt batteries for 89 bucks and they are a true deep cycle not a marine. 225AH @ 6v. so 2 in series would be 225AH @ 12v. 4 in series and parallel would be 450AH @ 12v, 6 in series and parallel would be 675AH at 12v and so on.

highdesertranger
 
thx brian. the problem is im on a remote island and believe it or not, **I** am the only mobile solar guy. i actually have people approach me to install for them but the liability isway too high!

hdr ill look into the 3 strings but a link with schematics would be helpful.

thank u all. as hdr said, you learn something new every day! :)
 
ps. brian, ive never filled with water. gonna start today. lol
 
Does anyone on the island do solar powered battery backup systems for like cell towers, homes and such?
How small is this island?
Any electrical engineers there?

Any of these should be able to put a schematic together for you.

Battery university is a good start too.
 
yea im studying battery uni now. great source.

"In theory, you can connect as many batteries together as you want. But when you start to construct a tangled mess of batteries and cables, it can be very confusing, and confusion can be dangerous. Keep in mind the requirements for your application, and stick to them. Also, use batteries of the same capabilities. Avoid mixing and matching battery sizes wherever possible."

im too cheap to hire a solar guy and its more fun (but dangerous). i like fun
and danger. lol. but your sdvice is far more prudent. plus, i was hoping u guys would chime in. thats half the fun. learning from others.
 
If i were you id start the wiring of the bank from scratch.​

Disconnect all battery cables and battery interconnect cables..

Orient all  the batteries with the terminals the same way (no confusion)

Look up and study how to interconnect batteries for optimum charging and safety.

Re wire the batteries together.

Next go to solar.
Get all your solar panels wired in an organized fashion,
next mount the controllers.

Connect solar to controllers after mounting.

After the batteries are interconnected in an organized way and the controllers are wired in an organized fashion,  then you can choose where to tap in for charging.

FWIW
I remove my 6v batteries from the rv when i leave it so i can maintain them at home. I was short on cables room etc. Confident in my wiring skills I didn't po organize anything.

Imagine my surprise when my systems weren't acting right off the bat and voltages were off. I has wired one set as 12v, .the other i connected parallel and ended up with 6v.

That was only 4 batteries that i had wired several times.

I know how it is to be eager to get it all up and running. With your bank id stoked to get it going and test its capabilities. However sometimes in our hurry to experiment and prove out our ideas organization doesn't seem like a priority. Trust me it is. 

Now that you know it will work if done right,  take the time to disassemble,  organize , and make it reliable. 

You're whip smart,  you got this up and running by yourself. You know it can work. This time pay attention to how you connect the batteries so it draws equally as possible from all batteries instead of taxing one battery more than the others. 

Off the top of my head I'd connect sets of two in parallel. Then connect those sets to what is called a buss bar. This is a solid piece of copper or brass used to connect several high loads together. For example I've seen a solid bar connect all the positive terminals of batteries together instead of using cables. 

One last note. I understand they'll replace batteries, but under those loads without checking water you will be using the  warranty monthly. So try to set it up so that can be done. 

Any questions you have post them up. I for one am happy to help if possible.
 
holy crap my frends. you aint gonna believe this, but by randomly fooling around, i managed to guess which wire goes where. wtf.

nothing exploded. yet. but full power back on!!

thanks to all and ill start on my living will now. lolololol
 
regis101 said:
Check the water

lol.  yessir.    after a little celebration.   my pup is ecstatic too!!

skyman
thx for the wise and kind words.   will utilize immediately
 
iwayne49 said:
The weight.
hi wayne.   my old church bus was rated for 15 passengers excluding cargo, so if the average passenger was 200 lbs, i am way under the rating.
 
wayne49 said:
Inside the $89.99 combiner box is a set of
uxcell 1Pair MC4 Y Branch Solar Panel Adaptor Cable Connector 30A MMMF FFFM Set Wire T Splitter
$14.09 from Amazon for the pair.
https://www.amazon.com/uxcell-Branch-Adaptor-Connector-Splitter/dp/B01MRY536H
im adding another 5000 btu ac this week and if it works ok ill bypass the combiner.   thx for the info.  

i think 2 symmetrically placed ac units will reduce the ghetto effect.  waddya guys think?  :D
 
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