PV Logic Flexi Voltage Drop Problem.....

[Davenjo]

I've had a similar voltage drop problem with my 3.5 year old 100w PV Logic Flexi panel - worked perfectly for 3 years but then zero voltage when ever the sun shone, though for around 15 minutes around dusk and when the temperature dropped, I was seeing 12.49v coming from the panel. The 100w panels have a rear exit (where my hole in roof, covered in duct tape, is in the photo below) with the shading diodes in a remote connection box - no evidence of the water ingress/corrosion reported above in the connections/wires coming from the back of the panel.

I can't fault the customer service from Solar Technology International - I used their online form and was contacted back within the hour by Adrian who agreed, from what I'd reported, that the panel was duff and would be replaced under warranty - new panel due to arrive on Tuesday.

The advice from Adrian, which I'm wishing I'd listened to, was to leave the original panel in situ and fix the replacement on top - as the new one is circa 25mm wider I thought this would be better than having to fill the overhang. After a lot of effort we got the panel off and now "just" need to get the remnants of the polyurethane glue off. However, I pulled a bit too hard on one area and a section of the gel coat came away - not bothered about the look as it will be covered by the replacement panel - am I OK to leave the damaged section with exposed fibres or is it best to repair (and, if so, what with) - worried that if I don't repair it the damage could creep below the gelcoat?

When it comes to affixing the new panel - looking at what a pig this one was to get off and how my early worries of the panel flying off on the motorway where totally groundless, I'm intending to just apply a bead of Terason MS939 around the outside edge and not bother with any blobs/lines in the middle. Also, taking on board the comments about trapped air above, I might drill a second small hole in the pop top (below the panel but outside of the canvas area). Sound OK??

 

[Deaky]

Nice job there @capitanoooo

 

[Eclipse Custom Vans]

That is a good job, well done

I've had a similar voltage drop problem with my 3.5 year old 100w PV Logic Flexi panel - worked perfectly for 3 years but then zero voltage when ever the sun shone, though for around 15 minutes around dusk and when the temperature dropped, I was seeing 12.49v coming from the panel. The 100w panels have a rear exit (where my hole in roof, covered in duct tape, is in the photo below) with the shading diodes in a remote connection box - no evidence of the water ingress/corrosion reported above in the connections/wires coming from the back of the panel.

I can't fault the customer service from Solar Technology International - I used their online form and was contacted back within the hour by Adrian who agreed, from what I'd reported, that the panel was duff and would be replaced under warranty - new panel due to arrive on Tuesday.

The advice from Adrian, which I'm wishing I'd listened to, was to leave the original panel in situ and fix the replacement on top - as the new one is circa 25mm wider I thought this would be better than having to fill the overhang. After a lot of effort we got the panel off and now "just" need to get the remnants of the polyurethane glue off. However, I pulled a bit too hard on one area and a section of the gel coat came away - not bothered about the look as it will be covered by the replacement panel - am I OK to leave the damaged section with exposed fibres or is it best to repair (and, if so, what with) - worried that if I don't repair it the damage could creep below the gelcoat?

When it comes to affixing the new panel - looking at what a pig this one was to get off and how my early worries of the panel flying off on the motorway where totally groundless, I'm intending to just apply a bead of Terason MS939 around the outside edge and not bother with any blobs/lines in the middle. Also, taking on board the comments about trapped air above, I might drill a second small hole in the pop top (below the panel but outside of the canvas area). Sound OK??

View attachment 69879

I would leave a gap at front and back to allow air and water to escape. If you bead all the way around, you have created a large air pocket. Cheers

 

[Phil_G]

Personally & with due respect to Eclipse I wouldnt leave a gap at the front - at the back, yes. With the front open, in driving in rain you'd be forcing water and crap under it,
also theres a greater chance of the airflow lifting it, plus it could whistle, vibrate or drum... just my personal take.

 

[N1ck]

What a great and informative write up
This forum is the best

 

[Richard]

During “lockdown”, I have been keeping an eye on the van’s battery voltages. I noticed that the leisure battery voltage was dropping, which surprised me because the sun had shone from a clear sky for days, so I was expecting the solar panel to keep it fully charged.

The PV Logic Flexi 80 Watt Panel (Product Code: STPVF080) was only providing the Solar Technology Charge Controller with about 10V even when the sun was shining from a clear sky. This looks to be the same problem, with the same equipment, as Capitanoooo’s describes here - the only difference is that mine is not intermittent.

I was interested to see the photos of the corrosion in his junction box but I am going to resist the temptation to look to see whether I have the same because I intend to take the van back to the converter (Bilbo’s) to inspect it and I hope claim from PV Solar since the panel warranty still has two years to run. I suspect the panel because I plotted the V/I characteristic at solar noon on a clear sunny day and I think it looks as if part of the panel is covered - even though is isn’t.

 

[travelvolts]

To prevent trapped air just leave a gap in the beading around the edge. At the back like Phil says. Although, I have my doubts that trapped air is a genuine concern.
A good adhesive will not require anything more than edge fixing.

 

[Alan Watts]

I have the same panel, installed in 2016 by VanWorx, and I'm convinced now it has actually never worked. Van is parked facing the sun most of the time. Could never get more than 4 days out of the leisure battery without running the engine. Longer periods at home, leisure battery would need charging every 4 weeks. The whole point of the panel would be to keep the battery topped up. When I collected the van, I was told the solar panel would only trickle charge the battery and would last 4 days max. I was told the solar LED indicator was not wired up because it was constantly trickle charging the battery. Quite foolishly, I never questioned it.

Started the warranty claim process this week with solar technology and they have been a great help so far.

 

[Davenjo]

I have the same panel, installed in 2016 by VanWorx, and I'm convinced now it has actually never worked. Van is parked facing the sun most of the time. Could never get more than 4 days out of the leisure battery without running the engine. Longer periods at home, leisure battery would need charging every 4 weeks. The whole point of the panel would be to keep the battery topped up. When I collected the van, I was told the solar panel would only trickle charge the battery and would last 4 days max. I was told the solar LED indicator was not wired up because it was constantly trickle charging the battery. Quite foolishly, I never questioned it.

Started the warranty claim process this week with solar technology and they have been a great help so far.

When my 100w panel was working it more than kept pace with our Waeco compressor fridge which we used to leave permanently switched on and that is with a relatively small 70ah AGM battery. However, initially we did have a problem which turned out to be a faulty controller - as soon as this was swapped out things improved drastically.

I've now installed the, warranty replacement, new panel and an MPPT controller and, with the fridge running in a hot, closed up van (meaning the compressor is running a lot more than it would if camping) there has been more juice in the battery at the end of each day than there was at the start. Just took a reading now with the roof flat and in full but broken sunshine and I'm still seeing 16v+ and 3.8 amps being produced (61 watts) which I'm more than happy with.

 

[Eclipse Custom Vans]

Personally & with due respect to Eclipse I wouldnt leave a gap at the front - at the back, yes. With the front open, in driving in rain you'd be forcing water and crap under it,
also theres a greater chance of the airflow lifting it, plus it could whistle, vibrate or drum... just my personal take.

No problem, but if your van is parked front foward then water can build up under and get 'warm'. Vans could be parked for days like this so for us its best to leat the water out. Thanks

 

[mikejkay]

Hi All,

I was wondering if anyone out there may help me with a solar panel problem that I am experiencing? The vehicle is a 2016 T6 converted by Autohaus.

I have an 80 watt PV Logic Flexi Panel from Solar Technology International which is Silkaflexed to the top rear of Reimo roof (please see photos). The flex from this panel runs to the underside of the roof, along to the front of the vehicle where it then drops into the headliner, it is then extended from here down the drivers B post to under the seat terminating into a STCC10 solar charger.

I have an intermittent problem with the panel that even when the panel is in direct sunlight and is super clean, it mostly sits at about 10 volts. Obviously at this voltage it will not charge the 12v leisure battery and becomes completely pointless. On just a couple of occasions it has measured around 18 volts, which in general light of day is what I would expect from this panel, and the light comes on at the controller charger informing me that it is charging the battery - which on testing it is! But as I say, most of the time it is around 10 volts - when panel is squeaky clean and in direct sunlight!

I have removed the headliner and checked the voltage (open circuit) with a multimeter at the end of the flex leading from the panel. There are no other terminals/connections before it enters the panel's moulded junction box (mechanical and chemically fixed on the panel) and there appears to be no damage to this flex. The voltage here is still at about 10 volts. So I have ruled out a bad connection or any earthing problems prior to the panel and its junction box.

I can't see any damage to the panel cells and I'm under the conclusion that if it has occasionally given me 18 volts that the panel cells should be okay and an intermittent fault would be unlikely from a cell?

I had some other advice that suggested the problem may be within the moulded junction box on the controller which supposedly contain diodes to prevent back feed into the panel's individual cells. It was suggest that if one of these are faulty and blocking a cell then I should expect to see a significant drop in voltage. I was wondering if anyone would agree with this or has experienced any similar problems?

I have contacted the manufacturer Solar Technology International but still awaiting to hear back from their support team. There is a 5 year warranty with the panel so thinking it should be covered but who knows with these things! I'm reluctant to pull the moulded junction box apart as if I am covered by warranty, then don't wish to null and void it in the process.

Can anyone think of any other possible causes or items that I should test first. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

View attachment 66511

View attachment 66512

View attachment 66513

You are not alone! I have the identical 80w flexible PV Logic panels, professionally (allegedly) installed four years ago. About two weeks ago I discovered that my habitation battery was flat, very flat! Measured 10v.

I panicked and hooked up the EHU and the battery started to charge,,,,,,at 18.8 amps initially! The current eventually showed signs of dropping as you would expect so I left the EHU on overnight. Next day I had a charged battery. I disconnected the EHU and my Votronic meter showed no chargeat all from the solar panels.

I measured about 10v at the controller so I got in touch with STI and they prevaricated and had me carry out a lot more tests. I ended up on the roof pulling the wires out of ducts and cutting into them in order to take measurements. Eventually I found a panel above the fridge which I unscrewed and then managed to gain access to the wires and fuses! Made no difference, directly across the wires I got 9v.

After a lot of emails I have got STI to honour the warranty but I've not been quite so lucky as you. I have refused to accept flexible panels as replacements and am awaiting rigid panels. I wanted to go for 100w replacements and was prepared to pay the difference of about £20/panel but STI say that they don't have any. The 80w panels that they have offered are not the ones currently being sold and appear to be old stock. I appreciate that STI are not liable for consequential losses but I would have expected a reputable company to have done something to compensate for the work that is involved. I fear that my battery has been damaged and I have not been able to test the controller and my Elektroblok. The worst may be yet to come.

It may be of interest but my panel were stuck to the roof by small (40mm dia) dabs of what looks like Sikaflex. One in each corner and one in the middle. There was a gap between the roof and the panels and after weeks of sun this gap was full of trapped water.

 

[travelvolts]

There are lots of people with the same problem. I myself have changed at least three of these panels for customers. I think the conclusion is that the panels are rubbish.

 

[Skyliner33]

View attachment 69822

Hi, great job. Quick question, how did you stick these down? They are so close to the roof it doesnt look like there is any sikaflex or adhesive there.
View attachment 69823

 

[Phil_G]

I wonder, with all these failed PV Logic panels, has anyone been asked by STI to return a panel for examination?
If I was PVL I would want to know if theres a common failure mode

 

[travelvolts]

I had a conversation with them last year in behalf of a customer and they chose to talk to me like I was a 12 year old so I don't think they are interested. I get the impression that it is a "box shifting outfit".

 

[Eclipse Custom Vans]

Hi all, in regard to STI panels, we have used a number of manufacturers over the years some are better than others.

We use STI panels and have not had any issues, however I do know that there were a batch manufactured for STI between June and October 2016 which had problems. The top sheet material was laminated upside down with the result that it did not bond correctly and this also left the junction box exposed to water ingress by capillary action. It was a massive problem for STI and their customers however they did replace any panels under warranty.

Since that huge problem the manufacturing process has been 100% changed to ensure such mistakes do not occur and they have not. Failures on production from late 2016 to date have been exactly ZERO but of course there may well still be panels out there of the affected batch that have yet to present problems although not all will present a problem. STI deal with any issues as they arise and customers have reassurance that the 5 year warranty is sound and will be honoured. But of course STI need to ensure that the panels have been fitted correctly etc. hence why they ask question to work out where the issue is.

Hopefully this will shed some light on some of the issues encountered here by forum members.
Cheers,
Ian

 

[Davenjo]

Hi all, in regard to STI panels, we have used a number of manufacturers over the years some are better than others.

We use STI panels and have not had any issues, however I do know that there were a batch manufactured for STI between June and October 2016 which had problems. The top sheet material was laminated upside down with the result that it did not bond correctly and this also left the junction box exposed to water ingress by capillary action. It was a massive problem for STI and their customers however they did replace any panels under warranty.

Since that huge problem the manufacturing process has been 100% changed to ensure such mistakes do not occur and they have not. Failures on production from late 2016 to date have been exactly ZERO but of course there may well still be panels out there of the affected batch that have yet to present problems although not all will present a problem. STI deal with any issues as they arise and customers have reassurance that the 5 year warranty is sound and will be honoured. But of course STI need to ensure that the panels have been fitted correctly etc. hence why they ask question to work out where the issue is.

Hopefully this will shed some light on some of the issues encountered here by forum members.
Cheers,
Ian

Great response and, as the owner of one of their faulty 100w panels from 2016, hoping that the new one I’ve just put on gives me many years of service. As for STI, I can’t fault their customer service and speed of response to my initial query resulting in rapid replacement of my panel.

 

[mikejkay]

I wonder, with all these failed PV Logic panels, has anyone been asked by STI to return a panel for examination?
If I was PVL I would want to know if theres a common failure mode View attachment 73638

I volunteered to return mine but the offer was declined. From what others have said STI know that there is a problem. As a matter of interest I tried to detach the first of my panels by opening up the junction box and unscrewing the leads. The box was full of silicon mastic. When I had removed this I undid all the screws that I could see but one connection seemed to be soldered. I simply cut the second panel off.

 

[mikejkay]

I had a conversation with them last year in behalf of a customer and they chose to talk to me like I was a 12 year old so I don't think they are interested. I get the impression that it is a "box shifting outfit".

Although the panels themselves are emblazoned with PV Logic and STI logos I think that they are not made in the UK, our even the EU. I was offered a STP080L panel the data sheet for which included a BBA cerificate, dated 2011, for Zhangjiagang City SEG PV Co., Ltd.

 

[Davenjo]

I volunteered to return mine but the offer was declined. From what others have said STI know that there is a problem. As a matter of interest I tried to detach the first of my panels by opening up the junction box and unscrewing the leads. The box was full of silicon mastic. When I had removed this I undid all the screws that I could see but one connection seemed to be soldered. I simply cut the second panel off.

By the time I got my flexi panel off of the roof and had finished swearing at it you would struggle to recognise what it was let alone diagnose what had gone wrong with it