Solar issues

[Ploots]

Hi all
has victron been having issues with updates,i ask this because i put new flexi panel on roof 3 weeks ago and a new victron 75/15 mppt (not on roof) as recommended on here all was good, then it slowly started less and less watts until there was nothing for several days,i put lights and fridge on to drain power from battery thinking it would kick in and charge but nothing, my mate checked his and strangely his had stopped working a few days earlier than mine with the same fault, today i thought i would check status on my phone and its started working again I've not touched anything the van has been sat on the driveway locked up, my mate is at work so he cant check his until he gets home, has anyone else experienced this

 

[roadtripper]

If the voltage from the PV side doesn't rise above 5v more than the battery side the charger won't engage on the Victron units.

So if you had a well charged battery and a couple of dull days it may well have not charged and a tail of reducing generated watts is what I'd expect for a battery at near full charge and little load.

Do you have the screenshots from the app for the period?

 

[Dellmassive]

Got some pics?

 

[ginkster]

Mine is still working fine and had an update a few days ago. No issues before either.

 

[Ploots]

I do have screen shots

 

[roadtripper]

And if you click on the link "Why is the charger off?"

As noted above it's likely because your panel voltage isn't high enough given those voltages, but would be interesting to confirm.

 

[Salty Spuds]

I do have screen shots

View attachment 249260

View attachment 249261

Assuming that was taken during the day in good light, I'd say another goosed panel.

 

[Ploots]

It was full light but why did it decide to start working yesterday thats what I can't understand

 

[roadtripper]

If the collector bus bars are damaged then thermal effects can cause a break in them to connect and disconnect as the panel material expands and contracts.

Flexible panels are prone to this as they are... flexible. Rigid panels tend to be bonded to glass and have a much more predictable expansion and contraction.

 

[Bigsidavies]

Since the firmware update a couple of weeks ago my Victron mppt keeps turning itself off. I have to toggle it off and then back on in the settings and it comes back to life again.
Might be a firmware issue.

 

[Ploots]

Where in the settings is that as my mates is the same as mine

 

[roadtripper]

Also if you have a multimeter disconnect the panel from the MPPT and measure the open circuit voltage across it and see if it's as expected and the same as the Victron is reporting?

 

[Ploots]

The voltage from the panel when disconnected was 18.7v

 

[roadtripper]

The voltage from the panel when disconnected was 18.7v

And what does the Victron say when it's reconnected?

You need to check about the same time so the solar conditions are the same.

If the Victron sees that voltage that should pass the +5v above battery level test, if it doesn't it might be worth checking the cabling for any reason there might be a voltage drop like a poor connection

 

[Bigsidavies]

Where in the settings is that as my mates is the same as mine

Settings top right corner, battery, then the ‘charger enabled’ toggle

 

[Ploots]

Thanks I thought it might be that one so far it's made no difference, I will be out tomorrow with my multimeter checking everything again, I might even get some new cable and try that

 

[roadtripper]

If you turn the charger function off there should be no power drawn from the panels and so the voltage shown in the app should be close to the open circuit voltage of your panels if there is good light, if not you're getting voltage drop somewhere or something is shading your panels (which makes a remarkable impact)

 

[Ploots]

Well I've done nothing to it as its working fine today, it reached 110 watts so I'm unsure what to think