Does it hurt these panels to open circuit them? I intend to place an on/off switch between the panel and the charge controller.
1310183
I have no issue (had them a year) with them sitting idle. Current setup is 6 panels, two separate battery banks hooked to a three way switch and at time I toggle switch to off so panels are not charging anything.
1310184
I can't say for sure, but that current has to go somewhere. It might over-heat something in the line. But, at a max about 3 amps, it's probably ok. Think about why you want that switch in the first place. What is it going to do for you that the charge controller won't?
707713
I don't believe you'll have a significant reduction in current unless you start talking hundreds of feet. The specs on this say it has 3 foot cables, but on mine the cables from the panel to the controller are 10 or 15 feet long. (Maybe they changed the cables, maybe they're talking about the cables that go from controller to battery, I'm not sure). The wires are made of copper, so resistance is low. You might have to splice cables together to make the distance, but as long as you do that correctly, it should work fine. Another option would be to solder your own longer cables directly to the panel, which I think would work better.
1153878
Yes. You should remove power. Follow Abbot F. answer for the steps. Some people answering are saying that "if you are careful" or the power is low voltage and won't hurt you. This isn't the main reason for removing the power. It is in your best interest to protect the new device installing, and also the panel you are connecting it to by removing the power before installing.
194830
I doubt if many/any of us have tripped the breaker, so you might not get a solid answer. I've been using two of these for 18 months or so, and have never pushed them that far (nor would I recommend you try to run >15 amps). But it's a circuit breaker, not a fuse, so you should just be able to press the reset button (after reducing the load, obviously!) Hopefully you'll get someone to answer who's actually tripped the breaker, but in absence of that, I wouldn't be concerned about it; that's how a circuit breaker works.
1873946
I think you need to check your controller specs, but I know some controllers may just shut off to prevent damage. Also note these panels are higher voltage which may not be compatible with your controller. I bought a charge controller that won't work with these because the voltage may go up to 45V on these panels. Now I run two of these with the Morningstar MPPT 45A charge controller. Morningstar has a calculator on their site that will confirm whether a planned setup will work with their charge controllers or not. I am planning on adding one more panel to my setup. The 45A MPPT charge controller can handle 3 of these panels. Good luck! I think you need to check your controller specs, but I know some controllers may just shut off to prevent damage. Also note these panels are higher voltage which may not be compatible with your controller. I bought a charge controller that won't work with these because the voltage may go up to 45V on these panels. Now I run two of these with the Morningstar MPPT 45A charge controller. Morningstar has a calculator on their site that will confirm whether a planned setup will work with their charge controllers or not. I am planning on adding one more panel to my setup. The 45A MPPT charge... » Read More I think you need to check your controller specs, but I know some controllers may just shut off to prevent damage. Also note these panels are higher voltage which may not be compatible with your controller. I bought a charge controller that won't work with these because the voltage may go up to 45V on these panels. Now I run two of these with the Morningstar MPPT 45A charge controller. Morningstar has a calculator on their site that will confirm whether a planned setup will work with their charge controllers or not. I am planning on adding one more panel to my setup. The 45A MPPT charge controller can handle 3 of these panels. Good luck! « Show Less
1736596
I bought two panels, have not installed them yet. Starting out with 4 batteries @ 100 amps, plan on going to 8 and adding two more panels
194831
I doubt if many/any of us have tripped the breaker, so you might not get a solid answer. I've been using two of these for 18 months or so, and have never pushed them that far (nor would I recommend you try to run &gt;15 amps). But it's a circuit breaker, not a fuse, so you should just be able to press the reset button (after reducing the load, obviously!) Hopefully you'll get someone to answer who's actually tripped the breaker, but in absence of that, I wouldn't be concerned about it; that's how a circuit breaker works.
1796517
Yes you will need a controller a panel this big would quickly destroy the battery. When it is dark your battery will not discharge any faster than it would naturally.
786205
Our charge controller is mounted inside a storage locker so it stays dry. Once the panel had been in service for a few days, I taped some plastic over the electronics area on the underside of the panel to help keep water out. Months later I added a bead of clear caulk around the frame, for the same reason. Figured it couldn't hurt.
1626141
Do not wire it straight to the panel as it will over charge your battery in nothing flat. The panel came with a charge controller than it very easy to wire into the system. You wire your load up to 10 amps through the charge controller. If you are going to pull more amperage than 10 amps then hard wire that load to the battery. As far as charging the "low" battery there is a formula to determine the charge time but there are several variables you need to know to figure that out. It has no problems meeting our electrical needs on board a 20 foot sailboat with one deep cycle battery on board but our total load is less than 4 amps if everything was on at once. We have been just totally pleased with the panel and controller as they meet our needs perfectly.
336378
yes, that's exactly what I bought them for. Hooked them up to my 50watt Renogy panel. Buy some 10 or 12 gauge copper wire. On one end strip off about 1 inch of insulation to expose wires and connect one pair of these MC4s. The other end strip off about 1/4 to 1/2 inch to fit directly into your charge controller.
1152737
I was not aware of one and I hooked it up without breaking it.If you have a panel in the sun however, I would think that hooking up the batteries and any accessories first would be the right thing to do, followed by the panels connection
2215208
I have the same issue with one of my switches, it is ON all the time, have seen similar comments, it appears to be a common failure with these units. With that said I view it as an inconvenience not a safety issue. The output is only 12V and as long as each individual output is protected (as described) then each one should trip if it gets shorted or overloaded. However to be safe I would unplug the whole unit anytime you mess with the output wiring.
2203338
Jaco, I have used that same breaker on my RV solar panel array. I have not had any problems with it. It is well build and it is resettable should it trip. Your load I am assuming is connected directly of the batteries. You did not state how many batteries you have. Should the load be greater then 50 Amps the breaker will trip. As you have stated that your controller output is 30 Amps you should be fine.
285872
If the panel is small enough in relation to the battery, it is actually better without a charge controller. The controller cuts down the energy flow to a level that won't overload the batteries, but a small panel is too weak to actually be a threat, and it is more likely that the energy is being wasted by cutting it down at all. With more panels, overloading the battery becomes an issue. Then, you need to shorten and fatten all the wire paths, and buy a good charge controller. On a top end charge controller, you can even manually up the voltage output to make up somewhat for what you lose through the wires.
58982
I believe that is the first option. The panel will not come on unless it has a good battery. Installation was a breeze. Good luck.
1711891
Pamela, No, I installed this panel box and breakers myself, I am a good electrician... It is a great product and a very good price.... Bob