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Old 09-12-2014, 11:38 AM   #1
DVD
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Will This Work?

I'm in the process of installing a 100W solar panel and getting ready to wire it up to my house battery. The wiring is quite simple, from the controller I have a + and - which run to the battery terminals and a temperature compensation cable to the negative terminal. My house battery terminals are, essentially, inaccessible without major effort, but they each have about 18" 2/0 cables coming directly up through the floorboard with the + connected to a 30A fuse, the negative grounded to the chassis on a bus bar.

Can I, with appropriate connectors, "pretend" that these cables are the terminals and connect the controller to the cables and run the temperature compensation lead down to the battery and connect it to an appropriate place on the battery mount cage?

It would simplify my life immensely if this would work.

Thanks.

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Old 09-12-2014, 12:48 PM   #2
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Re: Will This Work?

My solar power wire is connected to the separator (house batt side) & ground block. The charge thermistor I have needs to be in contact with the battery in some way so it can take its temperature. It's attached with silicon to the side of the battery and has duct tape over it but it's part of the inverter control. I never installed a sensor for the solar although it's probably a good idea.
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Old 09-12-2014, 01:18 PM   #3
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Re: Will This Work?

Hmm... That would make things even easier. Run the positive to the terminal on the House side of the separator (with an in-line fuse), the negative to the bus bar and the temperature compensator lead siliconed on to the side of the battery.

Anyone see any problems with that?
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Old 09-12-2014, 02:15 PM   #4
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Re: Will This Work?

My house batteries are in battery boxes which probably help keep the temp probe on.
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Old 09-18-2014, 02:00 PM   #5
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Re: Will This Work?

It'll work fine......

The only issue is that you really want the temp probe directly on the battery. The temp probe provides feedback to the controller about battery charge level, since fully charged battery voltage changes a little with temperature. If you have an install where the batteries and solar controller are in the same compartment, the temp probe is a bit redundant. (not your case, just sayin' )
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Old 09-18-2014, 05:02 PM   #6
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Re: Will This Work?

Ended up putting it together as above, epoxied the temperature probe on to the outside of the battery (in as protected spot I could find under the van) and everything seems to be working just the way it's supposed to
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