Unfortunately, it seems I’ve put the cart before the horse meaning I fear I have a solar setup installed on my camper van that is not sufficient for the size of battery bank.
Here’s what I have:
-2x Eclipse 100W monocrystal panels in series
-20 Amp Commander MPPT solar charge controller
-MT-50 Tracer Meter
-2x Lifeline 4D AGM 210 Ah batteries in parallel (12V, 420Ah)
After living in the van for 10 weeks now I realize that the batteries never reach full charge due to the fact that the solar output is not sufficient for a battery bank with 420 Ah. The average charge the system will achieve is about 12.7V. So, never do the batteries reach a full state of charge.
2 question for your imaginative input:
1. How could I add to the existing solar setup to achieve the charge needed for this battery bank? Space is the biggest constraint being there is only an additional 42”x15” area to work with behind the other 2 panels. And the controller is a max of 20A.
2. Would I be better off downsizing to just one 210Ah battery? The existing setup should sufficiently charge just one correct?
Any help and insight is appreciated. The van will be home for another year so having a properly working solar and battery setup is pretty important. My apologies for being a bit ignorant on the subject and obviously not doing the thorough homework I should have in the first place.
Thank you!
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