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JFitzloff

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Posts posted by JFitzloff

  1. 22 hours ago, myrontruex said:

    How old are your batteries? Have you used a hydrometer on them and checked individual battery voltages? You need to do this at night or turn the solar and any other charging source off.  

    Do the battery voltage with and without the inverter running and providing power to your CPAP.

    A bad battery bank could be crashing. Even new batteries can crash. 

    With the recent modifications, I suspect all connections are tight but it is easy to overlook one. 

     

     

    The batteries are two years old. When they were new i install a watering system and I have my phone calendar set to remind me to check the water. They have taken one gallon in two years.

    I have not tested the batters with Hydrometer. I will check next weekend.

    The C-pap runs on the inverter.

    Yes I checked my connections first.

     

    This does not happen every night, only once in 11 nights most nights at bedtime i have 100% at 235-amp hours 12.8 volts and morning it is 75% at 176-amp hours 12.5 volts. When the Battery monitor alarms it is 0% o amp hours and 12 volts.

    14 hours ago, Tom Cherry said:

    Couple of things.  If you have not converted to LED lights, the incandescent are energy hogs.  Next.  Put a power strip on the front and read entertainment center.  Turn it OFF when not in use or at night.  The Standby mode eats power.  If you have a Residential refrigerator, use the Energy Saving mode,  regardless of which refrigerator, turn OFF the icemaker.  The heater coil in it zaps the batteries.

    As to the Amp Hours.  Each battery in series has the same amp hours….so 2 Six Volt 225 AH batteries….is still 225 AH.  Now, the two banks in parallel, are additive.  So, that means you have 450.  BUT, the recommended draw down is 50%.  Know you have a better system than the Magnum, but be aware of the way and how the voltage is read.  On the magnum, the Remote Voltage is 0.15 lower than the real, at the battery measured.  So, you can safely drain, based on voltage, the bank to 11.8 or 11.9 VDC.  For an occasional drain overnight, 11.8 will be a smidge under 50%.  That is read at the Magnum remote.  It will be closer to 12.0 at the batteries,

    You also need to exercise the batteries every 4 - 6 months.  Use a 350 watt halogen trouble ot work light.  Draw the batteries down to 11.9 VDC, measured at the batteries.  Then refill the cells and recharge,  Buy an accurate SG meter and test the cells.  Usually takes 2 or 3 times and they will start to give good consistent readings.

    Also, use your AGS.  Set it to around 11.7 or 11.8.  Let the Genny run for 3 - 3.5 hours….set the charge rate to 80%.  

    Hope  this helps.

    Yes, I am all LED.

    I have a never cold refrigerator.

    I am in process of installing a power strip. my all off parasitic load reads at 3 amp @ 12 volts.

    I have not exercised the Batteries. I will do this!

  2. We have 2005 Beaver Santaim 40 PDQ.  I installed 1370 Watts (Four 335-Watt Panels) of Solar on the roof, 60 Amp MPPT Renology Charge controller, a 500-amp Renology  battery monitor with the factor Magnum Sudo-Sine Wave inverter Charger. I operate the inverter at night to power my C-Pap. We just finished an eleven-day dry camping trip. My solar keeps us topped off really well. I had what appears (we were Sleeping) to be rapid discharge of our battery bank (four 235 ah 6-volt batteries) The last night there i was up at 1:00 am with the battery monitor reading 75% of 235 ah. At 2:30 am the battery monitor alarmed with zero capacity left. Needing the C-Pap I left the inverter and made it till morning.

    Ok now the question the only device in the system with large enough fuses and conductors to survive this type of discharge is the Magnum.

    I have been an electrician since 1974 and electrical inspector now. I cannot witness this as it happens at night.

    Have any of you had this type of issue?

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