[RE-wrenches] Breaker trip

[Daniel Tittmann]

looks like you have the answers here.  When we have this issue the way we
have fixed in the past is re route the battery positive from the CC to the
battery terminal it self.  This makes the inverter take the current form
the batteries not from the CC capacitors.   See Jay's note on battery
health as well as that is likely a problem if not now, then soon.
Good luck

Daniel Tittmann
CTO
Greenwired
www.greenwired.com
daniel at greenwired.com
707-923-2001 Ext. 500 (office)
707-206-5088 (Cell)

On Wed, Dec 6, 2017 at 12:45 PM, bob at midnitesolar.com <bob at midnitesolar.com>
wrote:

>
> What can sometimes happen when the charge controller is wired electrically
> close to
>
> the inverter and long-ish battery cables are used from that connection
> point to the batteries is
>
> that surge currents from the inverter DC connection will be drawn from the
> charge
>
> controller and its battery side filter capacitors.  That might not be the
> problem here
>
> but the way to fix that is to wire the charge controller's battery wires
> closer to the
>
> battery terminals so the inverter is forced to draw its current more from
> the batteries.
>
>
> On William's PS note, the Classic has both negatives tied together at the
> terminal block
>
> but the Kid has the separate negatives for the shunts to read battery and
> PV current
>
> so they need to be separate for the Kid.
>
> boB
>
>
>
>
> On 12/6/2017 10:03 AM, William Miller wrote:
>
>> Mac:
>>
>> Is this breaker perchance a GFDI breaker?  If so, the tripping could be
>> indication of current flow in the bonding leg.  This is a more nuanced
>> problem.
>>
>> William Miller
>>
>> PS:  I am not familiar with the Midnite charge controllers.  I do know
>> there
>> are differences on how charge controller negative leads should be
>> connected
>> from manufacturer to manufacturer.  For example, Outback charge
>> controllers
>> can accept just one negative lead from a common bus.  Blue Sky
>> controllers,
>> on the other hand, require both a negative connection from the PV and one
>> to
>> the battery bus.  This should be checked to eliminate as a contributing
>> factor.
>>
>> William
>>
>>
>>
>> Lic 773985
>> millersolar.com
>> 805-438-5600
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: RE-wrenches [mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On
>> Behalf Of August Goers
>> Sent: Wednesday, December 06, 2017 7:00 AM
>> To: RE-wrenches
>> Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Breaker trip
>>
>> Hi Mac,
>>
>> What size breaker is tripping? I assume you are running at 48 v?
>>
>> August
>>
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Dec 6, 2017 at 4:18 AM, Mac Lewis <maclewis1 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Hello wrenches,
>>>
>>> I've got a mysterious breaker tripping that I need some ideas on how
>>> to fix.
>>>
>>> Original system:
>>> Array 6 x 235W Kyocera modules
>>> 1 x Outback FM60 charge controller
>>> 1 x Magnum MS 4024 PAE inverter
>>>
>>> Upgraded system we stacked a second inverter to accommodate an air
>>> compressor:
>>> Array 6 x 235W Kyocera modules
>>> 1 x Outback FM60 charge controller
>>> *2 x Magnum MS 4024 PAE inverter*
>>>
>>> There have been no changes to the solar array, just to the inverter
>>> side of the system.  We have been getting intermittent breaker
>>> tripping (a couple of weeks between) on the battery breaker side of the
>>> charge controller.
>>> The basics have been checked and rechecked.  Torque is good on all
>>> sides of the breaker all the way to the battery bussing.
>>>
>>> The only thing that I can think of is that during a surge on the AC
>>> side its sucking enough current out of the charge controller caps to
>>> trip this breaker occasionally.
>>>
>>> Has anyone experienced this?  The only way I can see to fix it is to
>>> go with a larger breaker ampacity, but maybe there is something
>>> better.  Does anyone no how quickly the max current setting in the
>>> Outback can respond, would dropping this help?
>>>
>>> Thanks
>>>
>>> --
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Mac Lewis
>>>
>>> *"Yo solo sé que no sé nada." -Sócrates*
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> List sponsored by Redwood Alliance
>>>
>>> List Address: RE-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org
>>>
>>> Change listserver email address & settings:
>>> http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org
>>>
>>> List-Archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.
>>> org/maillist.html
>>>
>>> List rules & etiquette:
>>> www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm
>>>
>>> Check out or update participant bios:
>>> www.members.re-wrenches.org
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>> List sponsored by Redwood Alliance
>>
>> List Address: RE-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org
>>
>> Change listserver email address & settings:
>> http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org
>>
>> List-Archive:
>> http://www.mail-archive.com/re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.or
>> g/maillist.html
>>
>> List rules & etiquette:
>> www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm
>>
>> Check out or update participant bios:
>> www.members.re-wrenches.org
>> _______________________________________________
>> List sponsored by Redwood Alliance
>>
>> List Address: RE-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org
>>
>> Change listserver email address & settings:
>> http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org
>>
>> List-Archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/re
>> -wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org/maillist.html
>>
>> List rules & etiquette:
>> www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm
>>
>> Check out or update participant bios:
>> www.members.re-wrenches.org
>>
>>
> _______________________________________________
> List sponsored by Redwood Alliance
>
> List Address: RE-wrenches at lists.re-wrenches.org
>
> Change listserver email address & settings:
> http://lists.re-wrenches.org/options.cgi/re-wrenches-re-wrenches.org
>
> List-Archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/re-wrenches@lists.re-wrenches.or
> g/maillist.html
>
> List rules & etiquette:
> www.re-wrenches.org/etiquette.htm
>
> Check out or update participant bios:
> www.members.re-wrenches.org
>
>