In need of a qualified reputable solar repairman/installer.

wrigger

Advanced Member
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Feb 28, 2012
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Location
Smicksburg
We purchased a 2022 28.5RSTS Eagle HT (brand new). Within weeks of owning it we decided to install the solar so we had a Go Power kit ( 3 Panels 2000 watt inverter) installed purchased from etrailer from someone they recommended. All I have had is trouble with it! One day I looked out in the driveway only to see battery acid boiling out of the batteries down the driveway. Went to an event and everything literally went dead, nothing worked very embarrassing with our friends running their generators. So I purchased lithium batteries nothing has changed. Took it to another guy said he fixed the issue but he didn't. Sometimes my landing gear don't function, phone app doesn't work, lights flicker sometimes AC runs erratic. I have all kinds of issues and fear my whole electrical system has been compromised. I would be very appreciative if anyone knows of a reputable person who can please help us out. I live in PA but willing to take it where my problems can be solved. I literally have thousands tied up in this dreadful mistake of going solar. I need help so if anyone knows someone who can help me out would be great.
 
Regarding issues other than solar, I’m thinking your DC negative and your AC ground are not connected to the frame very well. I do not see how that could cause battery overcharging, but outages, very likely an issue.
 
Give country classic auto body a call
973 702 2222
They might be able to help. Their reputation is impeccable.
Located in northwestern new jersey
 
Thanks guys I will look into both. But the classic auto body definitely deals with solar?
 
A mobile RV tech may be an option as well although I don't have any recommendations. One thought I had to share is that many solar controllers have an "Equalize" option that can be turned off, generally it runs about once a month and purposely overcharges the batteries which certainly could have been occurring at the time you saw battery acid as if the batteries are full of acid\water prior to the equalize then it is common they boil over. The equalize setting, if yours has it, should be turned off for LifePo4 batteries and the settings should all be set for the LifePo4(s). The issues you are reporting could be high DC voltage but could also be unrelated to the solar setup. Knowing the battery voltage when you are having issues could be of value. ~CA
 
Check this guy out. RV Solar Installation | Best Mobile RV Solar Installers | CCRV Solar I’ve seen a couple of his installs on YouTube. He does seem to know what he’s doing.

The first thing you need to do is to sit down and write out your must haves, nice to haves, and what you are willing to spend. Realize that what you have currently is a minimal install with entry level components and existing batteries. I’ll go out on a limb and say it likely will need a total replacement.

Don’t be surprised if the quote you receive is in excess of $5k. It takes a LOT of solar panel wattage and usable battery storage capacity to run an AC system. It realistically means swapping out the batteries for Lithium, which will cost a lot themselves.

Good luck with this. It is doable. Just takes an experienced installer and a reasonable budget.
 
This thread is also a great reference for a system that will do just about anything one could reasonably expect.

 
Check this guy out. RV Solar Installation | Best Mobile RV Solar Installers | CCRV Solar I’ve seen a couple of his installs on YouTube. He does seem to know what he’s doing.

The first thing you need to do is to sit down and write out your must haves, nice to haves, and what you are willing to spend. Realize that what you have currently is a minimal install with entry level components and existing batteries. I’ll go out on a limb and say it likely will need a total replacement.

Don’t be surprised if the quote you receive is in excess of $5k. It takes a LOT of solar panel wattage and usable battery storage capacity to run an AC system. It realistically means swapping out the batteries for Lithium, which will cost a lot themselves.

Good luck with this. It is doable. Just takes an experienced installer and a reasonable budget.
We have a Go Power system already installed. Three 600 watt panels on the roof and a 3000 Watt Inverter with two Lithium Ion batteries and it doesn't function properly. All we have are issues with this whole system even when I am auto leveling the lights are flashing red, the AC unit runs then shuts off then immediately starts back up again. I need someone who knows what they are doing and get these issues resolved. I took it to a guy who said he could fix it but didn't another $1200.00 spent.
 
Did any of the installers \ repair guys discuss with you the limitations of a solar\battery system? It sounds from your last comment that the AC was running off of the inverter and your leveling system started flashing red due to low voltage which would also shut the inverter down that the AC was using also due to low voltage (and it would start back once the voltage came back up some). If this is the case then what you are reporting could all be normal and part of what I was saying about the limitations (of what all can be running) of your system (not just yours in particular, all similar systems).

On the other hand, if you were you plugged into shore power when using the leveler and AC and it shut down, then something else would be more likely. ~CA
 
We have a Go Power system already installed. Three 600 watt panels on the roof and a 3000 Watt Inverter with two Lithium Ion batteries and it doesn't function properly. All we have are issues with this whole system even when I am auto leveling the lights are flashing red, the AC unit runs then shuts off then immediately starts back up again. I need someone who knows what they are doing and get these issues resolved. I took it to a guy who said he could fix it but didn't another $1200.00 spent.
That’s a pretty good basis for a solar setup. Sorry about your “repair” experience.

How big are the batteries and what brand?

Could you share some pics of the equipment?
 
Did any of the installers \ repair guys discuss with you the limitations of a solar\battery system? It sounds from your last comment that the AC was running off of the inverter and your leveling system started flashing red due to low voltage which would also shut the inverter down that the AC was using also due to low voltage (and it would start back once the voltage came back up some). If this is the case then what you are reporting could all be normal and part of what I was saying about the limitations (of what all can be running) of your system (not just yours in particular, all similar systems).

On the other hand, if you were you plugged into shore power when using the leveler and AC and it shut down, then something else would be more likely. ~CA
I was plugged into shore power at the time! Our camper sits inside of our garage all winter long in PA plugged in.
 
I was plugged into shore power at the time! Our camper sits inside of our garage all winter long in PA plugged in.
I would double check your inverter and make sure it is not turned on as what you describe could be caused by the inverter running the AC instead of the shore power running it. Some pictures of the inverter setup could be of value as well. ~CA
 
I was plugged into shore power at the time! Our camper sits inside of our garage all winter long in PA plugged in.
No, the installer did not explain how things actually worked, and I am not that electrically knowledgeable. But I just tried to turn the inverter off and I am unable to turn it off while on shore power.
 
First pic - control panel inside of coach.
Second pic - panel inside of storage compartment.
Third pic - 3000 Watt inverter
Fourth pic - 2 Lithium ion batteries 15' x 10"
Fifth pic - name of batteries
Sixth pic - 3 600 watt solar panels on roof.

When on shore power I am unable to turn off the inverter inside the coach, no response from the button.
 

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That’s a pretty good basis for a solar setup. Sorry about your “repair” experience.

How big are the batteries and what brand?

Could you share some pics of the equipment?
I did try and post some pictures are you able to see them?
 
Just by looking at your images, I can give you an overview of what is going on and the good news is that I suspect that everything is wired and can work correctly for you. Your system is a good system in regards to features and settings (I haven't heard good or bad regarding reliability) and from the images you shared it appears (limited images) that it is wired well.

The image below in part identifies the problem as well as the other images but this image below in particular. I want to address these concerns in particular but at the same time I want to provide an optimistic overview as I think all that is needed is a bit of information and some configuration changes and then it will work better for you.

All we have are issues with this whole system even when I am auto leveling the lights are flashing red, the AC unit runs then shuts off then immediately starts back up again. & I looked out in the driveway only to see battery acid boiling out of the batteries down the driveway. Went to an event and everything literally went dead, nothing worked very embarrassing with our friends running their generators. So I purchased lithium batteries nothing has changed. Took it to another guy said he fixed the issue but he didn't. Sometimes my landing gear don't function, phone app doesn't work, lights flicker sometimes AC runs erratic.

Your system has multiple charge profiles, those for lead acid include an "equalize" mode that commonly does what you had encountered which is boils the battery by purposely overcharging it every so often, when the battery is full of water\acid it will commonly boil over during the equalization process (I am not a fan of automated equalization overcharges). Many better setups have this option but I suspect most do not, in any case, now that you have LifePo4 batteries the settings should be changed to AGM2 which does not do an equalize (the inverter/charger doesn't appear to have a dedicated LifePo4 mode). Point being here, be sure that on the remote the settings are set for AGM2 which is the best choice for your LifePo4 battery(s).

Second and in part to what I was saying in my first comment, your battery voltage is too low. When you encountered the jacks not working right and the AC running erative along with likely other anomalies the reason is that your batteries are close to dead. If you notice in the image from you below, the battery voltage is 12.97 which is low for a LifePo4 battery where it would commonly be around 13.6 to ~14.5 if it was fully charged. Because I see the voltage is low and with what you reported the reason is that the battery(s) are low. I also saw your solar controller and the voltage was higher but keep in mind that is the voltage at the charging source and not the voltage at the battery so it would normally read a bit higher in the daytime. In any case, not only is battery the voltage low, but you have "PS" displayed with a negative .3 amps and while .3 is low, what this means is your setup believes you do not have enough shore power to support all of the 120v loads so a feature your inverter has that most do not, is that it can turn off the battery charging and consume the batteries to provide a boost to the 120V service for items such as your AC. However, when doing so and if the batteries are low, and you use them anyway as for example to power the levelers then the battery voltage becomes too low and the inverter shuts down all of the 120v power but only until the battery voltage recovers which it does rather quickly after you quit using the DC battery power for the jacks. In any case, then the batteries become further depleted and the issue gets worse.

The main setting I would suggest and the proper procedure (should all be in the manuals but for specifics), there is a configuration setting for the inverter (in the panel in the image) to set the battery type to AGM2 and more importantly there is a setting to tell it how much shore power you have available and everytime that changes (because you are connected to a different source) then you need to set the shore power max setting (see pg 19 of the remote control manual). What this setting does is tells the inverter when to kick in (so to speak), in other words if it is set for 15 amps, then it will not exceed 15 amps of shore power"input", however it will output more than 15 amps by using the battery power. Again, when it does that, then it doesn't charge the batteries and instead discharges them until they are dead (like when you turn on another DC component) or perhaps not completely dead, but low enough in voltage to shut down. Your solar is apparently working, but it can't keep up with the demand on the batteries.

So, a bit of a summary, if you are using 25 amps and the RV is plugged into and the inverter is set for a 30A outlet (perhaps your RV is 50A?) then you will see the battery voltage jump up and reach ~14.5 fully charging the batteries, and the solar can keep them charged longer (but not necessarily forever). However if you are using an adapter to a household 15A or 20A outlet and the inverter is set to that and you are using 25 amps then the inverter will pull power out of the batteries for the needed 5 amps. Setting the shore power max current with your remote (the wall controller in the image) to what is correct, will prevent the house breaker from tripping and allow the converter to supply more power as needed for brief periods of time (as long as the batteries can output current which is dependent on how fully charged they are), but not for long periods of time (in other words, the batteries can't output forever without getting recharged).

What to set, in the remote (using the manual for the how to) you need to set to AGM2 for the battery type, and second, set the proper "shore power max" which is something you will need to do every time you are on a different shore power (unless it is the same of course, but everytime you change to 15A, 20A, or 30A or even 50A if you have that). Then, when that is set correctly, you need to take a look at this same panel and if is shows "PS" then you are using more power than the shore power is providing which means you are draining the LifePo4 batteries. If everything is set correctly and you see "PS" then you need to reduce the 120v power usage if possible and\or carefully monitor the batteries so you don't run them dead. You may find 15A service is not enough to run the AC for too long, and 20A is a maybe but more likely if you don't run any other 120v power hungry items (tv, laptops, not an issue), but in any case, you want to see the battery voltage go up to the mid to upper 13v's (~14.5v tops) and you want to see that "PS" is not displayed and instead it says CHG (charging) followed by the charge rate in amps that tells you how much charge the batteries are getting from the inverter/charger.

Sorry to be so long and hopefully I simplified this some, while your setup is a nice full featured setup, there are a lot of settings and in particular the ones I mentioned should have been fully gone over with you by the installer, or even the second guy.

Let me know if you have any questions regarding the settings, I briefly looked at the manuals and understand them, but didn't read more than what I was looking for. ~CA

btw, the manual mentioned beep codes and error codes which could be of value if you continue having issues.

If you don't have them, I highly suggest you pull down these manuals and read through them.

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