I got some new AGM 12v batteries last spring. Sealed, maintenance free. Love them. Really clean. I'll never go back to watering batteries.
Suddenly this week the solar panel has switched from showing the batteries as charged (green light) to charging (yellow light) all the time. Could that be an indication that a battery is going bad?
The old batteries I replaced showed the yellow charging light all the time, and they were pronounced virtually dead when I replaced them.
The indicated voltage is still around 13.4 or 5 when in use and 13.6 or 7 when not, so whether the solar panel or the converter is charging them, everything seems to be working. Main monitor panel shows battery power full. I thought maybe a battery cable was bad, but I would think the voltage would drop.
Or would this be a converter issue? Another thing I noticed last night was that the little fan on the converter was clicking, and when I looked at it, it was not spinning smoothly, but rather jerking forward. I tapped the back of the fan, and it started to spin. Haven't seen it working today. Tomorrow I plan to phone the converter manufacturer to ask about the fan.
I have been running the furnace much of the time, and the fan is 12v, but even when I turn it off for hours on a sunny day, the yellow charging light stays on.
Just trying to understand what the indicators are telling me.
--pat
Suddenly this week the solar panel has switched from showing the batteries as charged (green light) to charging (yellow light) all the time. Could that be an indication that a battery is going bad?
The old batteries I replaced showed the yellow charging light all the time, and they were pronounced virtually dead when I replaced them.
The indicated voltage is still around 13.4 or 5 when in use and 13.6 or 7 when not, so whether the solar panel or the converter is charging them, everything seems to be working. Main monitor panel shows battery power full. I thought maybe a battery cable was bad, but I would think the voltage would drop.
Or would this be a converter issue? Another thing I noticed last night was that the little fan on the converter was clicking, and when I looked at it, it was not spinning smoothly, but rather jerking forward. I tapped the back of the fan, and it started to spin. Haven't seen it working today. Tomorrow I plan to phone the converter manufacturer to ask about the fan.
I have been running the furnace much of the time, and the fan is 12v, but even when I turn it off for hours on a sunny day, the yellow charging light stays on.
Just trying to understand what the indicators are telling me.
--pat