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Electrical Systems, Charging and Solar Electrical components and wiring, batteries, charging systems, generators and solar topics.
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Old 10-01-2014, 08:50 AM   #1
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Default Solar panel

I have one but no way of knowing if it's working. Can I check at the battery to see if it is working?
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Old 10-01-2014, 09:58 AM   #2
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Originally Posted by Hidonlo View Post
I have one but no way of knowing if it's working. Can I check at the battery to see if it is working?
Yes - the simplest way is to check the voltage at the battery terminals. If you see a reading above 13.0V, SOMETHING is charging the battery. Of course, you need to have all accessories inside the trailer turned off when you do this, since they can reduce the available voltage.

- Jack
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Old 10-01-2014, 09:58 AM   #3
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Pick a sunny day. Disconnect the trailer from shore power and and cover the solar panel with something opaque (cardboard, etc.). Check the battery voltage with a multimeter. Uncover the solar panel and check the voltage. You should see a slight rise.

If you don't see any difference, run a few things on the battery for a bit to discharge it some. You can do this by lowering and raising it a few times, running the refrigerator on battery power (not propane) for an hour or so, etc. Then measure both voltages again.

If you see a voltage rise in either case the panel should be working. You may want to use a digital multimeter because the difference may not be enough for an analog one to pick up.
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Old 10-03-2014, 05:24 AM   #4
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Thanks. it seems to be working I need more sun time raining here
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