Battery 101 / 2022 Tab 320S Boondock

Playa_Bonita_30A

I didn’t know I needed to be an electrical engineer to own a 2022 TAB 320S Boondock 

I purchased in 12/21, but due to life events was unable to use it until now. 

I am so confused with the battery I’m loosing my mind 

I am not hooked up to shore power - just the battery - see picture 

The control panel has all the battery lights in red when I push the battery button 

I also attached a screenshot of the Victron app - I have no idea what this is telling me 

I am willing to pay someone to educate me on this stuff 

I appreciate any knowledge you share 

WayneW

Yes, it can be overwhelming!  My knowledge isn't worth paying anything for, but because no one else has chimed in I'll give it a shot. 

Your screen shot, from the top, shows the solar panel is generating 6 watts of electrical power (6W). Under that, the solar panel is at 16.21 volts at a current of 0.4 amps. (Watts = Amps times volts).  But that's not real important right now.

The battery is at 13.44 volts and is accepting 0.4 amps of electrical current from the solar panel through the Victron charge controller (charger).  The charger is in "Bulk" mode, one of 3 modes of the charger.  There are bulk, absorption, and float modes.  Bulk just means the charger is putting as much current into the battery as it can.  Absorption is kind of like topping off the battery - just making sure it's fully charged.  Float mode is just maintaining a fully charged battery.

The Load Output you don't need to worry about.  The charger has the ability to have wires hooked directly to it and run things, but you're not going to do that.

The control panel is a fairly insensitive measure of the state of the battery.  All 4 lights are lit up which just means it's close to fully charged.  (But it really isn't because the solar charger is in bulk mode).  And what it shows doesn't mean much if you have a lithium battery.  They operate on a slightly different voltage than lead-acid batteries.

I hope this helps.  I may not be clear on all things or got a few things wrong but I'm sure there will be better information that shows up.  Good Luck!!

Sharon_is_SAM

@Playa_Bonita_30A - I agree with WayneW.  The red dummy lights will overstate your charge.  If you just press the battery button once (instead of holding it down) will you get one charge value?  A lot of owners use a better monitor that gives you the % of battery charge which is better information than the simple voltage which fluctuates with use.  Voltage just isn’t a great measure of your battery state of charge.  Ii may be a good idea to plug in and thoroughly charge the battery.

Next step - are you sure the charge controller is set up correctly?  I see an alert by the settings icon. 

(PS - take photos with your camera held horizontally and your pictures will not flip when posted.)

Playa_Bonita_30A

@sharon_is_sam  and @WayneW

Thank you both for helping me understand 

so new to all this 

I know nothing about the battery 

If I push the button one time - not holding down I get the same results all lights on 

There was an update which I just ran 

here is a picture of what is showing now - of course it’s dark now 

Playa_Bonita_30A

Sharon_is_sam and @WayneW

I also posted a question in the winterizing category - can you help me out on this one as well?

thank you both 

Sharon_is_SAM

Replied over on your other thread.

pthomas745

Good for you for trying to figure this out. 

Lesson 1: the panel inside the trailer is not worthwhile to use as long as you have the Victron app.  Getting the app up and running is a major battery education milestone.  The only time to use the "blinky lights" monitor is to impress your friends. 

You don't tell us what battery you have, and what trailer.  So, when you get a chance...find your battery and take a picture and we can show you what it is.  And: the picture will come in useful some day!

What your Victron display is telling you: your solar is working.  With the sun up, your battery is charging.  This is good.

The picture you have of the trailer with no sun tells us even more.  Your battery is showing us 12.89V.  We can't tell if this is "good or bad" because we don't know what battery you have.  The other issue is (and it will be important) you cannot take a reading of a battery while things are running in the trailer.  The battery switch needs to be off, and no charging coming in. (This is what "Sharon-is-Sam" mentioned about "overstating" your state of charge.  The voltage can also be "understated" dramatically if there are things running in your trailer.

So: when you get a chance: find out what battery you have.  Or, just show us a picture.

There are several "explainers" around that will help you fill in the knowledge in this thread.

pthomas745

This is an annotated Victron App page.  It also shows you what the "History" page is showing you.