Solar registering night symbol when sunny

Jimid

Hi!  Solar controller is showing night symbol during day with sun. Also, volts seem to register 1.5, and current/amps at 0. Any other troubleshooting ideas?

pthomas745

What solar controller?  A battery that is fully charged may not need to be sending anything to the battery.  If the controller is not properly connected (the cables from the panel) it may also think there is no sun, etc. 

Jimid

It’s the one before the Victron. The HP 2440 Smart Solar Controller. Not sure why it would register the moon when sunny, and just 1.5 volts on the controllers display. 

pthomas745

The one from this morning, now I remember.

Have you had a good look at the controller and made sure the connections are secure?  Do you have a multimeter to measure any thing about your controller or battery?

Jimid

I appreciate your help pthomas!  Yes, I have a multimeter, just not sure what to measure I did quickly reverse the two wires from panel, but didn’t seem to make a difference. Wondering if I may need to swap the HP for the Victron 

NorthIsUp

It is possible that the solar panels are no longer working. What you're experiencing was what happened to mine and I replaced them.
I don't think getting a Victron will help in your present situation. You do need to test for voltage coming from the panels using the multimeter when there's ample sunlight. You should see DC voltage at least in the high teens or 20's VDC.  Disconnect the panel's wires from the controller and touch them with the multimeter.
If you do go with Victron down the road, keep in mind that the negative and positive terminals are reversed (left and right) from what the original controller has, so be careful connecting them. 

pthomas745

With the meter, you can use the probes on the little screws there where the solar wires come into the controller.  If the panels are sending voltage to the controller, you should get some response from the meter.  You will also be able to determine if the panels are properly wired.  I would do the same with the two inputs from the battery and see if the battery is being "read" by the controller.  There may also be fuses involved near the controller, and fuses on the positive side of the battery cables at the battery, so check them.

See what the panels tell you.

Jimid

thank you NorthIsUp and pthomas. Much appreciated. I will try the multimeter on the incoming solar wires again. How do I test to know if panels are wired correctly?  When I tested leads to battery on controller, the voltage was over 13, so that seems to be working. It’s sunny somewhat, so will be interesting to see if controller will show the sun icon vs moon today 

pthomas745

The controllers from back then (only five years!) seem kind of primitive compared to today.  Hard to tell, but the controller's moon symbol may not mean "night", but might mean shut down for another reason. When you tested the battery voltage, was the trailer on shore power?  The 13v reading would seem to indicate a battery charging from some source.

To check the polarity of the cables from the panel: with the proper probes of the meter (negative and positive) on the positive and negative screws on the controller, you should get a positive value on the meter. 

The battery may be fully charged, and the moon symbol may simply mean the controller is waiting for the battery voltage to drop enough to start charging again.  With the trailer not on shore power, try running some items in the trailer for a while and see what reaction the controller gives you.

Jimid

Will try all of those things, thx! I actually took out both sets of wires, and redid them with battery wires first. When I touch the two wires coming from solar panel, I get no reading other than 0 :(. When I put them back in controller, I get a reading of 1.1 amps

Jimid

This is my multimeter 

Jimid

Jimid

Unplugged shore and turned on one led light and fantastic fan. Voltage seems to drop .1 every 15-20 seconds. That typical? Actually seems to be holding now at 12.5 v according to controller display. What should I let battery drop to to test if solar kicks in?

pthomas745

I edited your photo, I hope you don't mind.  The Forum software does strange things to photographs sometimes.

The fan will use a couple of amps per hour, so it may take just a bit to drop the battery voltage.  So, if you have time, give it an hour at least.

The comment from Northisup above may be the worst case here.  Solar panel design, especially for flexible panels, has improved quite a lot.  It would seem to me you should be seeing some sort of better voltage from the panel if it is in the sun.

Jimid

Agreed. Volts up nominally to 1.25. Turned on fridge too. Battery now measuring 12.3v. Thx for rightsizing pic. Sorta feeling that the panel may never have worked. We bought the trailer new in aug 2018, but other than two nights in Acadia, we have always had shore power…so never really checked Solar for battery charging. Grateful for your help!

Jimid

@NorthIsUp, was it a complicated job to replace the panel?  I’m wondering about access to the wires as they run from roof to controller. We have the TAB320 clam with kitchen outside

pthomas745

@Jimid if the solar has never been checked: it is quite possible it was never correctly wired.  There were several stories back then of solar panel wiring that was just left...unconnected, or badly spliced.

Look over this thread for an example of poor/bad wiring and where to look. 

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/9800/2019-t-b-320-boondock-solar-panel-low-voltage

This thread has an example of a failed panel.  The owner simply installed new panels over the old. There is also a photo of where to test the panel at the panel on top of the trailer.  That would show if the panels are actually producing power.  If yes, then the problem is the wiring coming down into the trailer.

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/13878/2019-tab400-factory-solar-panels-dead

NorthIsUp

@Jimid  I have a 400 and the example that @pthomas745 quoted above is exactly what I went through to change panels. I bought two of these and my dealer installed them.  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BMNGVV3/ 
I did do the troubleshooting myself with a multimeter and knew exactly what needed to happen and where the necessary wires ran.  The new panels connect together on the roof into a single pair inside one of those black connectors and we did not change the original single pair that runs down from that connector into the roof and to the controller, as that pair of wires was intact. No need to rip up walls to replace that good wiring. The connections of the two new panels to that pair of wires is made on the roof.  At the same time that the panel(s) blew (April 2023), I upgraded from the OEM to a Victron solar controller. I also thought it was a good time to upgrade to Battle Born batteries, too, since I live where they're made and visited the factory and picked up a set of two. It's been a pleasurable upgrade.
I know that's a leap from where you're at, but it is a useful upgrade to consider.

Jimid

fantastic!  I will review these suggestions and links, and see what else I can learn and troubleshoot. I will post an update once I have made some progress . Best for your weekend!

Jimid

So if the right way to test the panel is to undo the two rooftop couplers and stick the multimeter probes inside…looks like zero volts. Inclined to assume it’s a dead panel. I did take small AC unit out as well and could see where the black rooftop wires coupled with red and white. Connections seemed secure, so again, have to believe I have a dead panel.