Troubleshooting Low Battery alarm

geoB

I confess to ignorance of the solar power system. Unfortunately, the packet of manuals, etc., provided by the dealer included only a small pamphlet from Aims which did not contain any information on maintenance. The switch itself was not mentioned. Nowhere was there anything about a shunt.

So the set of data I provided yesterday (9/4) was based on an inverter already in a turned off state. Flipping its breaker later made no difference at all. I should be able to turn off the inverter tomorrow (Saturday, 9/6).

Is acquiring a Victron SmartShunt necessary to proceed? If so, what size?

I very much appreciate your assistance and patience. Thank you.

MuttonChops

geoB said:
Is acquiring a Victron SmartShunt necessary to proceed? If so, what size?

It is possible your rig does not have a factory installed Shunt, however most builds with solar and inverter do.  Having a Shunt which reports/records power usage is super helpful while the Solar information reports solar power input.

Does your Victron App list any additional 'Smart' items . . . Victron App Manual (available on-line) will tell you how to check for the other items . . .

If there is no Shunt in your rig . . . all is not lost.
Measuring the battery voltages (after the 5-10 rest) and getting them Auto Shop tested would be needed with or without shunt data.

We know the Solar Controller is working.  If batteries test good and your rig still is having low battery issues then isolating what 12VDC item is drawing down the batteries will become the topic of interest.

Bill&Suze

@geoB, here is a photo of the Smart Shunt in our 2024 T@B 400. Note that it is located next to the battery and connected to the battery negative cable. In your photo of your battery compartment your negative cable runs to the left through the plywood bulkhead so if you indeed have a shunt installed you may find it in the compartment to the left, connected to the black negative cable coming through the plywood.



If I might be permitted to throw a wrinkle in the discussion, one thing no one has proposed is the possibility that your rooftop solar panel is failing. I mention this only because your very first photos from Sept.3 show diminishing solar generation over the course of the previous 2-3 days, with some bulk generation but then no following absorption and float periods. I saw this same behavior in our system a year ago and flailed around on my own with the help of forum members trying to diagnose why the battery was progressively losing a charge and I was seeing only limited solar generation, mainly in the morning but none during the best sunlight hours. I finally took the camper to the dealer and it turned out that both our panels had failed and had to be replaced. 

geoB

There is no SmartShunt on my trailer. I don't follow what is meant by "...the other items".

As of this writing, the inverter is off & all fuses are pulled. Today's phone grabs:


Please elaborate on what the next step(s) should be. For example, next trip to trailer:

• turn off battery, 
• wait 5 - 10 minutes,  
• turn on battery to get Bluetooth, 
• measure batteries (individual & total), 
• turn battery off, 
• remove batteries, 
• get them tested, 
• then ...?

As for @Bill&Suze's comment: Oh, joy!