How to tell if solar is working

Bumanglag

Just picked up our 2018 CSS with the factory installed solar three weeks ago. 
We took our T@b out for a one day camp.  We have outside storage and use the cover.  Battery was 13%. Drove for 30 minutes, connected to the hook ups. The battery only went up 1%.  Campground is at the beach. 
How can you tell solar is working and battery is charging?  
We will do another 1 day camp in two weeks where there are no hookups. Need suggestions and tips please. Thanks! 

pthomas745

Do you know what the battery state of charge was, in volts?  A charged battery should read 12.6 volts.  So it is hard to tell what 13 percent means in your post.

Or, maybe you are reading your SeeLevel battery monitor. If so, your 13% is actually 13V, which would show your solar panels were maintaining or charging the battery.  When you plugged in to the hookup at the campground, the stronger electrical current would account for the extra 1 percent.

jkjenn

There are a few different ways to tell. One would be a battery monitor another would be through the solar controller. This time if year, you will experience decreased solar capabilities due to the angle of the sun, so it might be working but not enough to keep up with what you are or have used. A solar monitor is a nice, easy way to check.

Sharon_is_SAM

You are better off departing with a fully charged battery, then I find it easier to determine if the solar is adding to the battery.

Bumanglag

Perfect! I thought it wasn’t charging. So we are full battery and solar works. 
Thanks so much for your time! 

pthomas745

Look over your See Level manual, and find posts here that describe "state of charge" and battery charging states.  A little mysterious, but it will make sense.

The other way to watch and learn your solar would be to just not plug in at your campsite for a couple of hours, do some simple Tabbing, turning on a few lights or the fan.  If your monitor is still showing a number above 12.6, your solar panel is keeping up your charge.  (Note:  decent sunlight is needed, so try this in the middle of the day.  Note 2:  yes I know this is not a perfect experiment.)

ScottG

@Bumanglag, you indicated you were "connected to the hook-ups" at your campground. In this case the T@B's converter will charge the battery, and your SeaLevel monitor probably reflects the output of the converter rather than the state of the battery or the charge coming from your solar panels.

In other words, in order to get an accurate reading of your battery voltage you need to be disconnected from any charging source and not have any big loads on the battery.

I'm not familiar with the factory installed solar system, but I assume it has a controller of some sort. As jkjenn indicated, the controller (if it has a display) should tell you both the input from the panels and the charge being sent to to the battery.

Bumanglag

Thank you @SAM, @pthomas745, @ScottG see level displayed 13.6 this morning at the storage under the cover. 

ScottG

Assuming the T@B was not plugged into shore power at the storage place, that sounds like your battery is freshly and fully charged.

Note that the 13.6V (I'm assuming its volts...) represents a surface charge that is an artifact of the charging process. Don't be alarmed if the voltage drops back to 12.6-12.8V over a matter of hours. That's normal.