Just installed my 400 watt system, inverter not kicking on and solar not charging

[Eclipse11]

Everything is hooked up correctly, 400 watt system, 1500 watt pure sine wave inverter, 50 amp mppt solar charge controller. Once connected to battery and solar I check my Mt-50 and shows the voltage at 12.6 for the battery, then shows Zero for the PV. I set the battery parameter at 90 amp hours-sealed. The PV then showed .5 but the sun had just gone down. The inverter is still not turning on and I'm thinking the parameters must be set correctly?? The mppt light is a stable green. No power on inverter.. anyone have ideas of how to get this working??

 

[Craig]

Do you have inverter hooked directly to battery or to SCC

 

[Eclipse11]

Do you have inverter hooked directly to battery or to SCC

Inverter is connected to 50 amp circuit breaker then connected to controller. I also have a 200 amp breaker that connects positive to the battery.

I have 2-210 watt solar panels wired in parallel which is getting voltage down to the solar wires that connect to the controller. Each panel is rated at 40v. Battery reads 12.6 volts at the Mt-50. I followed Will prowse' 400 watt diy install.

 

[Eclipse11]

Just switched the positive cables back and forth on the inverter connecting the controller and circuit breakers.. Inverter powered on. Now just waiting till the sun's out to check if solar charges battery.

 

[Deleted member 165]

Is this an off grid system? The inverter does not connect to the charge controller, just the batteries.

 

[b.james]

What brand and model?

mppt solar charge controller

What voltage do you get across the controller PV contacts when the sun is out?
Make sure with a multimeter that that voltage is positive and negative round the right way.
You would not believe how many goes I had at getting the polarity right ...4....and only then did I realise I had the multimeter leads plugged in the wrong way. I was swearing blind the panel makers had got it marked wrong!

 

[offgriddle]

Make sure your load is connected directly to the battery. When the load is applied, take a voltage reading at the battery and see what the voltage reads.The minimum you should read is 11.6 volts under no load condition. Also, make sure you take a voltage reading at the inverter. Note: For best results, do not let your la or sla batteries drop below the recommended no load discharge level of 11.6 volts and do not store or otherwise allow the batteries to remain at minimum charge level.

 

[Eclipse11]

Plugged in the solar wires and still no power coming in. My panels are wire in parallel and the battery voltage is 12.6.

 

[Eclipse11]

Solar Wire Readings at the controller

 

[Eclipse11]

Is this an off grid system? The inverter does not connect to the charge controller, just the batteries.

Correct off grid system.

Charge controller positive is connected to a 50 amp circuit breaker and that 50 amp circuit breaker also connects to the positive wire to inverter so they are not directly connected except for a negative wire.

 

[Craig]

Connect inverter directly to batteries through the fuse do not connect inverter to charge controller

 

[Eclipse11]

Change controller is connected to negative bus bar and 50 amp fuse. Still no solar power to controller, (green light should illuminate above pv connections once connected), orange light now is illuminating. Battery still at 12.6 volts. Inverter powers on. Nothing trips.

 

[Eclipse11]

Okay now nevermind most of what I said. My polarity of connectorS going into the controller were simply opposite. Just switched the negative to negative and positive to positive ( confused myself having the butt ends of connectorS opposite). Now all systems are functioning and getting solar to the battery. My mppt lights are both on and both are flashing green. Correct me if I'm wrong but I think that's alright instead of just the PV flashing and the battery led a stable green.

 

[b.james]

Sounds good to me . Done it myself often . I mark all the negatives clearly with a black marker pen. Including my multimeter now!
You have 160V coming from solar I think.
Mate buy yourself a digital multimeter and a digital current meter, only about $30 each on ebay and I would not be without mine . Auto off and auto voltage selection

And it would save my neck if you rotated the photos first.

 

[moneyhan]

Are you getting a voltage reading from your panels when you check before the wires come into the charge controller?