Friends:
I got a call from a client inquiring as to why his generator was starting every morning, even though no one was staying at the property and there was decent, albeit winter, sunshine. While looking into it I noticed that when his generator did run the battery voltage did not stay at absorb level for the prescribed time period as set in the battery charging settings. Outback tech support said that, lacking a better theory, it might be possible the FNDC could be affecting the charge settings. I do not allow FNDCs to control generator run, so this seemed unlikely. However I had no better idea and am being not much of a fan of the FNDC, I agreed to unplug it. There was no change in the generator charging voltage profile made by this. I got curiouser and started looking at other Outback sites. All of my normal Outback off-grid systems with both Radian and VFX inverters are exhibiting the same problem. I know this is kind of in the weeds, but that is what we are here for, right? I made a little web page about this issue to easily share information and graphics. Here is the link <https://millersolar.com/MillerSolar/case_studies/38-Radian_Charging/Outback_Charging.html> . This issue has serious implications for my clients. The charging profiles seen are not good for these batteries. Eventually the deficiencies in the charging regime will shorten the life spans of very expensive batteries. I am not very informed about lithium batteries, but I would be interested if this profile is bad or not for lithium batteries. I am hoping this is not a design or programming defect. I would be interested in any shared experience. Maybe some of you could glance at your Optics displays and see if you are seeing the same thing. All input is very much appreciated. William Miller Miller Solar 17395 Oak Road, Atascadero, CA 93422 805-438-5600 www.millersolar.com CA Lic. 773985
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