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07-16-2019, 12:13 PM
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#1
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Member
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Lantzville, British Columbia
Trailer: 2019 21'
Posts: 37
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Solar not Charging
Our solar panel is not charging. There is a moon symbol instead of a sun on the display. The panel is on the roof, in the sun. It is a 6 month old trailer so it is not dirty. I have read the manual and watched the video. Now I am at a loss.
Please help!
Dee
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07-16-2019, 12:31 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
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Have you checked the cables/connections. What does the book say about the "moon" icon?
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
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07-16-2019, 12:34 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Oswego, New York
Trailer: 2017 Escape 21C, 2018 Ford F150
Posts: 5,363
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dee
Our solar panel is not charging. There is a moon symbol instead of a sun on the display. The panel is on the roof, in the sun. It is a 6 month old trailer so it is not dirty. I have read the manual and watched the video. Now I am at a loss.
Please help!
Dee
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Check all the connections. The moon symbol means there is no input from the panel. Could be on the roof or at the controller, but unless the controller died, I suspect that is the problem.
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07-16-2019, 12:46 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
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I just read my manual, the 1/2 crescent moon means no input from solar panel. Is it clean and the cables on the roof connected?
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
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07-16-2019, 12:54 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Northern California, California
Trailer: 2019 Escape 21
Posts: 759
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Here's what the manual says about the moon symbol:
Display Reading: Nighttime
Time of Day: Daytime
Possible Causes:
Panel is covered by something; PV panel is too dirty to supply a high
enough voltage to charge the battery; PV panel is not connected.
Remedy:
Check the panel and to ensure it is not obscured. Clean the panel if it is
dirty. Check that PV cables are connected to the controller.
Also, is your main battery switch in the off position? Might that impact the solar connection?
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07-16-2019, 01:01 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1700
Posts: 14,935
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bea
Also, is your main battery switch in the off position? Might that impact the solar connection?
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Typically, the solar charging system wiring and isolation/storage switch are arranged so that the solar charge controller output is always connected to the battery, regardless of the switch position. If it were not wired that way, then this switch would certainly be a possible cause of a lack of charging.
But...
regardless of the wiring of this switch, the wiring from the panels to the controller is always connected (there is no switch in it, in the normal installation by Escape), so the controller should never be disconnected from the panels. That checklist from the manual is right starting point.
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07-16-2019, 01:09 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Northern California, California
Trailer: 2019 Escape 21
Posts: 759
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian B-P
Typically, the solar charging system wiring and isolation/storage switch are arranged so that the solar charge controller output is always connected to the battery, regardless of the switch position. If it were not wired that way, then this switch would certainly be a possible cause of a lack of charging.
But...
regardless of the wiring of this switch, the wiring from the panels to the controller is always connected (there is no switch in it, in the normal installation by Escape), so the controller should never be disconnected from the panels. That checklist from the manual is right starting point.
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Good to know. Thanks Brian!
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07-16-2019, 01:13 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Felton, California
Trailer: 2018 21' ; 2014 19' (Sold)
Posts: 1,301
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Thanks Brian! I just watched Reace's video on the inverter and noticed that the battery switch was in the 'off' position. I posted a question about that on the video since we had been told by ETI to never have the switch 'off' unless you were storing the trailer for winter. And, had I waited a few minutes, you would have answered the question I posted.
__________________
Jan
We do not remember days, we remember moments.
- Cesare Pavese
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07-16-2019, 01:49 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Trailer: 2015 Escape 19 "Seventy Degrees"
Posts: 3,495
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I had a similar situation and the MC4 connectors on the rooftop weren't secured properly and had both cracked in half from the buffeting of the wind and elements. Replaced the connectors with waterproof wire connectors, added a portable panel hookup, heat shrunk and tied back securely to foot on panel. Haven't had any issues since.
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07-16-2019, 02:45 PM
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#10
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Site Team
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Mid Left Coast, California
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21
Posts: 5,122
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yeah, I'm not a big fan of those MC4 things. bulky, and kinda funky.
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07-16-2019, 05:27 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Port Townsend, Washington
Trailer: 2010 17B “MATT”, then 2017 19 “Lilly”
Posts: 1,584
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We had an MC-4 connector fail when our trailer was only days old. ETI sent us spare parts promptly and we were good to go. But only because I had the specific crimping tool and knew how to use it. If I hadn’t I’m sure ETI would have paid for someone else to do it.
__________________
💩-p+☕️+n
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07-16-2019, 05:53 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Trailer: 2017 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 15,532
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I really like MC4 connectors as they are easy to use and easy to disconnect if you need. Never had a problem with them.....yet.
__________________
2017 Escape 5.0 TA
2015 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost
2009 Escape 19 (previous)
“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” — Abraham Lincoln
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07-16-2019, 06:18 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Emerson, Manitoba
Trailer: 2016 Escape 5.0TA, 2022 F150 2.7EB
Posts: 1,848
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Our new to us 5.0TA had the same issue just after picking it up. I asked and was told to check the wiring on th display. On pulling it off the wall it started working just fine.
__________________
Adrian (and Beth)
We are all travellers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.
Robert Louis Stevenson
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