I have recently installed solar power systems in my home. I need to go away for two months during which the house will remain closed. What do I do with the systems,leave it on or switch everything off for that period? Will this affect the charger,batteries or the inverter?
More Pages:
- Solar Turbines: Is It Economical To Use Solar Power Yet Or Is The Technology Still Priced To High? (5/27/2011)
- Solar Lights: What Simple Steps Are You Doing To Cut Down On Your Electric Bill? (6/6/2011)
- Solar Panel: How Can I Set-up My Small Solar Panel To Charge AA Solar-rechargeable Btteries? (5/22/2011)
- Solar Power: What Features Should I Look For When Purchasing A Home Solar Power System? (5/22/2011)
- Need Solar Panel Guru…..?
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Idealy if you could have somone come in once a week to check battery levels, you could leave the system on. 2 Months is a little long to leave batteries inactive but if you have no one in the area to check them, they can be idled. The inverter is not needed to be on and it will not be affected wither way if shut off for that period. Panels themselves should be okay if left open circuit, If you happen to have to a dump load system, that would not be a bad idea to switch that in. Otherwise a couple low voltage incandescent bulbs as load for each panel/array circuit so the panels at least have a nominal load on them when charging would be the best approach. It does not have to be a lot. A pair of 40 watt bulbs, or a pair of 60 watt bulbs fed directly and solely by the panels through the voltage regulator would suffice. Essentially for these you can leave the charge controller circuit online, just disconnect the batteries.
If you have no choice and do a total shutdown, top the batteries up for water level and charge, and then wash the batteries down or at least wipe off the top of the case very well, and spray the tops with WD40 to displace any remaining water, which will cause the battery to self discharge by providing a path across the top of the battery. The batteries will lose some charge, but these steps saved some batteries I had to let sit for 7 months untended. They retained about 80% charge, which was more than one can hope for. Just remember to equallize/desulphate them when put back in service.