Solar charging controller for marine use?

peterjaw

peterjaw

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Hi captains,
I am planing to install a set of solar panel charging system. There are hundreds of brands out there, and I think the charging controller is
critical for safety. I wonder if there are specific brand names/models are for marine use?

Thank you very much for your recommendations.
 
You get what you pay for, I would always fit a victron mppt

Theres a calculator on their website to help you select the right one.
 
jwfrary said:
You get what you pay for, I would always fit a victron mppt
…
Click to expand...
Genuinely interested with this comment as I have not seen any issues with using non marine branded controllers. If you take out the fake mppt (pmw relabelled) ones on ebay but stick with reputable sellers, what are you paying for at 2, 3, 4 time the price for Victron? Yes you get some bells and whistles but I think most will fit and forget using only the final voltage in the battery bank as a measure.

Considering the relative small size of solar installations on boats, what is the benefit of expensive controllers?

Like PF above, I have used Photonics Universe kit, including their own branded controllers for several years, their customer service is good and the kit just works.

(edited as autocorrect changed pmw to pms! :ROFLMAO: )
 
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I really can't see how putting the word "marine" will make any difference to a voltage controller, other than persuading the gullible to part with more money. Is there some magical difference between the operation of a voltage controller on a boat, compared to, for example, a motor home?
 
I've had several non marine branded/cheap PWM solar charge controllers, never had a problem with any nor heard of problems with any solar charge controller. You are always, to varying degrees, paying for the name with branded goods. IIRC the concensus used to be that the gains to be had from having an MPPT as opposed to PWM controller are minimal with the small set ups that we have on boats but that might be from when genuine MPPT controllers were significantly more expensive. The most important thing is that the size of your array and battery bank are compatible with each other and based on what your power requirements are...
 
I used one of these on my previous boat for several years. It just got on with the job and never gave me any problems.

EPSolarDuo-600x600.jpg

EP Solar Duo-Battery Solar Charge Controller 12/24v 10A. £33.30

Since I found an MPPT dual battery job, I got this for my new boat, but haven't fitted it yet, so I don't know if it's any good.
DuoRacerfront29172249463-500x500.png

30A Dual Battery 12v/24v MPPT charge Controller - EPever DuoRacer DR3210N-DDS - 100VOC PV - LCD Meter
 
ctva said:
Considering the relative small size of solar installations on boats, what is the benefit of expensive controllers?
Click to expand...
The main benefit of the better MPPT solar controllers is superior tracking of the MPP and more adjustable battery charging parameters, together with greater reliability and manufacturer support.

These benefits translate to a higher output, longer battery life and greater reliability.

Whether these benefits are worth the extra cost is dependent on the installation specifics and the budget, but it is a mistake to consider all MPPT controllers as identical. There are significant differences in the way the tracking is implemented and this has practical implications in marine installations.

To answer the OPs question there are no specific "marine" units. All controllers need a dry and well ventilated installation location.

The popular Victron controllers are hard to beat especially for smaller and mid sized controllers.

Unfortunately even the best MPPT controllers do not have a great reputation for reliability compared to most other marine electronic devices. If the highest levels of reliability are required installing multiple solar controllers ( up 1 per panel) is worth considering. This also has the advantage of increasing the quality of tracking and the overall output. In the event of a failure the output from multiple panels can be rewired to single controller with only a small loss of output, especially if the controllers are oversized. Slight oversizing in the controllers current capability probably also helps reliability as the units tend to run hot when operating near their maximum output.
 
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It's also possible to do temp and voltage sensing with the smart battery sense, or hook up to a wider victron system.

They are high quality components and the transformers are very efficient, also rather compact compared to competitor mppt.

Pwm controllers are good where small systems are employed for battery top up type thing. But where you using more that 100 watts of solar an MPPT is well worth it for the efficiency gain.
 
I looked long and hard, spoke to users and decided on a Epever 30A for our soon to be fitted 400W system.
The Victron was three times the price. I found no bad reports from Epever users.
I shall be fitting the system soon - I will let you know how it goes.
 
rotrax said:
I looked long and hard, spoke to users and decided on a Epever 30A for our soon to be fitted 400W system.
The Victron was three times the price. I found no bad reports from Epever users.
I shall be fitting the system soon - I will let you know how it goes.
Click to expand...
not Sure victron is 3 x the price at £140 is a bit more but if you don’t need the integration looks an option
 
It was 3X from the guy who reccomended me a system. Well over £200 from him. His panels were about the same price as those I bought, but I chose another supplier who had some with more suitable dimensions.
 
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