# Ampere hours reducing!!!!! Why



## alshymer (Nov 4, 2007)

Hi 
I have a relatively new 220ah Elecsol battery, connected with an Alden 
Ordijauge.
This has all worked fine until I had fitted a 120w solar panel.
The regulator states the battery is full, the Ordijauge shows 14.3v, 0.9ah going out, (both figures of which I believe to be correct) but the ah keeps going down and at present is 72ah out of 220ah.
The battery has been tested and is 100% healthy and 100% full so why isn't the ah at 220ah?
Any ideas?
Regards
Alshymer


----------



## spatz1 (May 19, 2011)

Just a rough stab at the problem without having much to go on....

If you have a sepperate regulator for the solar going directly to the battery maybe the alden doesnt "see" the power it puts in the batteries and calculates acordingly minus the power you ve put in with the solar..

:?:


----------



## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

Alshymer, are you saying the battery has dropped BY 72 amps OR the reading OF the battery is 72 amps left.

tony


----------



## alshymer (Nov 4, 2007)

*Amper hours reducing fast!!!*

Hi 
Thanks for your replies.
I have now 72 ah remaining although the Ordijauge shows 14.3 volts and 0.9 going out,which I think is correct.
The Hymer control panel also shows both vehicle and leisure battery full.
If the Ordijuauge can show the volts and outage correctly and knows the battery is full, why can't it show the ah as full also?
Regards
Alshymer


----------



## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

It won't be correct unless the ingoing solar goes through to allow it to count what's going in. It sees what's going out because it goes out through it, so it counts out going amp hours. It can't count ingoing amp hours, so it only counts down. Just as Spatz says, Alan.


----------



## alshymer (Nov 4, 2007)

*Ampere hours reducing*

Hi 
Thanks a lot Alan.
Can this be changed then so the input goes through the Ordigauge as well or if not, do I ignore the ah reading on th Ordijauge and assume that if the volts are up, then the ampere hours are full as well, even though the gauge doesn't say so?
Regards
Alshymer


----------



## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

*Re: Ampere hours reducing*



alshymer said:


> Hi
> Thanks a lot Alan.
> Can this be changed then so the input goes through the Ordigauge as well ..................... Alshymer


Sorry I know nothing about your Ordigauge, but you could email the manufacturer and ask them.



alshymer said:


> or if not, do I ignore the ah reading on th Ordijauge and assume that if the volts are up, then the ampere hours are full as well, even though the gauge doesn't say so?
> Regards
> Alshymer


Yes, ignore it and rely on the voltage to keep an eye on your state of charge.

I had a similar problem with the Electroblok on my van but it reset to show the correct number of amp hours when the batteries reached full charge. It looks like yours doesn't do that. Eventually I got mine changed to put the solar through my Electroblok, Alan.


----------



## alshymer (Nov 4, 2007)

*Amps disappearing.*

Hi 
Thank you all for your help.
I have now sorted it. The solar was wired direct to the battery whereas the Neutral should have gone to a shunt.
Kind regards
Alshymer


----------



## rod_vw (May 10, 2005)

What's this 'Neutral' thing? Surely we only have Positive (+ve) and Negative (-ve) in the 12volt circuits, Neutral, Live and Earth relate to the mains circuits i.e. 220v (ish) from the EHU.

Do you mean the Positive (+ve) from the solar controller should go through the shunt whilst its Negative (-ve) goes to vehicle chassis and battery -ve?

Rod


----------



## Antonia (Apr 27, 2008)

The shunt should be on the negative (-) side of the battery.


----------



## pieterv (Feb 3, 2009)

The shunt is a very low value resistor, and indeed normally connected to negative. It enables current to be measured. When a current goes through it causes a small voltage drop which can be measured, and allows the current value to be calculated (Ohm's law).

So if anything is connected directly to the battery, the current it provides or uses doesn't go through the shunt, and therefore doesn't get taken into account.

Pieter


----------

