2016 242 LSE Solar panel replacement

[Motoriderx7x]

Doing some upgrades on the boat in the off season here. I just replaced my batteries from 2x24M's to a 24M(starter) and 2x27m(house) as I'm planning to upgrade the sound system this winter as well. During this I noticed one of my solar panels was delaminating and had corrosion on it (previous owner did all salt water). Pulled the junction box cover off and measured each panel the port panel is putting out 17.5 (no load) so it's fine, but the corroded starboard panel is only putting out about 7.5 so it's basically shot. The panels that come on these boats are Ganz GSP-12's with a max output of 12 watts which isn't very impressive these days. I store my boat during the season pretty far from the house so shore power charging between weekends isn't something I can do which makes things like the NOCO's mostly useless for me. I also don't always run the engines long enough to charge the batteries back up either after running in float mode for hours on end with music playing. So I rely on these solar charging quite a bit. I want to replace these panels with higher wattage panel since the original panels are no longer made and cost upwards of 700 each through the dealer . My issue is I don't know what the DVSR maximum wattage rating is. If I can find a single panel or two similar sized panels to mount back on to the bimini frame where the originals are but of course one with higher wattage and cheaper price I'm going to do that.

Has anyone done this before or does anyone here know the ratings on the DVSR? I looked all over these forums to see if anyone has found a better priced option, but no luck.
Does anyone know marine grade semi flexible panels that have a 16 to 17" width or height with at least 50W rating for under 500?

 

[Judge]

A few things here...... I just did a solar install on my '22 275SD because my boat is rack stored and I don't have easy access to 110V to keep my onboard NOCO charger plugged in.

First, the wattage of the solar panels will have nothing to do with the DVSR if you use a solar charge controller. The solar charge controller takes the voltage from the solar panels (which is higher than 12V) and coverts it to 12V at a maximum number of amps that the controller can provide based on the power of the panels installed, sunlight, etc. For the most part the solar charge controller works like a NOCO battery charger and you can configure it for Wet, AGM, etc. in terms of the battery type so the proper charging profile is used.

I'm not familar with the Ganz GSP-12 but the website says they can be connected to a solar charge controller or directy to the batteries if the batteries are larger than 100Ah.

Have you verified you don't have a solar charge controller onboard? Since you have multiple batteries I'm guessing the guy who installed them took the cheap and easy route and hooked them up directly to the batteries, which I personally do not recommend.

I would ditch his setup and install a 100W Renogy Flexible Panel and a charge controller. Here is what I used and it cost me $200 when I ordered the stuff two months ago:

100W Flexible Solar Panel

Amazon.com

30A Charge Controller w/ Bluetooth Adapter (for monitoring the system via the app)

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There is a 50W Flexible Panel if the 100W is too large in terms of dimensions:

Amazon.com

The Renogy panels come with grommeted holes and I have seen them attached to bimini tops before using bungees and other methods. I used VHB tape to secure the panel to my hardtop.

Since I installed my system, Renogy has come out with a new 150W Flexible Panel with new technology that works better in partial shading. It is more expensive but I might have bought this panel if it was out back in August and it would fit on the space I had available on my hardtop.

Renogy 150W CIGS Solar Panel

Renogy Ultra-Flex 150 Watt CIGS Solar Panel is the most shockproof and pressure-resistant ultra-flex solar panel. Utilizing cutting-edge CIGS technology, it delivers unmatched durability & exceptional anti-shading ability. It is built to withstand harsh weather, corrosion, and even microcracks...

www.renogy.com

I have used Renogy stuff on my motorhome for years and it has worked very well for me. So far the 100W panel and charge controller has worked well keeping my two Duracell Group 27 AGM 100Ah Marine batteries charged and I have had not any issues with the DVSR working properly to keep both the starter and house batteries charged.

One last thing..... saltwater didn't necessarily cause the panels to delaminate. That can happen because of the materials used and the manufacturing process. I have seen panels used on motorhomes delaminate that were used nowhere near saltwater. Renogy will give you a 5-year warranty on their panels that would cover delamination.

 

[Motoriderx7x]

The GSP-12 panels are the stock panels that are currently installed. These panels are not aftermarket this is what came on these boats from yamaha during those years 2016-19 I believe. So this is all the factory setup not DIY. The DVSR is a charge controller for these boats it handles both engine and solar charging by default. These boats didn't have a separate charge controller solar. I did look closer at the DVSR and it handles from 12v to 24v also handles 120amp continuous to 140amp max. Since my wake tower and Bimini support structure has a tubular support that rides on top of the Bimini cover for the factory solar panels I'm re using that for newer after market panels as basically drop in replacements. The only part that sucks is the support also houses the anchor light right smack in the middle. The aluminum junction box for the original panels is also there with the back flow prevention. So the large 100w panels were too big to easy mount because of that. I ended up finding the 30w renology panels that would fit but of course non fleixble. I will still need to fab up some brackets once they arrive in order to get them mounted to the frame. My other concern is the manual and others have said that with the battery switches off the solar charging is disconnected and does not work. So either I leave the switches on or rewire the dvsr around them to get solar working when they are off. I'm going to confirm this is the case with the 1 panel that is still working. I need to install the 3 batteries first (waiting on the grp 27 battery trays) and remove the original 2 batteries and the 24m battery tray.

Edit: I saw that link to those 50w flexibles. I must have spent 2 hours looking at panels and dimensions and doing cardboard cut outs yesterday to test fit. I think those 50w flex will be a better option than the 30w. Thanks for that.

 

[Judge]

Gotcha…. I didn’t realize they were installing solar stock from the factory on those models.

I would investigate the DVSR to see what kind if charging profile(s) it is capable based on battery type.

With the Renogy charge controller I’m able to turn off my battery switches and also set the charging profile to AGM for optimum charging.

Onr thing to consider…. If you got a flexible panel, you could always stow it while underway, then hang it off the bimini when the boat is stored temporarily to charge.

 

[Motoriderx7x]

What does the renology charger do differently for agm as opposed to lead acid? I can't find much more detailed info on the dvsr itself. As far as I can tell after some testing today it does work with the switches off. This is because the panels are supplying voltage on the other side in the same way the stator from the engine would. The dvsr charges the starter battery first when the starter battery reaches a desired voltage it bridges the house battery to begin charging that. I don't know what voltage it looks for to start bridging or even what the cutoff is or if it regulates the rate. I can only imagine it's just a simple device and relies on the source to regulate the rste for optimum charging. I ordered the 50amp flex panels and keeping the 30 Amp panels on order as well. I plan to modify the existing mounting structure to fit these panels and whichever ones don't work out I'll send back or use on another project. I'm going to figure what the optimal rate for charging these batteries is going to be and evidence to add a separate charger or not. The big advantage right now is the wiring is all done and i don't have to worry. I'll post back when I get it all setup in case someone else doesn't want to pay 675 bucks each for the oem panels they put on this.

 

[Judge]

What does the renology charger do differently for agm as opposed to lead acid? I can't find much more detailed info on the dvsr itself. As far as I can tell after some testing today it does work with the switches off. This is because the panels are supplying voltage on the other side in the same way the stator from the engine would. The dvsr charges the starter battery first when the starter battery reaches a desired voltage it bridges the house battery to begin charging that. I don't know what voltage it looks for to start bridging or even what the cutoff is or if it regulates the rate. I can only imagine it's just a simple device and relies on the source to regulate the rste for optimum charging. I ordered the 50amp flex panels and keeping the 30 Amp panels on order as well. I plan to modify the existing mounting structure to fit these panels and whichever ones don't work out I'll send back or use on another project. I'm going to figure what the optimal rate for charging these batteries is going to be and evidence to add a separate charger or not. The big advantage right now is the wiring is all done and i don't have to worry. I'll post back when I get it all setup in case someone else doesn't want to pay 675 bucks each for the oem panels they put on this.

The charging profile for a wet / flooded battery has an Equalization charge mode that uses a higher voltage to basically overcharge the battery to help reverse acid stratification, which is a condition where acid concentration is greater at the bottom of the battery than at the top. It also helps reverse sulfation, which is sulfate crystals build-up on the plates and reduces the performance of the battery. The Equalization mode runs periodically and the frequency of it depends on the specific battery charger.

An AGM battery does not need the Equalization charge and the higher voltages used for Equalization can hurt an AGM battery over time. That is why you will see most battery chargers today with the ability to set the charging profile specifically for Wet, AGM, GEL and Lithium batteries.

Now your DVSR may have an Equalization mode if it also acts as a charge controller or it may not be that smart and not have it.

 

[Motoriderx7x]

Ok so I have the new renogy 50watt panels mounted. Thank again @Judge . I took some extra aluminum 1" flats I had and cut them to size since the new panels are larger than the originals. I bolted them to the bimini structure the original panels were on (I'll probably add some pictures later if anyone finds this thread). Used nylon washers and weather stripping to ensure the panels wouldn't slap the harder frame. There is a small junction box mounted in the middle where the backfeed diode was located and of course the original wires leading to the DVSR and fuse box by the batteries. I'm having a hell of a time working with these plastic coated 10AWG solar wires and getting them in this box. I'm considering by passing the entire thing and just using the solar charger and re-running the wire through the wake tower and boat to the battery area. Is anyone aware of a 2 bank solar charger that also has the connector for shore power (A/C converter)? The NOCO chargers seem to only have the A/C without an option for a solar input.