slide outs sluggish to extend/retract after solar

[slurrybowl]

Howdy forum.

Forest River Wildwood 2000.

We finished a solar install and have 750 watts of solar, an EVO 2224, and a 24 volt battery bank we are bucking down to 12V to run lights, pumps, and the pneumatic pump for extending/retracting the slide outs.

With the midnite solar KID at 24V nominal, we can see the slide outs are using up to 15 amps to retract into the vehicle. They are very sluggish and the motor/pump appears to be straining.

The slide outs are using a Dewald Manf. Incorporated unit.

Any ideas?

[ScottBrownstein]

Why are you using a buck converter rather than splitting the bank for these 12 volt loads?

[Splitshaft]

Originally Posted by slurrybowl

With the midnite solar KID at 24V nominal, we can see the slide outs are using up to 15 amps to retract into the vehicle. They are very sluggish and the motor/pump appears to be straining.

Any ideas?

Maybe get the person who designed the system to fix it and make it work like a real 12-volt system? I likely would have stayed with a 12V system if that was how the coach was built. Splitting and balancing the 12V loads between the 24V batteries is now going to be problematic at best. So, making the system perform like a true 12V system should be priority for the person who designed and sold it. The thing about motor loads is generally amperage increases as voltage drops. So likely the device to produce 12V output from 24V input is too small and under capacity for the job. Never mind the amps, check the volts at the pump motor. If less than 12 volts at the motor, bingo, there is the problem for the pump, if nothing else.