RluxRV DS-ND solar controller.

[Red_Stephens]

2025 Forester 2861DS
I'm not impressed with this solar controller, the manual is clear as mud. I'm having an issue with the batteries appearing to be in a low voltage state although the controller shows 12.6-12.8 volts. We were on a weekend trip a couple weeks ago and upon returning I insured everything was off and turned off the battery disconnect. Rig is parked in full sun and I've checked it several times and no issues. However, this morning I went out and after turning on the disconnect I turned on the l/r lights and they were flickering, the fridge came on but showed an E01 error and a LED icon was red and a alarm was beeping, the generator would not even try to start. I started the engine and after a couple minutes the lights stopped flickering, the generator started and the fridge exited fault mode.
Going through the controller manual I found the setting for battery type and it was on GEL, which these are not. They appear to be AGMs, no caps for checking fluid. There is no AGM setting, only GEL, Li, USE, and FLOODED. I set them to USE by process of elimination.
I've checked battery cable terminations and all appear good, no loose ones.
This controller doesn't even show up on the Rlux website.
Any input would be appreciated.

 

[bikendan]

Moved thread from the General Community Discussion section to the Electrical, Charging Systems and Solar sub-forum since the OP's questions are specific to that sub-forum and are not general community discussion questions.

 

[Aussieguy]

How many panels you got and what is their wattage?

Use multimeter to confirm your solar is actually getting to battery when you store it… ensure solar is not disconnected when you turn off the battery disconnect

And have the battery tested to make sure it can hold a charge

Measure the output volts of the solar
Controller
Dirty or loose connections can give you voltage loss in the wiring enough to stop charging

Lifepo4 much more friendly and faster charging for solar

 

[Red_Stephens]

How many panels you got and what is their wattage?

Use multimeter to confirm your solar is actually getting to battery when you store it… ensure solar is not disconnected when you turn off the battery disconnect

And have the battery tested to make sure it can hold a charge

Measure the output volts of the solar
Controller
Dirty or loose connections can give you voltage loss in the wiring enough to stop charging

Lifepo4 much more friendly and faster charging for solar

This is a new rig, just picked it up March 1st so still in a learning curve on this particular unit. All solar related devices are OEM, manufacturer is RluxRV, 900 watt panel. The manual is absolutely clear as mud. Although I've not verified voltage at the controller itself (I honestly haven't even found it yet), the display which is remote shows varying voltages from the panel according to time of day, cloud cover, etc.

 

[Aussieguy]

most controllers you can hit buttons to view a new screen..... of information
you can try and scroll through to find the amps or watts being sent to battery ...
voltage FROM controller is set to your battery type (14.2v?)

so lets do some simple math................. if you see 10amps
10 x 14.2 = 142watts is getting to battery
if you got a 300ah battery.... and it is 1/2 full = 150ah used

a 10 amp charge from the controller will take 15 hours ...
and since you only get around 5 - 6 max hours of charging per day you can ONLY try to get more amps ( more panels )
aim for enough panels to replace the power used by around 2-3pm the latest each day
150ah / 4hours = 37.5 amps per hour

Other alternative is to use LESS power....
use coffee pot on stove for coffee. = nice aroma to wake up to
TV ... I use Ipads
7 inch fans.. have their own battery and are charged via USB... recharge when needed and lots of sun
ETC ETC

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AND battery needs to be actively absorbing the power
a 1/2 flat battery will suck up the amps as much as it can, close to the maximum the controller is rated for (20,30,50)
compared to a battery that is almost full ........... you may only see around 5 amps or less going to battery .... The amps difference can vary quite a lot and is normal

If you drain your battery to around 60-70% and you never see the controller putting out decent amps... (on good sunny day)
then you need to have the solar looked at more
a) wiring is good ... including all connections
b) panels are not shaded
c) panels are clean


since it is new .... I would contact Forest river and see if they will allow/pay a solar person to look at it
( not necessarily a rv service tech )