Solar Panel Not Working

Measure amps coming off the panel, Boss.

<sigh>

Was the system working before? Before what (what has changed)? When it was charging satisfactorily, was it then summer and now there is less available sunlight? When it was charging satisfactorily, were you alone using the RV and now your wife and four kids are all using it?

What makes you believe the trouble is the controller?

The unit was working previously, when I hooked up the battery the controller showed it charging but left over night the battery was dead. I put the charger on the battery and the controller showed it chargeing again even with the battery charger on for only a second. I am thinking controller because I read that if the controller was hooked up in reverse polarity there was a chance the controller would get fried.

Let's break that comment up a little bit, okay?

"The unit was working previously, when I hooked up the battery the controller showed it charging but left over night the battery was dead." Why would you connect the battery to the charger and leave connected overnight? I agree with you, the controller should have stopped discharge of the battery thru the charger... was the battery also connected to the lights/water pump overnight?

I am getting lost in the rest of your comment. Do you believe you may have "... the controller was hooked up in reverse polarity..."?

Perhaps you are charging dead batteries....After charging during the daylight, remove the charger and check to see how long you still have power. If you only have power for a short while, you probably need to get new batteries.

I would hope the controller has a diode to protect it from hooking up the battery backwards. If not, have one installed.

Meanwhile, disconnect the solar panel from the controller and connect a voltmeter to it to see if it is working (during daylight).

If the solar panel is putting out the expected voltage, reconnect it and see if anything is coming out of the controller with the battery disconnected.

Check with the instructions, you may have to disconnect the battery first, to avoid sparks for these tests.

Try an alternate battery, and have your battery tested.