Folding solar panels

Solar

You can work it out yourself, you will get about 1 amp in good sunlight, so a very long time for any recharge, merely top up!

That is of course unless you have a week or so!

I had two of the suit case jobs and single 20 watt on my boat, it was useless!

I put mine back on ebay and looked at other options, for any reasonable charge you should look at a hundred watts or more!

You will need a little regulator to prevent over charging for around a tenner or so from Maplins!

A lot of rubbish written about solar panels, work on the principal you will get only 25% of the claimed rating in reasonable sunlight will be about right!
 
I currently have 50W of panels on mine and far from producing 4 amp, at this time of year only a few milli amps. Sufficient to keep batteries topped up whilst standing. But producing no usefull charge for continual use in winter.
 
robjmckinney said:
You can work it out yourself, you will get about 1 amp in good sunlight, so a very long time for any recharge, merely top up!

That is of course unless you have a week or so!

I had two of the suit case jobs and single 20 watt on my boat, it was useless!

I put mine back on ebay and looked at other options, for any reasonable charge you should look at a hundred watts or more!

You will need a little regulator to prevent over charging for around a tenner or so from Maplins!

A lot of rubbish written about solar panels, work on the principal you will get only 25% of the claimed rating in reasonable sunlight will be about right!
Click to expand...

Thanks for your input. I usually only stop overnight on a non electric site and therefore the alternator recharges the habitation battery. I was thinking of stopping for two or three nights in France during the summer and I think that might be more than my battery could handle. It seems, if I am serious about solar I may need 100 watts plus which would involve a permanent roof fixture. I assume looking on the web that I would not see much change out of 500 quid. Any thoughts on this anyone?
 
Hi orian, I use a 50watt roof mounted panel, flat, not hinged as some do, (I prefer the rouges not to see it) connected through a control unit to 2x85amp/hr batteries, and never had any problems winter or summer. Go for the largest panel you can comfortably afford.

Happy Camping:)
 
I'd just start the campervan up for a while each day, the alternator will recharge the battery fast enough. 500 quid buys a lot of vin ordinaire!!
 
Roger said:
I'd just start the campervan up for a while each day, the alternator will recharge the battery fast enough. 500 quid buys a lot of vin ordinaire!!
Click to expand...

Hi Roger good point. Unfortunately less bottles since the decline in the exchange rate.:rolleyes:
 
u could buy a small jenny and top up when ur by no-one or in a noisy enviroment!!!!:)
 
n8rbos said:
u could buy a small jenny and top up when ur by no-one or in a noisy enviroment!!!!:)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestion but my unit is a high top and I really don't have room for a jenny whereas I could have found room for a folding solar panel.
 
orian said:
Thanks for the suggestion but my unit is a high top and I really don't have room for a jenny whereas I could have found room for a folding solar panel.
Click to expand...

Good for you not intending to get a Genny...... I would get at least a 50 amp.... I have a 43 amp and i wished i had got an 80, but when finances permit I will put another 43 up there, as if one should play up, I have a back up.
Saying that though the 43 amp has done all I wanted and if and when my leisure batt starts to fail i shall put in a 110amp that should sort me out.
Another method of cutting your usage is to change all your bulbs to l.e.d that will cut your consumption by 70%:):) lighting wise.
 
tresrikay said:
Good for you not intending to get a Genny...... I would get at least a 50 amp.... I have a 43 amp and i wished i had got an 80, but when finances permit I will put another 43 up there, as if one should play up, I have a back up.
Saying that though the 43 amp has done all I wanted and if and when my leisure batt starts to fail i shall put in a 110amp that should sort me out.
Another method of cutting your usage is to change all your bulbs to l.e.d that will cut your consumption by 70%:):) lighting wise.
Click to expand...

Thanks tresrikay for your feedback. I am inclined to wait and see how my battery lasts this summer in France before spending quids on panels. I have been persuaded by the responses that if I want solar power then a roof mounted unit at around 50-100 watt would do the trick. Interesting that you mention LED bulbs which I saw elsewhere on this site. I believe MMM which comes out next week (sorry must not advertise) are doing an article on LED. Given their low power consumption I don't know why they are not fitted as standard.:confused:
 
Roger said:
I'd just start the campervan up for a while each day, the alternator will recharge the battery fast enough. 500 quid buys a lot of vin ordinaire!!
Click to expand...

I have been told that only the EHU fully charges a leisure battery and the alternator does not. Is there anyone out there who knows if this is true and how much charge is put into the leisure battery? I have scanned the internet without success.
 
orian said:
I have been told that only the EHU fully charges a leisure battery and the alternator does not. Is there anyone out there who knows if this is true and how much charge is put into the leisure battery? I have scanned the internet without success.
Click to expand...

Biggest problem is that the standard alternator is not designed to fully charge a deep-cycle battery in any reasonable time. Yes I know that some will say that is not true and given enough time an alternator will charge a battery to full capacity but I did say "reasonable time". Then we can have the argument as to whether a standard leisure battery is really deep cycle or just a re-labled starting battery

To use a typical example of a 100Ah battery that has been discharged well below the safe level of 50% (for a flooded lead acid type). Running the engine at fast idle for say 1 hour might put a whole 20Ah into the battery if you are lucky - and so might bring the battery up to 50% charge. Once in a while this is OK but if you continually have a battery only half-charged, the life may be short.

An EHU will only look after the battery properly if it is a proper three-stage charger. Some are converters and others are taper chargers and these may not give good results. A solar system with quality regulator will also do a perfect job of battery care.

It all comes down to what your camping habits are likely to be. EHU every three or four days using a quality charger and no computer or microwave and other heavy loads, and a single 100Ah battery will likely suffice. Sitting in the forest for a week in the middle of winter and no amount of solar will help. Then a small generator and a thick skin might be essential. Driving for a couple of hours every couple of days and charge from the engine and you will also survive quite well.

No universal answer.
Whether you have AGM or Gel or deep cycle or hybrid (marine) or starting flooded lead acid also will result in different answers.
 
Tony Lee said:
Biggest problem is that the standard alternator is not designed to fully charge a deep-cycle battery in any reasonable time. Yes I know that some will say that is not true and given enough time an alternator will charge a battery to full capacity but I did say "reasonable time". Then we can have the argument as to whether a standard leisure battery is really deep cycle or just a re-labled starting battery

To use a typical example of a 100Ah battery that has been discharged well below the safe level of 50% (for a flooded lead acid type). Running the engine at fast idle for say 1 hour might put a whole 20Ah into the battery if you are lucky - and so might bring the battery up to 50% charge. Once in a while this is OK but if you continually have a battery only half-charged, the life may be short.

An EHU will only look after the battery properly if it is a proper three-stage charger. Some are converters and others are taper chargers and these may not give good results. A solar system with quality regulator will also do a perfect job of battery care.

It all comes down to what your camping habits are likely to be. EHU every three or four days using a quality charger and no computer or microwave and other heavy loads, and a single 100Ah battery will likely suffice. Sitting in the forest for a week in the middle of winter and no amount of solar will help. Then a small generator and a thick skin might be essential. Driving for a couple of hours every couple of days and charge from the engine and you will also survive quite well.

No universal answer.
Whether you have AGM or Gel or deep cycle or hybrid (marine) or starting flooded lead acid also will result in different answers.
Click to expand...

hi tony i'm interested in your moroccan travels as i intend a visit there my uncle spends 6mths ayr there in his own place in agadir! is there somewhere i can email you on here
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who viewed this discussion (Total:0)

Back
Top