wynnielafreak said:
can i ask what size
solar panel you have and how do you connect tow batteries together ? also is the TV connected to an
inverter and what wattage is it ?
I have detailed below my experience with batteries and the like, it is only what I have found and it will not suit everyone, but it works for me, in my situation. Your problem without knowing the full details appears to be either TV with too high wattage , it could be a faulty
battery, you say it is fully charged, or the
inverter is not big enough for the TV. Can you advise the watts of the TV, this usually found in small print on the back and how long before the TV goes off.
Two leisure batteries can be connected by obtaining a good quality cable, say 10 mm thick, similar to the cable used in Jumper leads and connect positive to positive & negative to negative, be aware though, if one of your two batteries happen to fail you might not be aware of this, unless you test them regularly. Similar amp batteries (new or at least similar wear & tear) should be used i.e. 110amp & 110amp. Avoid two different age and amp batteries. Keep the 2 joined batteries close together in the van, I believe no more than 300mm and the closer to the
inverter the better, again no more than 300mm
We now use one (1) 270amp Elecsol leisure
battery, see the Internet, why this
battery is superior, we found having the one big
battery is better than having two joined together 2 x110amp or whatever size are joined, everyone told us we were mad using such a big
battery but we have proved them wrong, mainly because we know the level of performance of one
battery.
A lot of people seem to install small inverters 100-200 watts and keep the
battery supplied with the van, which is usually 80-90amps, just to run the TV, lights, Pump and really it is a matter of choice here, we installed a 1750watt
inverter and a big
battery because we wanted the flexibility and not run out of power
The demand for power in Motorhomes these days either being 12 volt or 240volts inside the van far outstrips a small
battery like 80-90amps that manufactures of motorhomes install. The installed electric
battery chargers in Motorhomes also don't charge a leisure
battery to full capacity so your leisure
battery is never 100% full, in other words they don't allow the
battery to 'gas off' but that's another issue.
Solar panels and the vehicle charger will charge the
battery to full capacity and allow the
battery to 'gas off'
My wife can now use her hairdryer and other appliances that she chooses etc if you can 'pace' your usage of appliances I.E. plenty of charge from the sun for the
solar panel, plenty of power for the van, low charge from the
Solar panel, be wise in appliance usage.
As a general rule high watt appliances run over a small time frame, it paid us to have a big
inverter.
The hairdryer for example is 800watt and it is run for about 5 minutes, so we have the flexibility to run high powered appliances for short lengths of time,
battery levels permitting.
We have relayed the
inverter through the 240volt sockets in the Motorhome and by way of solenoid, when the
inverter is switched on the solenoid sends the power through the 240 sockets. The TV and Sky box are connected through this system. We have 2x75 watt
solar panels on the roof, if I was replacing them now I would choose anything up to one (1) 200watt
solar panel.
Between the the
solar panels and the vehicle charger we charge both the
battery in the vehicle and the leisure
battery. On a good sun day the
solar panels alone can fully recharge the 270amp
battery in less than the day, depending of course on whats been used the night before, we have never run out of leisure
battery in 5 years and we do give it a 'good run for the money'
If you want the luxury of instant power, like at home from the sun, it will cost financially in setting up the system, but it is well worth it.
I have no commercial association with this company but AB Butt Ltd in Leicester have been very helpful over the past 6 years in advice, supply and installation if necessary. The company are dedicated to us Motorhomers
