Silly question I know but is it possible to use folding solar panels if you have a solar panel on your roof and if so where do you connect the folding panels to charge your batteries and are they effective????
Portable solar panels
- Thread starter Four of us
- Start date
You can add additional panels however you must use one regulator. This issue lies that they get confused and tell each other the batteries are full and thus won't bulk charge.
I have bypassed the regulator on my 190w portable panels and tapped into the van regulator via a dedicated Anderson plug.
I didn't know that . I often thought I could just mount an Anderson plug under the van straight to the batteries and plug my portable panels if I needed to . Thank you
We have done this.
I ran the leads from the roof panel down through the floor (Jayco left them loose under the dinnette seat where the battery went) and put them into an Anderson plug running a new lead up to the regulator. This way I can plug the 100wfolding panel in outside when I want to or just have the 120w from the roof all other times.
BJ
I ran the leads from the roof panel down through the floor (Jayco left them loose under the dinnette seat where the battery went) and put them into an Anderson plug running a new lead up to the regulator. This way I can plug the 100wfolding panel in outside when I want to or just have the 120w from the roof all other times.
BJ
Yes using regulator is pretty important..I have got additional panel and recently got regulator for proper working..
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so... i have the panel on my roof, running through the setec controller, but want to be able to hook up my portable for exceptional occassions... i was going to hook a 6mm twin core to the batteries and out to an anderson plug on the draw bar, but are you saying that won't work then?
The extra panel has to go through the same regulator (solar input) as the one on the roof.
Is this feed accessible? If so, just tap into that and run your anderson from there. If your folding has a regulator, then you will need to disconnect that.
BJ
hmm well thats a pain in the backside then aint it! It does have its own regulator. Not real keen on disconnecting it as i use it for my ski boat, and lawn mower etc pretty often. grr. Might have to put a 3 way switch in there somehow to make things quicker..
If that is the case, how about just putting a connector into it. From the panel, go into a connector then have a lead made up so can go connector to van, or connect back into the reg. sometimes simple is better than switches etc especially when away.
BJ
This how we dealt with adding a portable solar panel. Removed regulator from portable panel and then connected to an Anderson plug outside the van which went to the van regulator and as we wanted to charge other batteries as well mounted the regulator in a old drill case with connections.
S
Still in experimenting stage and as we are newbies to caravaning will probably keep as a back up for Waeco fridge freezer. Bessie.
I run a 70L EvaKool fridgemate to keep my beverages frosty when i'm away for more than 2 or 3 days. And i don't much like camping in full sun in the summer time out here so i try and find shade, especially from the arvo sun. So the rooftop aint always ideal for me..
love the fridgemate, its identical to the one in the picture attached, however i've never actually had to park a camper trailer on it to keep the bludgers out ;D
love the fridgemate, its identical to the one in the picture attached, however i've never actually had to park a camper trailer on it to keep the bludgers out ;D
Maybe the people who own that "Follow Me Camper" had the camper follow them to the fridge :drum: