Solar The Solar Panel Thread
- Thread starter cruza driver
- Start date
I can do with my setup Redarc BCDC1240LV (and have done accidentally with no dramas) but that’s not my intention. My fridge is wired direct to the house batteries which is opposite to common practice... my batteries are then charged via a DC-DC charger via the 240W of solar panels or 300W tug alternator power input. The Engel runs in the back of the ute off the tug battery/alternator power too.
I accidently forgot to deactivate my Anderson plug isolator and 6hrs later running off batteries and solar charging I reached my destination finding the batteries were only at 60% capacity ahead of 4 days of free camping. Lucky it was a sunny day or my food might have been spoiled (LV isolator would have turned the fridge power off to save the batteries). The 150L 3-way pulls 15-18A, my solar reg with MPPT peaks around 16A but on this trip must of averaged about 10A due to inefficiencies with sun light and hence the batteries were run down.
I have wired it up this way so I don’t have to turn the fridge to gas when pulling up for anything up to 2 hrs - when site seeing, shopping, chin wagging, etc. If know I’ll be gone for more than an hour or so I switch to gas and the solar tops up the batteries (only if needed - as the alternator charges at around 22-25A which is more than the fridge draws, and that’s how I roll).
Why the need to change – the alternator should have ample power to run both the waeco in the car and three way fridge in the van when driving?
For some reason I'm trying to avoid putting any extra electrics on my tug. 15-18a is a lot of power to run the fridge. I've got a lot of other mods on my list so I might just try without the cars help for a while and pack most the food into the Weaco. I suppose it's not a good idea to rely on solar because then your stuffed when night driving. Thanks for your input.
I recon just a hotwire from your tug to your fridge will be fine if your fridge is already cold, that's what I've found anyway.
the large fridge for jayco vans - double door - i think 150ltr draws 35 amps - which is a great deal of power. i use a 4guage cable from the car to the anderson plug. would not even cnsider running off the internal battery as 2-3 hours and it is dead flat without solar or alt charge
@adam 18.57.9 Please tell us more about your solar setup, how many watts, do you have? how have you found the thin solar panels, as they are what I'm looking into getting due to weight savings, did you attach them? just stick them down with sikaflex, are you happy with the output, what sort of current are you getting from them etc
Very keen to hear your detailed review on them as I can't seem to find any reviews, only people who have installed them but with no follow up.
Very keen to hear your detailed review on them as I can't seem to find any reviews, only people who have installed them but with no follow up.
the panels consist of 6 x 85 watt panels and 2 x 60 watt panels. the solar regulator is 30 amps, so this is right at its limit for power. the total amps produced on a full sun day has been just under 30 amps. huge power input for solar on a caravan. they are stuck down with sikaflex. the weight saving is also huge compared to normal panels. they are around 1 - 1.5 kilo each panel. compared to 10-20 kilo for a 120 watt glass dual panel system. yes they cost more, no they do not last as long as normal panels - life is around 8-10 years in the sun. this is not the panel itself but the plastic film over that makes them lightweight. however i guess that in the long run, would i have the van for 10 years? also when the van is stored - 8 months of the year - it is under cover. this then stops the aging process of the material on the panels. total cost of the system including regulator (not install) is around $1600. however we run a inverter that runs the coffee machine and other items. the coffe machine draws 100 amps from 12 volts with the inverter, but runs for around 2 mins, so the battery overall draw is minamal and would be put back into the battery very quickly from the solar. the panels are also mounted in a line from front to back, so that is there is shade, it would have more of a chance of missing some of the panels. the systems first test is the long week end next week. where i am going to be free camping for around 3 days on solar. the inverter also has a changover switch attached, means that when no power is supplied to the caravan via the outside plug, it switched over some of the internal and outside points to inverter automaticly.
at the moment i am running 1 x 100 ah battery, but will be taking it out and installing 3 x 100 ah lion batteries in the up coming months.
i hope this information helps....
at the moment i am running 1 x 100 ah battery, but will be taking it out and installing 3 x 100 ah lion batteries in the up coming months.
i hope this information helps....
@adam 18.57.9,
Great choice of battery as they are 1/2 the weight of normal batteries and charge so much faster and have a better duty cycle and can be discharged without damaging the battery.
What sort of coin are you dropping on the Lithium Ion Batteries - When I last looked they were in the order for $1,500 each for 100AH.
Cheers,
Rohan
$750 each, 100 amp hour, with inbuilt charger circuit. so they act like a normal lead battery for charging. around 8-9 kg per bettery, so battery than half the weight.
i did not want to say, only as i did not know if this group would allow personal advertising?? its what i am going to be selling them for later in the year, as well as other popular new tech, but for a very affordable price......
are you sure your reg isn't limiting it to 30amps? your cells "could" put out over 50 amps theoretically so the reg might be a bottleneck
yeah, your right. i am looking into upgrading the reg to a 50amp unit. just trying to find a good one to go for.
maybe 2 regs might be the go, personally if i had your setup (drool) i'd go for 60amps
haha, thing is i have only a single cable from the panels to the reg, so unless the regs like working together from the same input cable?? a 60amp unit would be better.
going away next week, so when i am away, i have a new 60 amp regulator to install and see the increase in power. i have also replaced the cable on the roof to 8 gauge cable, so it is much thicker and should reduce voltage drop and again help to increase the output.
Hi there have a 120 watt portable solar can I put that straight onto the battery in my 16 there is setec with battery fitted from factory
As long as you have a regulator on the solar panel that doesn't put out more than 14.8v then you can connect direct to the battery, this from the manual of the series 2
Solar power should be connected directly across the battery terminals with a voltage regulator in series. A solar panel voltage regulator with maximum output voltage not exceeding 14.8 volts must be used at all times. Failure to use a voltage regulator may result in power supply damage.
http://www.setec.com.au/pdf/ST-II-User-Manual.pdf