Who has solar installed in their expanda

[mike007]

Hi everyone,

Im thinking I shudda ordered the solar pack when I optioned my expanda so am now thinking I will install myself. Im thinking of about 200W on the roof permanently mounted so they will not be as efficient as tracking the sun but Im happy with that.

If anyone has had panels mounted permanently on the roof I would love some ideas of how they did it and some piccies. Also how is the wire routed from the panels into the van.

Cheers
Mike

 

[mfexpanda]

Mike007

I did the whole job on my older 2005 ob 16-49-1 with a 120w panel then on the new 16-49-1 ob I got jayco to pre wire for solar and its heaps quicker and much easier.
I put 2 x 80w panels this time they are mounted to aluminium angle which is then screwed and sikaflexed to the roof .

Use plenty of silastic and take care when drilling through the roof if your doing the whole jobe yourself.
Jayco run a cable to a box on the roof and you need to connect/conduit/wire to your panels.

Also if jayco did the job you need to find the cable to the battery from the panels cut and connect your own regulator .

all in all the jayco pre wiring saved me plenty of time and no tears when drilling through the roof :happy:

 

[boots33]

Hi Mike
I don't have a panel on the roof, I use a folding panel and set it up when needed. It plugs into an anderson plug at the front of the van. If i ever decide to mount a permanent panel I think i will just mount an anderson plug up there with it and plug a lead in once the van is set up. That saves the headache of where to run the cables, which can be a pain on pop tops if you haven't had it pre wired.

 

[Stone Stomper]

Just done the same as you are thinking I was the winning bidder on a 200watt solar panel from ebay for $232 plus delivery ($69) for the Expanda, we have an 80watt for the car that has an anderson plug on it so we can use it for the van but struggles to do both.

After checking the panel I could not get the rated amps facing the sun 11.2amps so they sent me a 50w panel to make up the shortfall, very happy with that.

Over xmas when stopped for lunch we was getting 13amps and the 3 way pulls 10.3amps so that's great.

Camped for 10 days over Xmas free camping at Lake Bonney and we was fully charged by 10:30am. Still love the Honda for the A/C for 45deg in the shade.

Christian

 

[mike007]

Thanks guys, yeah I should have had jayco prewire it for me, bummer. Ive got an anderson plug near the towball as well so might just run the wire to that. Im a bit worried about making any holes on the roof incase I stuff it up.

mfexpanda did you drill straight into the roof then secure the angled aluminum with self tappers? Not sure what the roof is made out of as I havent been up ther for a look yet.

Christian thanks for posting the pics, very neat job. How did you run the cable into the van?

Cheers
Mike

 

[Stone Stomper]

Hi Mike, I just used aluminium angle and sikaflex with pop rivets, I fitted one side to the aluminium roof sides and the other side put a piece of timber on the roof so the drill bit on just breaks through the fibre glass, the wiring I drilled up from inside where you can see the wires go up the pop top sleeve for the ceiling lights then silicon the around the wires in the roof, then run the cables through the top cupboards.

At least you can run good size cables, the wiring cost $50 for 6mm

 

[mike007]

Thanks for the info Christian.

Cheers
Mike

 

[BUSH PALACE]

nice aerodynamic ends on your panels there Christian just given me another job to do ...

 

[bigman0510]

yeah, I have a factory fitted 120w on the roof and I plug in a 120w fold up on a 10m lead into the side of the van. Works for me!

 

[mfexpanda]

the wiring I drilled up from inside where you can see the wires go up the pop top sleeve for the ceiling lights then silicon the around the wires in the roof, then run the cables through the top cupboards.

Mike I did the same as stonestomper but used selftapping screws with the clutch on the drill set very low so not to strip the fibreglass with the screws

 

[ElectricGuru]

After checking the panel I could not get the rated amps facing the sun 11.2amps so they sent me a 50w panel to make up the shortfall, very happy with that.

Hey Christian, very nice job on the install. All solar panels are derated with an increase in temperature so mounting it flat on the roof without air being able to get underneath it would take it down around the 160-170W mark.

Mike, when we bought the van, the previous owner had the fold away panels. I found that the charge voltage wasn't getting to the battery so I have made a small modification.

I took the regulator off the panel and mounted it next to the battery. I have run a seperate cable (4mm2) out to the draw bar with a different plug type so I cant plug the panel direct into the anderson plug. (Batteries dont like 20 Vdc). This makes the system very efficient with the maximum charge voltage being available to the battery. I have run some tests and it will keep the charge at 13.8 Vdc during the day for the battery (94 Ahr Gel) which is perfect for long periods off grid.

Very similar to the roof mounted option but good that I can move the panels around to suit the location and sun direction.

 

[Stone Stomper]

Hey Christian, very nice job on the install. All solar panels are derated with an increase in temperature so mounting it flat on the roof without air being able to get underneath it would take it down around the 160-170W mark.

Mike, when we bought the van, the previous owner had the fold away panels. I found that the charge voltage wasn't getting to the battery so I have made a small modification.

I took the regulator off the panel and mounted it next to the battery. I have run a seperate cable (4mm2) out to the draw bar with a different plug type so I cant plug the panel direct into the anderson plug. (Batteries dont like 20 Vdc). This makes the system very efficient with the maximum charge voltage being available to the battery. I have run some tests and it will keep the charge at 13.8 Vdc during the day for the battery (94 Ahr Gel) which is perfect for long periods off grid.

Very similar to the roof mounted option but good that I can move the panels around to suit the location and sun direction.

Thanks ElectricGuru, I tested the panel before installing on the roof facing the full sun and that was the best I could get, where as our 80watt bp states 4.7amps I think but can on occasions can get 6amps facing the sun but it's amazing how the heat drops the out put down.

Regards

Christian

 

[ElectricGuru]

where as our 80watt bp states 4.7amps I think but can on occasions can get 6amps facing the sun but it's amazing how the heat drops the out put down.

Cheers Christian.

Panels are usually rated at 25 degrees C and have a percentage decline figure (temperature coefficient) for every one degree C over 25. Ie if your panel says -0.5% then a panel temperature of 50 degrees C will reduce your output by 12.5%. But this can vary on panel type and construction, some are better suited to the higher temps and wont have such a drastic drop until temps get really high.

The maximum output can actually go the other way too if you have cooler panel temperatures. So for you being a bit further south, the temperatures may actually work in your favour even with a slight decline in the number of solar hours in a day.

 

[Mike7]

In the process of installing a D250S to manage the solar panels on the roof but am having a confusion. As the D250 is always on and connected to the solar panel it will always want to charge the batteries on a sunny day obviously, but what happens when I connect to 240V at a caravan park for example? The Jayco setek will come online but since the D250 is also running and connected to the batteries will the setek see the D250's voltage and stop charging? Also will the D250* see the setek which is also connected to the batteries and it will also stop charging.

Im thinking the two chargers will confuse each other so was wandering how you all get around this? I dont wanna turn anything on for fear of cooking something. How do the two chargers interact?

Posted this question on myswag but haven't got much of a response.

Cheers
Mike

 

[achjimmy]

In the process of installing a D250S to manage the solar panels on the roof but am having a confusion. As the D250 is always on and connected to the solar panel it will always want to charge the batteries on a sunny day obviously, but what happens when I connect to 240V at a caravan park for example? The Jayco setek will come online but since the D250 is also running and connected to the batteries will the setek see the D250's voltage and stop charging? Also will the D250* see the setek which is also connected to the batteries and it will also stop charging.

Im thinking the two chargers will confuse each other so was wandering how you all get around this? I dont wanna turn anything on for fear of cooking something. How do the two chargers interact?

Posted this question on myswag but haven't got much of a response.

Cheers
Mike

I am by far no expert in electronics, so could be off here but here goes.

Neither the setek or ctek will see each other. Each should regulate the charge according to how they see the battery voltage. Yes they may both work together, the danger I see there is that the combined charging voltage may be higher than the battery likes. But from what I have read about the setek this would be unlikely

 

[ElectricGuru]

Im thinking the two chargers will confuse each other so was wandering how you all get around this?

Hey Mike, congrats on getting the D250S. They are a great unit. I will be getting one myself once we start serious off grid camping.

Have done some research into this and found a good answer. Basically, if you have two points of supply and you are unsure about the way it will react, then don't have two points of supply.

The response from other people in the know is if you have same brand units, then it will be fine. The manufacturers build them the same way to work together. When they are different makes, there is no way to confirm how they will interact. Both the D250S (5 stage) and the SETEC (3 stage) units are multi-stage chargers with different charging modes that may not work well together.

My suggestion would be to have it so if you are on mains supply at home or a caravan park then switch out / disconnect the D250S from the battery. That way there are no issues.

Hope this helps. Let me know what the final outcome is as I will be looking at doing something similar.

Cheers!

 

[boots33]

Im thinking the two chargers will confuse each other so was wandering how you all get around this? I dont wanna turn anything on for fear of cooking something. How do the two chargers interact?

Posted this question on myswag but haven't got much of a response.

Cheers
Mike

Hi Mike

From the setec web site (general questions )
.......................................................
General questions
question:
If the “Power supply unit should only be powered from either 240 V mains or Auxiliary Power (Auxiliary Power also includes solar power) but not both. Failure to do so may result in damage to power supply"

Does this mean if the RV is fitted with Solar? The 240 V connection must be removed?


Answer:
There should be no problem operating from both 240 V and AUX in as long as the AUX in does not exceed the 14.8 V limit defined in the manual. The AUX limit of 14.8 V must not be exceeded or damage to internal components will occur. It is possible that the power supply will operate in a hiccup mode if the AUX input voltage is above the voltage that the power supply is trying to regulate at, however this should not cause any problem.

....................................

As you can see as long as your solar charger does not exceed 14.8v you should have no problems with them working together. they may interact with each other a bit but that will be of little concern to you if you are on 240v as there will be no chance of running your battery flat. Just check the specs on your solar regulator and make sure it is 14.8v or less maximum.

 

[Turtle]

The setec manual states that solar should be connected directly to the battery as per below,

Power supply unit should only be powered from either 240VAC mains or Auxiliary Power
(Auxiliary Power also includes solar power) but not both. Failure to do so may result in damage to
power supply.
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.

 

[Mike7]

Thanks for the replies and suggestions guys. Think I'm going to put a switch/Anderson plug between the panels and the D250 so I can switch off power to the batteries from solar when on 240v. The D250 will be connected directly to the battery and not via the setek as my understanding is the aux input or 240 can be used but not at the same time, do you guys read it the same way?

I'm thinking this way there is no interference between the two chargers. I'll let you all know how it goes once I get the panels on the roof in between kids/work/wife/constant bloody rain.

Thanks again

Cheers
Mike

 

[Cougz & Aj]

Gday All,

I to have just installed solar on the roof of our 17.56 .2. I got a bargin deal on a 200w panel that was 24v and bought a regulator to convert it from 24v to 12v. Nothing to flash but it keeps it topped up with no problems at all. How ever i did make it so i had a 50mm gap between the panel and the roof to let the heat out.
Just a sneak peak of it in the cupboard.