Who has solar installed in their expanda

[ElectricGuru]

How ever i did make it so i had a 50mm gap between the panel and the roof to let the heat out.

Hey Cougz and Aj

Great install using the converter and the old style volt/amp meters add a great touch to it. Just dont see them very often. Quick question, what do the switches do?

Got some photos of the roof mount showing the gap? Would be great to see how you have done it.

Thanks for the information.



Hey Mike

Boots33 and Turtle have it right (thanks for the info) that the battery can be connected through the AUX connection on the SETEC unit with an external charger like the D250S but the SETEC won't charge the battery while you are on mains power. Have to rely solely on the D250S to do it or another CTek charger to keep it the same.

As mentioned, be good to see the final result as I am going to get one later this year. Cheers.

 

[busybusymum]

Interesting reading - we too are also looking at the Ctek D250S Dual and been wondering how to get our head around it - when we were getting prices for and negotiating to get the van we decided to get the prewiring done and leave the solar until we got it to give us extra time to research it - infact it was the the Griffith Jayco guy who actually suggested the concept of a DC to DC charger to convert the solar into the battery - but our local Jayco at Albury who we get the van off next week have not had any experience with them. In reading the manual (http://www.ctekbatterychargers.com.au/ctek-d250s-dual.html) it appears that they have a warning of maximum 22V input and not to connect two solar panels in series - we now want to put 2 X 120 panels on the roof - if we cant put two panels though in series - this then creates a challenge!. We thought the DC to DC charger would be great for getting max backup charge from the car battery within a short period of time if needed. I'm going to try and ring the guys at CTek - above website and pose my questions to them about how best to do what we want and if the Ctek D250S Dual is the best option. We dont want to fork out money for a normal regulator and then change it to Ctek later on - want to get it right from the start. Our other challenge is tying to find good high efficient panels. Googling the issue it seems that there are panels out there and then there are panels - which are the best and most efficient monocrystalline ones? Any suggestions. Also a website called expandasdownunder also discuss the CTek issue there so it is also worth having a browse to see what has been said there.

 

[shadow75]

G'day Guys,

I recently installed a panel on the roof of the 17-56.2 Outback.. (It was pre-wired for solar, so a relatively simple job)

Solar Panel - 190W ~$250, 15 kg, Open Circuit Voltage 43.9V, Short Circuit 6.02A (straight out of box, mid afternoon). Chosen due to size, weight, value for money, and guarantee of performance. Choose Higher Voltage panel to reduce amps in the relatively thin (6mm) cable that was installed.

MPPT - Tracer 2210RN ~$125. Output (Maximum continuous so far) 13.7V @15.1A ~207W (with panel flat on Roof). MPPT chosen due to higher voltage panel, amongst lots of other reasons.

Mounting - ABS plastic mounts ~$120 to ensure an air gap, and no holes in the roof. Easy mounting. Sikaflex 252 ~$25

Led Lights Throughout made a large difference to the usage.

Anyhow, a quick pic of the install.. (excuse the dirt on top... birds & dust)

 

[boots33]

In reading the manual (http://www.ctekbatterychargers.com.au/ctek-d250s-dual.html) it appears that they have a warning of maximum 22V input and not to connect two solar panels in series - we now want to put 2 X 120 panels on the roof - if we cant put two panels though in series - this then creates a challenge!.

If you are going to use two panels you will want to connect them in parallel anyway. As long as they have a blocking diode to stop one panel from drawing from the other. Make sure the regulator can handle the combined wattage of your two panels.

 

[busybusymum]

Well have been doing a bit more research on this and have come across the RedArc1240 BCDC charger http://redarc.com.au/products-and-services/dc-battery-chargers/bcdc1240-dc-battery-charger. It is also discussed at http://www.exploroz.com/Forum/Topic/81225/Redarc_versus_C_Tek_DC_Charger.aspx The Redarc 1220 doesnt have the solar reg included - but the new Redarc 1240 does. Now what may be the advantage of the RedArc1240BCDC over the CTek250SDual? My understanding when talking to a guy down at ARB is that the CTek is swedish made and therefore when operating at Temps of over 25degrees C it loses efficiency of conversion - however the RedArc is Australian made and efficiencies in this system are not lost until about 58 degrees C. The guy at ARB was talking about the Smart Start BMS by RedArc http://redarc.com.au/products-and-services/bms1215-battery-management-system/smart-start-bms which actually would have been a great system for Jayco to put in perhaps instead of the SETEC system - but at $1595 its probably a bit pricy to now put in when we already have the setec system in place. Given the loss in efficiencies with the CTEK system when over 25degrees - we are going to investigate the RedArc 1240 as an option to use with the solar comming from the roof through this and also with an anderson plug back to the vehicle - a bit more to look into yet. Has anyone else had experience with the RedArc1240? Will keep you posted on how we go

 

[boots33]

I wouldn't put too much faith in what the ARB salesperson has told you. All well designed regulators will have temperature compensation built into their design. The amount of charge you can safely put into a battery is quite different depending on the ambient temp the battery is exposed to. Both the ctec and redarc unts are quality units and will do the job you require. I should also add that many people do not even bother with a dc-dc regulator and just have a reg for the solar panels. While using a dc-dc reg could offer slightly faster charging times when connected to your car supply (ie when you are traveling ) it will have no advantage over a good quality mppt regulator when it comes to solar. You will be spending a lot and gaining a little, and that gain will be mainly when you are traveling not when you are set up for a week off grid. In the end if you think your power requirements are going to be fairly steep you may be better off putting that money towards a good pure sine wave generator instead.
it would be interesting to hear from other members as to what system they have and has it worked ok for them. I think we will find a lot who have connected without a dc-dc reg and not had too many bad experiences.

shane.

 

[boots33]

G'day Guys,

I recently installed a panel on the roof of the 17-56.2 Outback.. (It was pre-wired for solar, so a relatively simple job)

Looks great ! You can install one on mine anytime you like. :smile:

 

[busybusymum]

I wouldn't put too much faith in what the ARB salesperson has told you. All well designed regulators will have temperature compensation built into their design. The amount of charge you can safely put into a battery is quite different depending on the ambient temp the battery is exposed to. Both the ctec and redarc unts are quality units and will do the job you require. I should also add that many people do not even bother with a dc-dc regulator and just have a reg for the solar panels. While using a dc-dc reg could offer slightly faster charging times when connected to your car supply (ie when you are traveling ) it will have no advantage over a good quality mppt regulator when it comes to solar. You will be spending a lot and gaining a little, and that gain will be mainly when you are traveling not when you are set up for a week off grid. In the end if you think your power requirements are going to be fairly steep you may be better off putting that money towards a good pure sine wave generator instead.
it would be interesting to hear from other members as to what system they have and has it worked ok for them. I think we will find a lot who have connected without a dc-dc reg and not had too many bad experiences.

shane.

Thats what I like about this forum - for us non technical people - at least we can get good feedback from what we have been told by sales people. Boots - thanks for that - its sifting through all the info and making up your mind on what is good for you - we are going to leave the solar thing for the immediate future and focus on enjoying the van when it arrives and look at getting the solar set up prior to the spring - give us a bit more time to work out what we want to do - there will be enough to spend on insurance, WDS etc. We will still investigate the CTek, Redarc and the regulators for solar and work out the best option - but as you say ensure we are not spending over the top on very little gain.

 

[shadow75]

G'day Guys,

I thought I'd throw this in there for anyone that has a Solar / Battery setup.

A cheap way of monitoring your input / output to ensure you're not going to run out of power

The monitors are about $20-$30 each. I've put one in to monitor Solar Input, Car Input (Anderson Plug) and Output - Setec.
The switch next to it is to turn them off if I want, and / or reset the statistics.
It's handy to see current output (to be able to tell how much each light uses), and see how many Ah and Watts you create and use.
As you can see from this, it also shows the maximum Solar Input was 160.3 Watts.. not bad for a 190 Watt Panel mounted flat on the roof, and not at the peak of the day..

Hopefully it will get a good run over the School Holidays!!

 

[boots33]

Hey Shadow where did you get them from.

 

[Stone Stomper]

Yes, nice gauges Shadow. They look great.

 

[Burnsy]

Hi guys, about the ctek250 will it charge2 batteries? I assume both are connected to the same terminals (parrallel) and if so will both batteries be charged to the same voltage? Cheers burnsy.

 

[boots33]

Hi guys, about the ctek250 will it charge2 batteries? I assume both are connected to the same terminals (parrallel) and if so will both batteries be charged to the same voltage? Cheers burnsy.

Hey Burnsy
yes it will charge both batteries and yes the batteries must be hooked in parallel if they are 12v. Batteries in parallel will share the load evenly and charge up together as well.

 

[shadow75]

Hey Shadow where did you get them from.

G'day boots.

I got them from Hobbyking.com ~$20 USD each + $10 for postage of 3.

Delivery took about a week and a half.

They're all working well, and good quality. Cables normally come out the sides, just bored a hole in back to hide them and mount flush.

 

[Moto Moto]

This whole thread is WAY over my head, but i have enjoyed following it anyway.

Some great ideas and nice looking solar installs out there!

 

[Capt. Gadget]

I have a Question, I'm about to set up my Solar charging system and was wondering would it be a good Idea to put switch in somewhere to be able to switch off the current from the Solar Panel when connected to mains? I thought I had seen someones wiring diagram on here somewhere but cant seem to find it .

Solar Panel http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/33076713...X:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_3851wt_1144

Regulator http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/36035242...X:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_3425wt_1378

 

[Burnsy]

Hi CG, I'm no expert at this but my way of thinking is if you are on mains then you don't need your batt switch on if you have solar, therefore no charge will be supplied via mains and your reg will not overcharge your battery so probably no need to isolate solar input. Nice reg too, looks good!

Cheers.

 

[Cougz & Aj]

Hey Cougz and Aj

Great install using the converter and the old style volt/amp meters add a great touch to it. Just dont see them very often. Quick question, what do the switches do?

Got some photos of the roof mount showing the gap? Would be great to see how you have done it.

Thanks for the information.



Gday ElectricGuru,

the switches turn the batteries on and off from the solar and the other switch turns the panel on and off. When the weather turns better and the vans out of storage ill take a pic of the panel.

 

[Capt. Gadget]

So I read the Setec Manual (The Wife was Shocked) haha and it says
"Power supply unit should only be powered from either 240vAC Mains or Auxiliary Power (Auxiliary Power includes Solar Power) but not both Failure to do so may result in damage to power supply" So I think I will put an isolation Switch in for the Solar just to be safe!

But I cant see any mention of 2 auxiliary power inputs at the same time, for example driving down the road with the van connected to the car and the solar on at the same time, does anyone know if this would be a problem?

Cheers Grant

 

[Burnsy]

Hi Grant, from what I have read and the YouTube vid it suppost to select automatically the best source of power, so to me that sounds as if in the situation of charging from tug and solar together would be fine? Let us know what you find out as I'm also keen to install this unit. Sounds like the isolation switch would be a good idea!

Cheers.