Yep, pretty much the same as you except 180w and 115 FLA battery being northern hemisphere No bells or whistles or Bluetooth this, gauge that...Keep it simple, less to go wrong
Ah I see. Best to aim for higher wattage panels in the first place then, or at least make sure that similar size panels can be added we need to. Thanks
If your panels are in series, with parallel diodes, you can go twice as far because volt drop is proportional to current. Controllers like Epever can have 40 volts going in . Its how I wired my roof panels as then I only have to deal with 5 amps from the panels at up to 40v . I think I would just break glass fronted portable panels. So while they do collect more sun, you need to move it round every few hours. Those two guys discussing painting gearboxes gold with a beer standing in front of it have just cut your panel output to zero. On the roof its less likely to get people or things near it, trees are still a thing though, and the max output is down by 40% because it is flat.
Good shout on the voltdrop. I'll have a chat with you at TE. Are you going? Oh and what guys discussing what gold ? Lost me a bit there Mike
I reckon you can over think this. I have a decent 100w panel mounted flat on the westy luggage rack so not ideal positioning. Often parked under trees when camping but it's been more than enough for our needs (compressor fridge, lighting, water pump, device charging etc). On all but rare occasions the battery shows over 80% by the end of day, more often 100% with the starter battery also charged. So my advice for anyone looking at solar would be to stick a good 100w on and give it a try. Get a controller that can take an additional panel in case you need it in the future Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk
Im no solar expert but i reckon youll generate far more from solar panels in Australia than we will in blighty! I dont even know why im posting about solar as i dont even have a fridge to power! I've done 3plus weeks around europe with only a cool box. I dont know what most weekend campers even bother with solar, even if they have fridges. Chill stuff before you go, have some frozen water or blue ice blocks in the fridge and youll still have a cold fridge when you get home. I completely understand why hardcore campers, who go away for months at a time have solar though.
Three things I’ve learnt: - Solar panels produce half the power you’d expect. - Compressor fridges consume twice the power you’d expect. - Lead acid batteries contain half the useable power you’d expect. I shouldn’t have bothered with solar and I shouldn’t have bothered with a compressor fridge. A split charge relay charges a battery far more reliably and far quicker than solar panels. A gas bottle runs a gas fridge far longer than a battery runs a compressor fridge and you can buy an awful lot of gas for the price of a compressor fridge. My advice, don’t take anyone else’s advice.
Yep, awesome point. It's easy to find ice for a cool box and costs pennies and lasts at least an overnight, a weekend if you buy a couple of bags. In fact we'll do that for TE to chill the copious amounts of Prosecco that the CMF will be bringing. For us, we've saved a bundle over the years by not having to pay for electric and being able to run a fridge. I really wanted a 3 way one for the Westy but @philntfc is well known as a selfish individual who wants everything for himself.. Best quote on the thread. Advice is worth what you pay for it...
All i can say is i`m happy with mine . Nothing flash , cheapo 100w (sold on ebay as 200w ) , 20a epever and a 90ah leisure battery keeps the compressor fridge or Propex running with just a hazy glimps of sunshine . Split chargers are fine if you`re constatly moving around but even parked up solar will still put a few amps in that you wouldn`t be getting otherwise . Prior to fitting the solar i went for a week down in Devon and Cornwall catching up with friends so plenty of miles but the split charger couldn`t keep up with basic useage . I only fitted the leisure battery to power the propex when i moved South and got soft , prior to that for 20 years i had everything on the main battery and the fridge on gas - when it decided it wanted to light - never any battery issues .
Your the most hardcore camper i know. Anything you want or need for the bus you should just get & is easily justifiable! If i went on as many epic trips as you id get a fridge and solar. Plus a 123 distributor and a buttys kit and anything else i wanted.
Ha, the syncro is getting all that at the moment! Dirty diesel Tdi conversion from petrol, revamped interior, mahoosive welding and paint job, suspension upgrades, charging and solar rethink, big tyres, RUNNING HOT WATER, and I'm re-gearing the transaxle... I'm not sure why we embarked on this but it's awesome fun. If Big G gives us a fraction of the memories Chip has it'll be all worth it. Can't take it with you.. Oh and I bought a winch the other day! Hoping to never use it but you know us Paul
Running hot water....Luxury! Youll probably use the winch to help a less fortunate driver out or to winch yourself up an extreme mountain.
It’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Do you have a thread for the syncro somewhere?
I know my experience isn’t typical, but it isn’t unique either and solar power isn’t always the utopia that almost everyone claims. I wanted a simple and reasonably efficient system that would charge the leisure battery, I didn’t want to charge the starter battery, I didn’t want a remote display and I definitely didn’t want to monitor or control what was happening on a mobile ‘phone. I read what TLB had to say and decided on a system similar to you 2 x 100w Eco-Worthy panels and a 20A Eco-Worthy MPPT controller. Others here have exactly the same. Most of my camping is touring around; a night here, drive an hour or two and a night somewhere else. The system seemed to be okay, the fridge and everything else worked. Then we stopped somewhere for two nights – and the fridge stopped, the battery had discharged and it was obvious that the solar wasn’t charging the battery. Measuring the open-circuit voltage (Voc) at the panels they both produce about 20 V but the short-circuit current (Isc) is less than 1A instead of the 6.1A that it should be. I don’t know why they don’t work, they’re not damaged, the cable size is more than adequate and the connections are sound.
I would not have started with solar if I had not been given the panels. My first installation cost just the rubbish £20 solar regulator. Since then it has grown..
I think therein lies the problem... Recently the solar market seems to be flooded with varying levels of quality both in manufacturing and suppliers due to a massive increase in popularity . Add to that the rapidly changing cell technology and it's an absolute minefield which is why i adopted the 'cheap as chips' approach. I wasn't quite at the stage of spunking up £400 for a panel (PhotonicUniverse) but in future I probably would because there's so much crap out there now , gone are the days of 3 or 4 manufacturers who sold good but expensive products - there's hundreds now and the technology is improving almost weekly - I'll say it again... Minefield !! Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk
Hi Para. I started one a few years ago when we first got it. I haven't updated it much coz I felt a bit of an imposter with the T3. Chip has had a lot of forum space here and as the bay is the first love for us all here I haven't bothered. There's so much, the first refit, the first big trip where we did the 3 months in Morocco, the second one to Spain Xmas before last before lockdown, and now the restoration and refit we're currently doing. There's a few here that would be interested but I also think it pixes people off always seeing jolly travel photos etc, especially when there's real life sh1t going on for many at the moment. So I've kept a low profile recently...
