100w solar panel installed - really pleased with it!

Hi all

I bought a solar panel kit to install to my bus after seeing a mate with a T5 California with one. I got it from http://www.solarcampersolutions.co.uk/index.php/vw-camper-t4-t5-kit who are really helpful. It wasn't cheap but it seem to be really good quality, instructions were simple (mind you its a really simple job to install once you are happy with the routing of the cables etc). Having bought it I have looked at the components and can see I could have sourced it all WAY cheaper if I had known what I was doing. Hence the info below!

They don't do a T2 kit but I got the VW camper kit (not drill free) and the upgrade MPPT charger and remote display. All in it was a chunk of cash but I am happy with it. I got it all from the same place, they were helpful and I know it all works together well.

This is the model of panel I got



I fitted it by getting two strips of aluminium from B&Q and cut and drilled them so they could be attached to the existing pop top frame bolts for the front strip and then used the bolt holes I already had from fitting the gas struts that help lift the roof.

The panel was then glued using Silkaflex to the aluminium strips and weighted down when it was drying. I wanted to be able to remove the panel without damage if I needed to as the instructions are to actually bond it straight to the roof. My mate has the drill free california kit and it has the panel attached to two strips just like I did so I know it would work. I then removed the panel after the glue was dry and put some strips of draught excluder under the panel just to make sure it can't drum against the roof with wind at speed when driving (no idea if it would have done but making sure it can't).



I carefully drilled a hole in the edge of the roof so the cable from the panel could pass through outside the roof tent but inside the lip of the roof and then ran the cable down to the back of the roof. I then took the cable under the edge of the roof tent and drilled a small hole in the corner of the roof bed so the cable to get down to the controller. So no cables visible inside the bus and no drilling of metal. Looks really neat too.

The panel like mine can be bought direct from Photonic Universe for £119

This is the MTTP controller/charger



.

I fitted it on the back of the side cupboards on my bus (Westy Berlin FYI). The cables are all a good length so loads of scope as to where to fit it.



These are about £80 looking at web prices

The remote display is an Epever MT50 and they are circa £27. I fitted it in place of the ash-tray in the side panel near the fridge.



Overall I am really please with the install. Its really neat and unobtrusive. You can barely see the panel with the roof down and even with the roof up it isn't that obvious.

I paid north of £400 for the kit but buying direct you could do exactly the same for maybe £230 plus postage!! The guy I got the kit from needs to make a living so I am OK with that but hey - if you can save money why not.

 

Nice write up and good of you to help others, I'd like a bit of solar but I'm a while off the money yet, nice to have but don't need to have just yet.

 

@rickyrooo1 if you are ever interested i will get photos from my mate with the T5 of how they did the drill free bit seeing as you have a T5. Mind you its probably as simple as how do you attach two bits of aluminium across your roof to existing mount points!

 

Wrong oil that mate

 

Yes @Woodster but it is ever so cheap in Costco

 

How did you fit it to the roof?

Keen to fit them to mine but worried about drilling!!!

 

I will stick up a couple of more pictures but in essence, if you look at your roof you will see bolts that attache the H frame to pop top. There is one each side so that gives you the opportunity to attach one aluminium strip across the roof from one to the other without any drilling. The H frame has captive nuts so you simply unscrew the bolt from above the roof. The second strip I would have needed to drill but you will see that the roof has a wooded frame baton the edge. I had already drilled this to fit gas struts so in my case no further drilling was needed. but it is really as simple as fitting the first aluminium strip using the panel to determine where the next needs to go and then marking and drilling so you go through the edge of the roof. I sealed everything with silkaflex before bolting it down so it ought to be water tight. Certainly the struts have been on a year and there is no sign of water damage or ingress. Dead easy really.

I am going to Techenders next weekend so if anyone wants to check it out you can there.

 

You can see the way I took the cable through the edge of the roof in this shot as well as the way I bolted it to the strips. All sealed with silkaflex again

 

Just need to remove the red sharpie!

 

Looks good, I am quite interested in putting one on mine but, its a tin top. I would appreciate some feedback on how well its working and charging your battery, can it run some stuff its self if the weather is good?

 

Will feed back. Its been charging like a good'un on the drive today. 20 volts most of the day. The MPPT is a clever little thing and it changes mode depending on battery condition and keeps it at 13.8 volts. I will be at TE next weekend which is the first camp with it fitted.

 

Speak to @pkrboo about that.

He and @theBusmonkey seemed to think that excessive volts (about 14) meant a duff battery.

Unless I've misunderstood your 20v

 

It'll be 20 volts in from the solar panel and 13.8v out to the battery. The controller regulates the input from the solar panel to the correct voltage for the battery, it's why most controllers have a heatsink to dissipate extra power via heat.

 

£400....??
100w flexi panel and controller.......£121.00 !
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-100W-...544528?hash=item5d63b1a310:g:ksEAAOSwrklU8JB0
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-LCD-2...609210?hash=item3ce508fcba:g:5psAAOSwnDxUforl

 

For them in the know is this cheapo £98 kit any good

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SUNDELY-1...601362?hash=item4192f80292:g:YAoAAOSwgQ9V4ZWo

 

Like I say, buying from a specialist firm cost me more but i have got a setup that is decent quality and works well with full instructions. Having done it I now know I can get the same cheaper. Hence the post @The Bobdogs. Kind of a helping anyone else who isn't an expert thing.

 

@Bertiebot ....Yours looks to be a good set up. I was just surprised at the cost. On my old bus (T25 Westie) i had a cheap and cheerful 100w panel on the roof hooked up to a controller that I think cost £7...
It worked a treat, kept my leisure battery fully topped up , even in the winter and was still working perfectly when I came to sell the bus. As always, there's more than one way to skin a cat!!

 

Looks fine, only consideration is that it's a framed panel. Flexi would be my choice of panel now they have come down in cost.

 

I suspect mine cost so much a) because its decent stuff (same gear is circa £230 bought as individual elements via eBay etc.) and the place I got it specialises in T4/5s and their scene tax appears to be way worse than ours!