Connecting a solar panel

[LouiseandGeoff]

Hi I’m back , the love cushion has been ordered and is on its way so thank you for all your help , I now have another question.
I have a 2017 chausson 727 Ga, I want to connect a solar panel to charge the leisure battery but not sure how I do it, can anyone help me please.

 

[VXman]

You need a solar controller. Mttp ones are best. Something like this below (it's the one I have) + and - cables from solar panel go into the controller. + And - cables from controller to terminals in battery.

Victron Smart Solar Battery MPPT Charger 100/30. 12V/24V Auto Select - SCC110030210

A solar charger gathers energy from your solar panels, and stores it in your batteries. Using the latest, fastest technology, SmartSolar maximizes this energy-harvest, driving it intelligently to achieve full charge in the shortest possible time. SmartSolar maintains battery health, extending...

voltaconsolar.com

 

[LouiseandGeoff]

So I brought a eco worthy solar panel and have a box with that, my leisure battery is under the passenger seat and can’t access it easily. I wondered if there was something I connect it to elsewhere

 

[LithiumConvert]

Direct to the battery is best. (and I don't where else on your 'van, sorry)

But, wherever you connect, it must be fused asclose to the battery as possible. 10amp probably OK.

 

[The Wino]

I fitted ours using the prewiring provided by chausson on a flash 10 2014.. You should have a wiring diagram if there's pre wiring it will be shown.
The drawback with using the prewiring is it only charges when the main panel is turned on . The pre installed cable is also a bit weedy compared to what you might normally use. Have you been on the chausson owners Facebook group to see if a few on there have installed panels it might be useful in deciding how to run the cables.
What size panel have you bought?

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[MisterB]

a couple of people have installed an external hook up point for foldable solar panels. the connections run direct to the leisure battery, so you dont need to keep lifting up seats to attach the solar panel. just unfold the panel, place it in the sun and plug it in!
i will do the same thing myself next year when i add another couple of modifications.

i have learned from experience that if youre going to spend a lot of time removing and replacing trims etc to install cables, it helps if you plan properly and do more than one job when its all removed, and that it doesnt do any harm to install an extra cable or two (20A + as opposed to 6A - or even a conduit with draw wire that allows to feed a new cable through ) just in case you read on here that someone has done something that you hadnt even considered, but that you realise you need to do the same thing, or your life will be forever filled with regrets ...... - happens to me regularly !!! so when you install your fixed panel (?) and if you need to run cables, consider adding the conduit just in case?

my list of jobs to do when i remove the trims and part of the door fly screen are ..

install electric step
install cables and connector for foldable solar panel, direct to leisure battery
install external 240v socket for cooking outside via inverter/leisure battery (300Ah lithium and 3kw renogy inverter already in and working!)


and then when i put it all back together again, i know i will read on this forum that someone has added what i forgot to add because i didnt know i needed 'one of those' ....

 

[LouiseandGeoff]

So I brought one of those flexi panels which about a metre long, this is our first motorhome so are still finding our feet with it. I was hoping to connect the solar panel up to the leisure battery and let it charge up whilst it wasn’t being used. If this isn’t really a good idea then someone please let me know.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

So I brought a eco worthy solar panel and have a box with that, my leisure battery is under the passenger seat and can’t access it easily. I wondered if there was something I connect it to elsewhere

Is the panel a freestanding one or does it need mounting on the roof?.the box that came with it , is it a controller?
A picture may help folks advise you better.
When you say flexible is it a fold up one or just a thin long flexible panel

 

[LouiseandGeoff]

It’s this model I was advised not to start making holes in your motorhome for things like this so plumped for this and thought in the summer months if and when we went off grid this could just go outside the mh in the 40 degree heat

 

[MisterB]

It’s this model I was advised not to start making holes in your motorhome for things like this so plumped for this and thought in the summer months if and when we went off grid this could just go outside the mh in the 40 degree heat View attachment 842538

is it too late to send it back and get a foldable panel? i would in your position. flexible panels prob have the highest failure rate than all solar panels, usually because they dont allow the dissipation of heat from the underneath when they are fixed (glued) to a roof. if you intend just to carry it and set it up when you stop, it coud bet damaged eaily when being transported, for instance, where would you store it?

in terms of making holes in your roof, most motorhomes have them, whether it be for TV aerial, sat dish cables, solar panels or more recently starlink dishes, so dont be worried about holes for cables. so long as they are installed correctly

if you do go for a portable panel, this is the type i would be looking at

200w 12v Portable Foldable Solar Panel Kit For Car/Caravan/Power station/Camping | eBay

Dokio 100w 200w 300w Portable Solar Panel for Car battery/Caravan/Camping.

www.ebay.co.uk

though having (the correct) solar fitted your roof is by far the simplest and best long term solution in my opinion.

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[LouiseandGeoff]

is it too late to send it back and get a foldable panel? i would in your position. flexible panels prob have the highest failure rate than all solar panels, usually because they dont allow the dissipation of heat from the underneath when they are fixed (glued) to a roof. if you intend just to carry it and set it up when you stop, it coud bet damaged eaily when being transported, for instance, where would you store it?

in terms of making holes in your roof, most motorhomes have them, whether it be for TV aerial, sat dish cables, solar panels or more recently starlink dishes, so dont be worried about holes for cables. so long as they are installed correctly

if you do go for a portable panel, this is the type i would be looking at

200w 12v Portable Foldable Solar Panel Kit For Car/Caravan/Power station/Camping | eBay

Dokio 100w 200w 300w Portable Solar Panel for Car battery/Caravan/Camping.

www.ebay.co.uk

though having (the correct) solar fitted your roof is by far the simplest and best long term solution in my opinion.

Ok great thanks that’s very helpful

 

[flatpackchicken]

Anderson plug
Because your battery is not easy to get at, I would suggest an outside free standing folding panel fit an Anderson plug as you can then just open panel and simply plug it in to the Anderson plug.
To do this you need to wire up one end of Anderson plug to battery and fix Anderson plug to somewhere on front of MH where it would be easy to plug it into the solar panels other end of Anderson plug, then this way you would not need to drill and holes in your motorhome roof

 

[VXman]

is it too late to send it back and get a foldable panel? i would in your position. flexible panels prob have the highest failure rate than all solar panels, usually because they dont allow the dissipation of heat from the underneath when they are fixed (glued) to a roof.

I guess this depends on make and cost. Catamarans/Yachts use flat/flexible panels that you can walk on, with some vey big and expensive set ups. I am sure these people spending 10's of thousands of pounds on these systems and being off grid at sea for months are not finding them unreliable.

 

[MisterB]

I guess this depends on make and cost. Catamarans/Yachts use flat/flexible panels that you can walk on, with some vey big and expensive set ups. I am sure these people spending 10's of thousands of pounds on these systems and being off grid at sea for months are not finding them unreliable.

it doesnt matter though does it, because they can afford just to keep replacing them ... and being at sea for months suggest to me that they are actually moving and creating an air flow over the panels helping with the cooling. parked up for a few days in sunny climes wont offer the same sort of cooling benefits for 'budget' panels.

i attended the wind and solar exhibition at Birmingham a month or two ago and had chance to discuss with the suppliers/mauntacturers the issue re cooling fixed solar panels - everyone i spoke to agreed it can be a problem if they dont have some sort of air flow to cool them down, especially in hight temps. some of them recommended installing with a air gap underneath, which sort of defeats the object?

at last years exhibition though, there was a manufacturer in Wales who believed that his product wouldnt suffer the same issues, which is great news as there is def a market for them. i understand they are now fitted to some councils waste disposal vehicles and ambulances.

i stand by my comment though that panels that are stuck to the roof fail more than rigid panels fixed to the roof - though i also assume that more rigid panels have become dislodged from roofs than those glued onto the roof of vehicles.

 

[MisterB]

Anderson plug
Because your battery is not easy to get at, I would suggest an outside free standing folding panel fit an Anderson plug as you can then just open panel and simply plug it in to the Anderson plug.
To do this you need to wire up one end of Anderson plug to battery and fix Anderson plug to somewhere on front of MH where it would be easy to plug it into the solar panels other end of Anderson plug, then this way you would not need to drill and holes in your motorhome roof

View attachment 842551

that is along the lines of what i intend doing, just plan carefully though. my original idea of putting the connection point as close to the battery as i could was a bad idea as i hadnt considered that when the hab door was open, it would cover the connecting point! luckily i was only at the planning stage at the time and hadnt gone further than a few pencil marks,

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[mitzimad]

i'd send it back and change it for a rigid panel the flexi ones dont last

 

[LouiseandGeoff]

I haven’t got the packaging anymore I never thought it was gonna be such a pain if I’m being honest. I just presumed I would take a cover off clip it on place t panel on the the dashboard or somewhere and two minutes later boom job done. everyday day is a learning day it appears my friends

 

[Tombola]

I haven’t got the packaging anymore I never thought it was gonna be such a pain if I’m being honest. I just presumed I would take a cover off clip it on place t panel on the the dashboard or somewhere and two minutes later boom job done. everyday day is a learning day it appears my friends

I had a panel for years that I connected the cable via the controller to the batteries and left the ends coiled up behind the seat in the van. Just lobbed the cables through the window and shut the window on it when stopped and connected to the panels connectors. Worked a treat though a little bit faffy.
Granted my panels were rigid and usually propped up with any crap I had but it got the power in.

cheap and cheerful but did the job. Give it a go you can always amend it later if you decide to add a perm mount socket outside, or change the panels.

 

[MisterB]

I haven’t got the packaging anymore I never thought it was gonna be such a pain if I’m being honest. I just presumed I would take a cover off clip it on place t panel on the the dashboard or somewhere and two minutes later boom job done. everyday day is a learning day it appears my friends

It can still be used so don't worry! If it's not too big, you could always mount it in a frame or on a piece of ply to help prevent damage. As you're not looking to 'glue' it in situ then it will be ok, so dont worry. Portable panels do have some advantages over fixed panels....!

 

[LouiseandGeoff]

Yeah I’ll have to go with it now and just try to get it connected to the leisure battery. Thanks for all your help guys.

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[Tombola]

not in depth but similar to what you are doing

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

I haven’t got the packaging anymore I never thought it was gonna be such a pain if I’m being honest. I just presumed I would take a cover off clip it on place t panel on the the dashboard or somewhere and two minutes later boom job done. everyday day is a learning day it appears my friends

You can still use it as a standalone panel. You may probably have to make a couple of foldaway brackets so you can angle it correctly to the sun and move it around to get the best power out of it. The controller isvok for what you have got and that's best set up in your van co nected either directly to your leisure battery or your control panel/ box if that is configured for solar connections.
Then you only have to plug in the panel leads whenever you set it up. As said an Anderson type plug/ socket will suffice.
The panel being flexible could fit in your wardrobe/ behind a bulk head or even on the back of your hab door. Or if you have a bike rack , behind that.
Yes a foldable one may have been better but the one you have will still work . Just try it and see how you get on with it.

 

[docD]

Hello! very informative topic)
I am also planning to install a solar panel on my motorhome. I understand the installation principle, but what type of solar panel do I need. There are portable solar panels, specifically for roof panels and others. I have a refrigerator, a TV, a couple of light bulbs in the motorhome. thanks!

 

[MisterB]

Hello! very informative topic)
I am also planning to install a solar panel on my motorhome. I understand the installation principle, but what type of solar panel do I need. There are portable solar panels, specifically for roof panels and others. I have a refrigerator, a TV, a couple of light bulbs in the motorhome. thanks!

the solar panel will only top up your battery, not run all your appliances. your first consideration should be to look at if you should increase your battery storage, inc what type of battery storage.

lots of posts on the benefits of lithium batteries but others find that different batteries work just aswell if you use them correctly.

i personally would look to install the biggert lithium battery you can afford and that will fir in the space available, then how to charge it, depending on how and where/when you use your motorhome you might be better off fitting a B2B charger before solar?

 

[The Wino]

Hello! very informative topic)
I am also planning to install a solar panel on my motorhome. I understand the installation principle, but what type of solar panel do I need. There are portable solar panels, specifically for roof panels and others. I have a refrigerator, a TV, a couple of light bulbs in the motorhome. thanks!

One thing you need to think about is the fridge. If it runs off the battery it's going to be quite a part of the total if it runs on gas very little. Is it a compressor fridge