8
82125
Deleted User
My batteries are fully charged 14.8v so its not going to show. (currently putting trickle charge in) but even now at 09:44 in Winter my panel is seeing 44.7V. I'm on EHU on site at the moment.
How much wattage is enough? Also how long is a piece of string.....
- Thread starter LittleGreyCat
- Start date
- Jan 26, 2017
- 3,685
- 12,954
- Funster No
- 47,068
- MH
- Autosleeper Inca
- Exp
- Eight Years and 28,000 Miles.
Our Inca already had 100w solar (flat on the roof) and I fitted a new 100ah lead acid battery a few years ago, no Idea how many amps are available, but both the leisure and starter batteries are kept full charged all year.
It does of course depend on your usage, we easily manage all year round comfortable 'camping' off grid when we want.
It does of course depend on your usage, we easily manage all year round comfortable 'camping' off grid when we want.
funflair
LIFE MEMBER
OK thanks, my point was that voltage doesn't mean a lot it's amps or watts that matter.
- Jan 26, 2017
- 3,685
- 12,954
- Funster No
- 47,068
- MH
- Autosleeper Inca
- Exp
- Eight Years and 28,000 Miles.
Why is that so important?
Surely as long as you have fully charged batteries as night time approaches, that's OK.
funflair
LIFE MEMBER
Absolutely correct, the original question was how much wattage (power) is enough, I was trying to say that voltage at the panel is no indication of the amount of power available.
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8
82125
Deleted User
I have to say Im not sure how the voltage equates to amps available, but i know i can still get 10amps in Winter off grid by having plenty of solar above me, which was what i was trying to demonstrate when i said get as much as you can afford.
funflair
LIFE MEMBER
Watts = VoltsxAmps so if you are getting say 10 Amps into you batteries at a nominal 12v then you are getting 120watts from I think you said a total of 700watts, but to do this you only need around 3 Amps from your panels at 40ish volts, this is where Volts and Amps tend to confuse the Power discussion, Power is Watts and is a product of Volts and Amps.
So what I was saying before is that 44.7 Volts means nothing without an amp figure, 44.7 Volts at 0.1 Amp is 4.47 watts so not a lot out of 700 Watts of panel but 44.7 Volts at 10 Amps would be 447 Watts so a lot better efficiency of your panel production, be careful not to mix the Amps from the panels with Amps into the batteries as they are at different voltages
I don't know if any of that makes sense? i'm going for a lay down now.
Last edited:
Jim
Ringleader
Tombola
LIFE MEMBER
and hes on EHUWhen I said, fill your roof; you don't have to stop there. I spotted a guy this weekend. Clearly he values power over asthetics. You could emulate this. You just need a few tubes of Unibond's "No More Nails" and a drill.
View attachment 590610
View attachment 590609
I wonder when he was little did his dad used ro call him "Sunshine"
I'm not sure that panels get up to their max capacity in Winter.
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I thought the same when I saw the ehu cable! I suppose with the sun low in the winter the side panels might get more sun than on the roof wonder if the other side is done the same or if he parks side on to the sun. Imagine trying that one on with the CMC warden!and hes on EHU
I wonder when he was little did his dad used ro call him "Sunshine"
Jim
Ringleader
He had a couple of panels on the nearside too, they were covered when the door was opened.
Just for context, old style USB 1 and 2 ports produce 5 volts.
However chargers (and battery packs) can charge at different rates.
This depends on the amps available at the USB port, as the voltage is standard.
If you put a meter across a USB port you should always see 5 volts.
However that doesn't give any indication of how many amps are available, and from that how long it would take, for example, to charge a mobile phone.
- Feb 14, 2021
- 4,520
- 10,298
- Funster No
- 79,219
- MH
- Burstner Lyseo 727G
- Exp
- 3 years 30,000 miles UK and Europe.. Campsites and off Grid.
Where did you get your storage bags for inside the garage door? How are the fixed?
- Feb 14, 2021
- 4,520
- 10,298
- Funster No
- 79,219
- MH
- Burstner Lyseo 727G
- Exp
- 3 years 30,000 miles UK and Europe.. Campsites and off Grid.
I'm struggling to think what would use energy in our MH.
A few led lights of an evening. Recharge phone, tablet and computer, Small amount of electric to run the gas fridge and gas heating/water. Water pump when having a shower/washing up.
These seem like quite low power usage. I am getting a 175 watt to charge 2 95 amp batteries. Should be OK?
A few led lights of an evening. Recharge phone, tablet and computer, Small amount of electric to run the gas fridge and gas heating/water. Water pump when having a shower/washing up.
These seem like quite low power usage. I am getting a 175 watt to charge 2 95 amp batteries. Should be OK?
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They were on the van when we bought it...self tapping screws.
- Feb 14, 2021
- 4,520
- 10,298
- Funster No
- 79,219
- MH
- Burstner Lyseo 727G
- Exp
- 3 years 30,000 miles UK and Europe.. Campsites and off Grid.
Ah, A good idea. I'll have to look around for something similar.
I do recall something similar called Tent Tidy...that's if you can remember what a tent is? I can....too cold for an old body now...
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