How useless is your solar at the moment?

[robnchris]

Over the winter months our solar panel is obsolete, we have an all over cover, the batteries have a trickle charger permanently wired and that keeps both Tab and Engine battery in tip top condition and unlike the onboard charger doesn't boil them dry.

 

[peterc10]

Am I doing something wrong?

Yes, you are not worrying enough.

 

[Raul]

You tell me then why folks have half a dozen panels, all the latest controllers ,b2b, and all manner of other gizmos and still end up with flat batteries.

I believe only a small minority that do not understand their system. But solar is really pants this time of year and specially the higher north you are.
Also voltage is not a guaranteed indicator of SOC, so you may be lied by your system. A battery monitor with shunt will te you what you got left and what you used.

 

[CazPaul]

You tell me then why folks have half a dozen panels, all the latest controllers ,b2b, and all manner of other gizmos and still end up with flat batteries.

It the “ I don’t understand these types of threads” but I’m on about, OP said for a bit of fun, I posted a tongue in cheek thread last Monday and you were straight on with the same statement.

Here’s a bit of fun for you

They’re making a new film set in Morocco with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman lookalikes, it’s about money laundering/theft and is called cashinthebanca.


And don’t pretend you haven’t laughed or have heard it before because I’ve just made it up

 

[chaser]

It the “ I don’t understand these types of threads” but I’m on about, OP said for a bit of fun, I posted a tongue in cheek thread last Monday and you were straight on with the same statement.

Here’s a bit of fun for you

They’re making a new film set in Morocco with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman lookalikes, it’s about money laundering/theft and is called cashinthebanca.


And don’t pretend you haven’t laughed or have heard it before because I’ve just made it up

I wasn't getting on to you or the op, just a general statement of how many come on here with all the latest stuff and asking why their battery is flat.

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[Emmit]

I can never understand these sort of threads, I have two 100w panels on our van and two leisure batteries and a 100a starter battery, had a look this afternoon they were all showing 13.2 and all squares full.
Am I doing something wrong?

You're doing nothing wrong but the light shining on your panels is putting 'something' into your batteries to give you a figure, in this case 13.2v

Go back out at 9o'clock tonight and hopefully that figure will have dropped to 12.8v. The solar will not be working.

 

[headlight]

I have a single 115 watt panel and Vanbitz battery master. 2 x 100amp lead acid leisure batteries and a 100amp lead acid starter battery.
My solar is keeping them fully charged but being an older van I don't think I have as much parasitic drain as new vans.

 

[SteveandSueJ]

I have a single 115 watt panel and Vanbitz battery master. 2 x 100amp lead acid leisure batteries and a 100amp lead acid starter battery.
My solar is keeping them fully charged but being an older van I don't think I have as much parasitic drain as new vans.

Can I ask if your solar is connected straight to leisure batteries only? I have a 2011 autotrail, no solar and considering solar panel as you have... primarily for storage top up as not kept on my drive... thx.

 

[Emmit]

Can I ask if your solar is connected straight to leisure batteries only? I have a 2011 autotrail, no solar and considering solar panel as you have... primarily for storage top up as not kept on my drive... thx.

If I could be so bold.
When you put a panel of any size on the roof, it churns out about 20volts which, if connected direct to your leisure batteries would fry them.
In between the two is a piece of kit called a regulator which reduces the voltage to a figure sufficient to charge your batteries without damaging them. Usually about 14volts.
In addition headlight has a piece of kit called a B2B. In basic terms this diverts any extra electricity created by the solar not needed by the habitation batteries to the vehicle battery to charge it when it is sitting idle.
I hope this helps you.

 

[Coolcats]

Would that 10° be a good reason to use Tilting Panels...I would think the Yield would be greatly increased..,

its 11:27 I have 16kwp of solar at an angle of 30 degrees east/west this is what is currently being produced so I reckon a panel on a flat roof won't be producing very much.

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[SteveandSueJ]

It does, thx. I am a newbie to MH, ex caravanner with solar and was thinking about the battery master as have 2 110 amp hab batteries, but as have sargent ec450 wondering if I should connect solar from its regulator direct to hab batteries or into the ec450 and let it 'smart charge' both hab and engine batteries....?? Appreciated...

 

[cyberyacht]

Am I missing something? is there a reason to switch solar off?

Lithium battery temperatures were down to zero. Can't charge them if it falls below zero.

 

[Wh05apk]

Lithium battery temperatures were down to zero. Can't charge them if it falls below zero.

Would the BMS not do that automatically? if the sun is up enough to charge, then a good chance the temperature is also above freezing?

 

[cyberyacht]

Belt and braces, dear boy, belt and braces.

 

[bigwood]

When this frosty weather started the solar panel was putting some charge into the batteries helped by the updating of the wiring and controller but they are now completely covered in ice and are not thawing. I wanted to put the heater on mains early this week to save on the gas so I plugged the hook up in.
I wouldn’t normally bother because we are out in the motorhome quite regularly but it looks like our travels are on hold due to commitments at the moment.

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[headlight]

Can I ask if your solar is connected straight to leisure batteries only? I have a 2011 autotrail, no solar and considering solar panel as you have... primarily for storage top up as not kept on my drive... thx.

Solar is connected to a Victron MPPT and that is connected to my leisure batteries.
The Vanbitz battery master connects the leisure batteries to my starter battery and if it detects, I think about half a volt difference between the leisure batteries and starter battery it trickle charges the starter battery from the leisure batteries at iirc 1 amp.
Works brilliantly and the whole system, solar panel, Victron MPPT and battery master costs £550 fitted less 10% fun discount plus a free night on Vanbitz's lovely campsite.

 

[headlight]

If I could be so bold.
When you put a panel of any size on the roof, it churns out about 20volts which, if connected direct to your leisure batteries would fry them.
In between the two is a piece of kit called a regulator which reduces the voltage to a figure sufficient to charge your batteries without damaging them. Usually about 14volts.
In addition headlight has a piece of kit called a B2B. In basic terms this diverts any extra electricity created by the solar not needed by the habitation batteries to the vehicle battery to charge it when it is sitting idle.
I hope this helps you.

Not quite correct.
The B2B doesn't divert excess solar to the starter battery.
It allows the vehicle alternator to charge the leisure batteries at up to 60AH, in my case, as opposed to the originally fitted split charge which only charged the leisure batteries at about 10AH.
This means that when driving the alternator charges the leisure batteries much quicker.

 

[scotzsue]

That reminds me, better go and check the van in storage

 

[Emmit]

Not quite correct.
The B2B doesn't divert excess solar to the starter battery.
It allows the vehicle alternator to charge the leisure batteries at up to 60AH, in my case, as opposed to the originally fitted split charge which only charged the leisure batteries at about 10AH.
This means that when driving the alternator charges the leisure batteries much quicker.

Thanks for that.
In such circumstances then, the enquirer would be better in either wiring the solar, (as yet unfitted) to either connect to the Control box or, if that is not practical, to fit a CBE.
It is my understanding that the enquirers van spends time away from site and is not used regularly.

 

[busbuddy]

I thought solar was the 'fit and forget' item, that's what I did
320w into 2 leisure batteries and battery master to the starter battery, I looked at the controller screen once this year when it was scorching hot and once in winter last year after using the kettle and toaster off the inverter just out of curiosity, cant remember checking any other time

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[Jezter]

Perhaps Geographical Issues. The definition below describes what component parts are needed....The Panel you have...
The other main component is lacking..
View attachment 697006

lol. You're not kidding.
For what it's worth, was -2c when I woke up one morning this week in the van... Why am I not in Spain?

 

[Raul]

lol. You're not kidding.
For what it's worth, was -2c when I woke up one morning this week in the van... Why am I not in Spain?

Inside the van -2C?

 

[royandsharont]

Given the solar panels are not charging much at the moment how low a voltage would you knowledgeable ones out there let your van battery drop to before charging it?

In answer to an earlier comment our 2012 Ducato used to drop about 0.1A a week in storage but our 2022 one drops lots faster than that but has more electrics in the van with a more sophisticated alarm and tracker than the last one.

 

[Jezter]

Inside the van -2C?

Yes. But it's my own fault for not upgrading the insulation on the floor, which some previous owner had removed, and not replacing the useless heater, which some previous owner had fitted. Next Winter will be warmer!

 

[headlight]

Woke up in my van Tuesday morning on a site, outside minus 5, in the van a toasty 21c .

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[Captain Yoghurtpot]

I have no solar panels whatsoever on our van.
My leisure battery when put on EHU charge for about 24 hours lasts about 7 days until it gets to about 12.2 v.
My cab battery at 100amp if put on a standard car charger for 24 hours gets to 13.1v then settles to 12.8v and lasts for about 8 days before dropping to about 12.3v.
This is all at this time if temperatures are around zero or below.
I have drain on the cab battery due to the immobiliser and alarm, which I can live with.
So, about every 8 days all batteries go on some form of charge, and if the weather us ok, the van goes for a run about every 4 to 6 weeks whilst not in full use of the season.
Works for me.
And this is on a 2000 year van, so not new by any means.

 

[royandsharont]

Thanks Captain Yoghurtpot for the detailed reply. That sounds about right for our new van,

except I’ve started switching the 12v habitation off so the 2 leisure batteries hold their charge of around 13.35 to .45V. I may have to consider a battery master if I get fed up of bringing it home so much in winter.

 

[NigelNovice]

Slightly off topic but still on Solar, its make you wonder about these fields full of panels contribution to the national grid when covered in Snow and fog bound as they have been lately, there are 2 massive fields near us in North Lincolnshire, one fairly recent, these used to provide crops (and absorb Carbon) which we need as much more than a medal for being green

 

[jumar]

Slightly off topic but still on Solar, its make you wonder about these fields full of panels contribution to the national grid when covered in Snow and fog bound as they have been lately, there are 2 massive fields near us in North Lincolnshire, one fairly recent, these used to provide crops (and absorb Carbon) which we need as much more than a medal for being green

Whether they work or not, it's a sign to show that the UK is making an effort to fullfil their obligations to obtain Renewable Energy....of course Panels do work but not all the time... which is what this post is aimed at....but your post shows the failing on a much larger scale....where I live in Spain we have hundreds of square kilometers of panels, the results here are far greater than the UK....
Exactly why my panels on my MH are working now, where another poster based in the South Wales is getting zilch...

 

[Wh05apk]

Slightly off topic but still on Solar, its make you wonder about these fields full of panels contribution to the national grid when covered in Snow and fog bound as they have been lately, there are 2 massive fields near us in North Lincolnshire, one fairly recent, these used to provide crops (and absorb Carbon) which we need as much more than a medal for being green

The use of land for solar farms has always been a concern of mine, surely good agricultural land should be used for crops which we need more?
As I see it, every new build should have panels (and not just a token 4 which just seem to tick the green box) every factory /warehouse should be covered in them, appreciate they will still be seasonal, but if they reduce the demand on oil/gas/coal for 9 months of the year, it can only be beneficial for cost and pollution.

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