Solar panel help and advice

[Oogster]

Hi Forum,

Looking for some help and advice please.

I have a Sunlight Cliffe 540 which I bought this year. I go to a lot of music festivals and want to be able to power my Fridge off grid for 5 days, and ideally 7 (for Glastonbury).

The fridge in the Sunlight is electric, not gas.

The van came with a portable Renology folding suitcase solar panel which has the solar charger built into it which I connect to the van via an outside SAE socket. I’m not sure but think the panel is 100 watt judging by the size. I used the solar panel over the summer and it kept the battery reasonably well topped up. The problem is I don’t want to leave the panel unattended so want to add a Solar Panel to my roof so I can continue to charge when i’m away from the van. There’s a lot of roof vents on the Cliffe, but there is enough space to fit a Renology fixed 200 Watt panel.

I have also bought a Jackery Explorer Solar generator and this comes with it’s own 200 watt portable Solar Panel. The plan is to use the Jackery to recharge devices like phones/ipads and to power other kitchen stuff such as an air fryer. This will mean that the leisure battery is primarily powering the fridge and van lights. I could in emergencies connect the Jackery to the EHU on the side of the van, but again wouldn’t be able to leave the Jackery inattended.

My thoughts are as follows

I fit a fixed 200 watts panel to the roof, and connect via a new MPPT solar controller fitted inside the van to the leisure battery.

Ideally, i’d like to be able to also plug in the 200 watt portable suicase to give the battery an extra boost, via the existing external SAE. This panel doesn’t have it’s own built in MPPT. That way when i’m in the camp, I can get 400 watt of solar.

Has anyone done this and does this sound like the right way to go?
many thanks

 

[68c]

Put blue 240v input socket inside the van. Wired up to the van circuit breaker box. Then plug in your suitcase battery safe inside the van.

 

[MisterB]

are you in a position to change the fridge to gas or even a compressor fridge? alternatively how about an additional small gas fridge if you dont want to make it a permanent fixture? running a 240v fridge will take a big chunk of any solar ...

of course limiting what you need to put in the fridge in terms of products and not quantities, apparently empty fridges and freezer are far less efficient than full ones !

 

[CAB96]

I would have thought 200w was plenty during the festival season (summer), should keep a 12v compressor fridge permanently going.

As for the Jackery - can you just run the cable from outside to inside? Window? I know on my VW there is plenty of gap at the bottom of the barn doors.

Just phones etc will be fine for a week off it, but the air fryer will take a big chunk, you need to look at the consumption. Maybe try it at home first to simulate usage, see how long it last?

 

[Jev88]

Just in case you don't know you can have separate solar INPUT so long as each panel has a solar controller....... they will all just try and pump power into your batteries. I mean if you have roof solar and want to use the portable solar occasionally.....

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[autorouter]

Put blue 240v input socket inside the van. Wired up to the van circuit breaker box. Then plug in your suitcase battery safe inside the van.

It's not a simple change. It depends whether that's adding an extra blue 240V socket, or moving the existing blue 240V socket inside the van. If adding an extra mains inlet socket, care is needed to avoid the scenario where one socket is in use, and the other is live. Note that a mains inlet connection is not technically a socket, it is a plug, and has exposed pins that will become live and could be touched.

The correct way to do this is to wire both the inlet connections to a transfer switch, which changes over between the two, and leaves the unused one isolated. It's the way you would wire a hookup mains supply and a generator mains supply, so you can switch between them. These changeover switches are easily available, such as this one.
Amazon product ASIN B07L8SJXGV

 

[Oogster]

Thanks to everyone who has replied. It’s really appreciated.

To play back my understanding….

I add a 200w panel to roof which would connect via its own MPPT to leisure battery. I can at the same time plug in my existing Solar Suitcase portable panel which I think is 100 watt using existing external SAE. This panel has its own MPPT built in. Is that a correct understanding?
That would be great as I’d get the roof panel to the leisure battery when I’m away from van and have ability to add the extra portable panel to give things an extra boost when I’m at the van. Wired in this way, I’m guessing it wouldn’t matter if panels were different watts?

Secondly the Jackery. Love the idea of a second internal blue socket to plug the Jackery in if the leisure battery is running out.
I got the Jackery mainly to power luxuries like air fryer and microwave as a separate supply so there is no risk of draining the leisure battery and losing power to fridge.
If there is no sun (I’ve been to a lot of wet festivals) I’d like the option to plug the van into it if leisure battery was running low. I don’t think there’s anywhere secure that I could trail a lead out of the van to connect via external hookup. I would want to keep the external one for campsite hook-up so the switch sounds like what’s needed.

Does anyone have any recommended motorhome electricians in vicinity of Bromley/ Kent / South East ?

Regards Mark

 

[Lenny HB]

Unless you have a Lithium battery I would forget about an air fryer. If using Lead batteries to run a small airy fryer you will need about 500 ah of batteries, Lithium you could get away with 200 ah.

 

[Jev88]

I have used MCEA Network and happy with their work. (Network of mobile caravan & MH engineers).

 

[Oogster]

Thanks for the recommendation.

I’m planning on using the Jackery for the air fryer. It has over 2000kw hours and air fryer is 1000watts. According to their website should be able to run the air fryer for well over an hour.

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