Hello again
I am at the stage of adding solar to my 12v electric system in campervan. I have 2 x 110amp gel leisure batteries installed also split charge relay from van starter battery. Not sure how many panels I need or wattage required. I read somewhere that 300 watts required to keep 2 x 110amp charged
🤔Any advice most appreciated.
all depends on what your intending to be running from the batteries and how often, because then if its being drained too quickly due to regular use you need the larger solar panels to be able to recharge the batteries, anything that requires or produces heat will drain both your batteries in minutes, no solar panel is going to be able to keep up with that sort of useage
It also depends on the time of year and the angle of the sun to your panels. I suspect that in Scotland and with panels mounted flat on the roof you will be lucky to generate much more than enough to cover the self discharge of the batteries for about six months of the year.
------------- 'A sure cure for sea-sickness is to sit under a tree'
I will be in France with van all summer. I won't be running anything hot
Its for lights tv laptop phone chargers. So 8 am still looking for advice on what wattage of panel s I need and how many.
Hugh
well to give you an idea we use our caravan for rallies in the uk. we have 1 leisure battery 75 amp and a 35w solar panel, its used for lights, toilet flush, taps, and charging our phones no tv tho. we never get a flat battery
You should be fine with a 100w panel, and 2 110A batteries are probably overkill. If you are going to be driving about while you are there and using a battery 2 battery charger you could probably get away without PV panels.
Try to estimate your daily power requirements and size the system accordingly. You could end up spending a load of money that you don't need to if you oversize the system. You can always add to it at a later stage, and the technology is always getting more efficient and cheaper with time.
------------- 'A sure cure for sea-sickness is to sit under a tree'
That's sounds like sound advice
I have a split charge relay at present but I am starting to read some unsettling posts regarding their effect on the alternator. As we have just replaced our alternator at some cost I don't want to be damaging it. I have been looking at B2B chargers.
Thank you
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: What solar panels for me.
via mobile 26/10/2023 at 2:27pm
