Following decision to ditch the caravan for canvas again, i now need to sort out power required.
We are looking to avoid EHU, but hoping to run a small TV (approx 2amp per hour) & a flluorescant tube light. I'm estimating no more than 10amp per day power consumption.
Most of our trips are for 7 nights with occasional 14nighter.
For 7nights i believe an 85ah bettery will suffice, but my question is, will the 13w solar panel in a briefcase be enough to extend the life of the 85ah battery over 2 weeks, or will i have no choice but to buy a second battery ??
Your advice appreciated
On a side note, is it acceptable to ask a warden or fellow camper (on EHU) to allow us to charge our battery. We obviously have our own charger & would happily pay a fee. ... Just need a socket to plug it into
I doubt if the solar charger will extend your battery life to two weeks. Why not buy a bigger battery, rather than carry two. You could also fit a split charge relay to your car to allow you to charge your leisure battery when you are driving around. I do not know if it is acceptable to ask for a charge from another camper, but I know if I was approached pleasantly enough I would allow it.
Thanks for your response. Yes a bigger battery is an option, but i'm not keen lugging a 110ah battery in & out of car unless last resort & i'm not convinced that it would last 2 weeks either.
I had considered charging when driving but
a) I dont really want to have to keep taking battery back & forth to car
b) I try not to do to much mileage whilst at destination, so doubtful enough charge would be generated.
For the sake of one charge a week it does seem a lot of hassle.
I would happily pay for 24hr EHU, but chances are i would have to move pitches which is also not ideal.
I agree that you'll struggle to keep the battery charged with a small 13w panel. If you were in the tropics you might manage it, but with unreliable British sun, your panel might only generate 1/10 of its rated capacity and then you're going to be running short well before the 14th day.
quote
On a side note, is it acceptable to ask a warden or fellow camper (on EHU) to allow us to charge our battery. We obviously have our own charger & would happily pay a fee. ... Just need a socket to plug it into
interesting question that, personally i would have no problem with doing it but how long would you need to charge it if you where only doing it once after seven days?
i overcame the problem by having the battery secured in my car boot and a ext lead from one of my twin sockets to my caravan,then even the shortest run from day one puts some charge in and you don't have to move the battery every time you go out.
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Quote: Originally posted by mike.wilkinson on 07/3/2010quote
On a side note, is it acceptable to ask a warden or fellow camper (on EHU) to allow us to charge our battery. We obviously have our own charger & would happily pay a fee. ... Just need a socket to plug it into
interesting question that, personally i would have no problem with doing it but how long would you need to charge it if you where only doing it once after seven days?
i overcame the problem by having the battery secured in my car boot and a ext lead from one of my twin sockets to my caravan,then even the shortest run from day one puts some charge in and you don't have to move the battery every time you go out.
I will have a 16amp charger, & according to instructions takes approx 13 hours to fully charge. I would ideally look to leave with warden or whomever willing over a 24hour period, but can be less if preferred.
Quote: Originally posted by mike.wilkinson on 07/3/2010i overcame the problem by having the battery secured in my car boot and a ext lead from one of my twin sockets to my caravan,then even the shortest run from day one puts some charge in and you don't have to move the battery every time you go out.
Cheers, Mike. I was thinking of doing something like that myself - it's great to hear that it works well. We've been resisting getting an EHU as it would preclude to many sites that we really want to visit and this seems a great way around the problem.
Personally, I'd love to get a beast of a solar panel but they're just so darn expensive...
The fuel cell looks über-cool...but no price tag. Dare I even ask?
If you are charging a battery from the mains you will use approx 1/2 to 1 amp max. So the cost will be approx 20-50 P in electricity. This makes the cost of buying fuel cells, solar panels etc seem rather expensive.
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Topic: 2 Batteries or 1 Battery+Solar Panel ??
