Solar panel kit

[paulsy69]

Hi All
I am thinking of purchasing a solar panel kit for my Bailey caravan , what I need to know is which panel to get? I have been looking at 150 W , I just need it to keep leisure battery topped up if I go to a CL with no electric hook up , I need battery to be fully charged for when I return home to be able to use motor mover to position caravan at side of house .

 

[Jcloughie]

150 watts should be ideal, many new vans only come with 80.

Would you be fitting yourself or getting a designed kit? Self-fitting is much cheaper but depends on your ability. Some say it can invalidate your warranty, (if you have one). But this will only be the case if it can be demonstrated that the panel caused whatever problem it was. Obviously, having it fitted professionally would be a stress-free but expensive option.

There are a number of good solar providers that give great advice on their websites. Even though they are out to sell you something, I found them informative. YouTube is also worth looking at.

Truma wants £766 for the kit. I bought a similar, 118 watt for about 160, but 7 years ago. This company do a 200 watt for £269. (I have no idea if they are any good, but at least it shows that shopping around is worth while).

Look at flexible panels for good weight saving, less than half. Try putting “fitting flexible solar panels to van roof" into YouTube.

John

 

[Mr Plodd]

I have a 100W panel. It keeps everything topped up all year, even in December/January.

The Truma kit is hopelessly overpriced! Shop around there are much better deals to be had.
Truma don't make Solar panels, they buy them in and then sell them on (at a huge mark-up )

 

[paulsy69]

150 watts should be ideal, many new vans only come with 80.

Would you be fitting yourself or getting a designed kit? Self-fitting is much cheaper but depends on your ability. Some say it can invalidate your warranty, (if you have one). But this will only be the case if it can be demonstrated that the panel caused whatever problem it was. Obviously, having it fitted professionally would be a stress-free but expensive option.

There are a number of good solar providers that give great advice on their websites. Even though they are out to sell you something, I found them informative. YouTube is also worth looking at.

Truma wants £766 for the kit. I bought a similar, 118 watt for about 160, but 7 years ago. This company do a 200 watt for £269. (I have no idea if they are any good, but at least it shows that shopping around is worth while).

Look at flexible panels for good weight saving, less than half. Try putting “fitting flexible solar panels to van roof" into YouTube.

John

Thanks for the reply, I will be fitting it myself and wiring it in to battery, I just need to shop around for a good deal for the right kit that includes all I need to complete the job , been on YouTube to get some tips and I feel all systems go ! 😊

 

[Woodentop]

Try Towsure in Sheffield. They do a complete 120W kit for £313 or a 100W for £285 (rounded numbers.)

Don't forget that - depending on the distance of course - your car will charge you caravan battery as you travel home.

 

[Mr Grumpy]

We use 2 suitcase panels totalling 150 watts and can last indefinitely on off-grid sites. When in storage we just leave the smaller 50 watt panel connected and it keeps the battery fully charged.

 

[Hutch]

Probably, not a help,I bought a 100 w. Suitcase foldable solar panel for £65. From Maplin, many years ago, at a big discount. Worked well, but never really went off grid, so sold it to a mate.
Wish I had kept it now.
Maplin are still going on line.

 

[Woodentop]

Probably, not a help,I bought a 100 w. Suitcase foldable solar panel for £65. From Maplin, many years ago, at a big discount. Worked well, but never really went off grid, so sold it to a mate.
Wish I had kept it now.
Maplin are still going on line.

....and even more expensive than when they had shops!!!
For portable panels, again look at Towsure.

 

[Tobes]

Ours was from SunStore. Sunstore.
Advantage of a briefcase, you can position it in the sun when the van is in the shade. It’s much more efficient because of the angle of incidence so you need a smaller panel for the same output as a roof mounted panel. If you are going to a hookup site you can leave it behind saving weight.
Disadvantage, it’s not “always on” keeping you battery topped up in winter (assuming the van is outside and stored away from home).
We wan our van with 6 people off grid on our 60w panel for well over a week. Now we have a 100w on the roof we still take the portable for off grid so we have choices about where to pitch.

 

[paulsy69]

I will be going for a fitted panel to roof of caravan , a few things I need to know are —
when on site with electric hookup connected and caravan battery charger working is it ok to have solar panel charging battery at same time ? Also when towing and car charging battery and solar panel charging is that ok ?

 

[Tobes]

I will be going for a fitted panel to roof of caravan , a few things I need to know are —
when on site with electric hookup connected and caravan battery charger working is it ok to have solar panel charging battery at same time ? Also when towing and car charging battery and solar panel charging is that ok ?

Yes and yes. Install and forget!
I did put a permanent DVM in with mine so I could monitor the amount of energy flowing into the battery, but new solar controllers have all that built in.

 

[Buckman]

Ours was from SunStore. Sunstore.
Advantage of a briefcase, you can position it in the sun when the van is in the shade. It’s much more efficient because of the angle of incidence so you need a smaller panel for the same output as a roof mounted panel. If you are going to a hookup site you can leave it behind saving weight.
Disadvantage, it’s not “always on” keeping you battery topped up in winter (assuming the van is outside and stored away from home).
We wan our van with 6 people off grid on our 60w panel for well over a week. Now we have a 100w on the roof we still take the portable for off grid so we have choices about where to pitch.

I think an MPPT controller would resolve that winter issue? We had a 120w panel and MPPT controller from the same supplier. Came as a kit at quite a reasonable price.

 

[Jcloughie]

Lots of controllers at a range of prices out there. I can recommend EPEVER. Mid priced but well built with good instructions. Bluetooth or WiFi controllers can be added for more detailed control, which I did, but I found it was an extra unnecessary expense. You can also get an optional small remotely positioned panel for fitting in a convenient place. Also, a temperature sensor to sense if the battery is overheating.

Around £75 for a 20 amp version.

John

 

[paulsy69]

Yes and yes. Install and forget!
I did put a permanent DVM in with mine so I could monitor the amount of energy flowing into the battery, but new solar controllers have all that built in.

Thanks for the advice Tobes 👍

 

[paulsy69]

Lots of controllers at a range of prices out there. I can recommend EPEVER. Mid priced but well built with good instructions. Bluetooth or WiFi controllers can be added for more detailed control, which I did, but I found it was an extra unnecessary expense. You can also get an optional small remotely positioned panel for fitting in a convenient place. Also, a temperature sensor to sense if the battery is overheating.

Around £75 for a 20 amp version.

John

Hi John
Your right lots of different kits out there and prices vary a lot , most of them are Chinese which is very hard to avoid unless you pay a lot of money !

 

[Tobes]

Hi John
Your right lots of different kits out there and prices vary a lot , most of them are Chinese which is very hard to avoid unless you pay a lot of money !

I recently bought a "Chinese one from ebay. It was cheap, works perfectly, and likely has exactly the same innards as any non-Chinese PWM one that has some other branding.

10A/20A/30A MPPT Solar Charge Controller Panel Battery Regulator Dual USB 12/24V | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 10A/20A/30A MPPT Solar Charge Controller Panel Battery Regulator Dual USB 12/24V at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

£15.59 for a 20amp one.

 

[Jcloughie]

I recently bought a "Chinese one from ebay. It was cheap, works perfectly, and likely has exactly the same innards as any non-Chinese PWM one that has some other branding.

10A/20A/30A MPPT Solar Charge Controller Panel Battery Regulator Dual USB 12/24V | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 10A/20A/30A MPPT Solar Charge Controller Panel Battery Regulator Dual USB 12/24V at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

£15.59 for a 20amp one.

In 2016 I purchased a cheap MPPT controller from Hong Kong. It worked well with my system for 3-4 years until!!



It could have been a faulty battery, but I blame the cheap controller.


No doubt the Epever I linked to earlier is Chinese, Also the Victron many people recommend.

John

 

[Tobes]

In 2016 I purchased a cheap MPPT controller from Hong Kong. It worked well with my system for 3-4 years until!!

View attachment 4319View attachment 4320View attachment 4321View attachment 4324

It could have been a faulty battery, but I blame the cheap controller.


No doubt the Epever I linked to earlier is Chinese, Also the Victron many people recommend.

John

It happens. My OEM fit Truma PWM controller killed my Banner battery last year. Not as comprehensively as yours! But enough to need replacement. The new controller has a selectable float voltage, and so far its display and setting reads exactly the same as my DVM and in-line monitor.

 

[paulsy69]

Wow that looks scary !! What is a DVM and what is a MPPT ?

 

[Tobes]

Wow that looks scary !! What is a DVM and what is a MPPT ?

DVM = digital volt meter. I have a small box that gives me an independent reading on the voltage of my battery and any current flowing to it from my solar arrays.
MPPT =Maximum Power Point Tracking. It’s a mode for getting the best out of a solar panel, but is more expensive than PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) which most low power controllers are based on.

 

[Parksy]

DVM = Digital Voltmeter
MPPT = Maximum Power Point Tracking
PWM = Pulse Width Modulator.

A DVM can show the battery voltage, or in some cases the current battery charge voltage from the solar panel.

There are two types of solar regulator,
The MPPT regulator is normally more expensive than a PWM regulator, and in the simplest terms the MPPT regulator, when matched with a suitable solar panel, will be be more efficient and will make better use of the power generated in lower light situations, thus achieving a better trickle charge than a PWM regulator, which in simple terms is either on or off.
Beware when purchasing a MPPT regulator, especially a cheap (under £50) Chinese model, because the majoriry of them are in fact wrongly labelled PWM versions
A genuine MPPT regulator will usually have a large heat sink attached, and sometimes an outside temperature probe.
You get what you pay for. 🙂

 

[Woodentop]

For anyone who doesn't have a DVM I suggest you go and shell out £19.99 on Screwfix item 95426. For that you get a small but capable DVM, a non-contact mains tester (hold it near a live wire and it lights up and beeps) and a 13A test plug which shows if the socket is correctly wired - useful on the continent where they use 2-pin Schuko plugs which can be inserted the 'wrong' way round.
The non-contact mains tester is also a very useful home tool to check if a fuse has blown.

 

[paulsy69]

What MPPT should I get I will only use solar panel for charging 130 Amp battery also looking at a 150 to 200 W solar panel

 

[otherclive]

What MPPT should I get I will only use solar panel for charging 130 Amp battery also looking at a 150 to 200 W solar panel

JC recommended this one in his above post. Epever are an established company.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07PHW9...csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWw']this one[/B]

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Alternatively Falcon Technology have been around for a good while. But whatever you buy it will be Chinese most likely, but given their experience of solar that’s not a bad thing. Given todays reports of 90% of some designs of heaters, blankets, Christmas lights etc failing to meet safety standards or down right unsafe, when purchased via EBay, Ali etc I’d pay the extra to go to an established supplier.

https://falcontechnology.co.uk/product-category/solar-panels/

 

[littlebasher]

What MPPT should I get I will only use solar panel for charging 130 Amp battery also looking at a 150 to 200 W solar panel

I have the Swift factory 100W panel and an additional 100W solar panel feeding in to a Victron 75/15 MPPT controller.

Works very well, i bought the bluetooth version. This both connects to a Victron battery smart sense (tells the controller the temp and voltage direct at the battery) and i use an app on my phone to measure performance.