Where does the solar energy power go to when all the batteries are fully charged?

[Millie Master]

I have just spotted a thread on one of the facebook motorhome forums where someone has asked "where does the excess solar energy power go to when all the batteries are fully charged"?

Some replies to the above are suggesting it can be used to power low energy devices such as computer cooling fans etc., but if this is the case, how and where do you connect the wires to?

Might be a daft question, but at least it might get one or two brains churning over on these cold wintery days.

Phil

 

[wildebus]

It is typically simply wasted. I have 400W on the roof and on a typical summers day I am fully charged by 10 or 11AM.

My solution? Use a similar approach as if you had an Economy 7 type setup and plan your useage accordingly...

• Use an electric hob to make your breakfast - the power used will get put back during the day
• Same again for Lunch
• Use a slow cooker during the day to make your evening meal
• Any devices that need charging, make sure you do it as early in the daytime as possible.

I also have my Electric Hot Water system and can put the power switch in "position I" which is only goes active when the batteries are at 99% and then turns off at 94% so essentially can be set to act as an energy dump.

 

[trevskoda]

Just like a house,the power is behind the socket just waiting for the vacum cleaner to be plugged in .
So the power is in fact switched of at the control unit once battery are full,it will reconnect when juice is used but only during good daylight.
Hope this post helped.

 

[voyager]

You don't connect the wires anywhere, just leave them connected the way they are. If you want to use a computer or cooling fan then simply connect to the leisure battery and when they drain the battery then the solar will charge the battery back up again.

 

[time4t]

You can get water heating elements which are around a 100 watts.
fit them in the hot water tank & they'll help to cut the amount of gas used to heat your water for showers etc.,
I don't know how they are wired up but hopefully someone will be along to help with that.

Phill

 

[trevskoda]

You can get water heating elements which are around a 100 watts.
fit them in the hot water tank & they'll help to cut the amount of gas used to heat your water for showers etc.,
I don't know how they are wired up but hopefully someone will be along to help with that.

Phill

They connect to the battery as every thing does,once the battery is full a sensing device switches the element on and then of at a set voltage to save the battery,bit silly in my eyes as power is best saved for tv lights blown heaters etc,water is best heated with gas.
Mind you i have a 12v wash heater in my loo room which is on a switch at dash though i could forget some day,something else to look at in future.

 

[voyager]

I have heard of a skeleton in the cupboard but a skeleton in the loo is new to me.

 

[trevskoda]

I have heard of a skeleton in the cupboard but a skeleton in the loo is new to me.

Thats what happens to anyone going in after me.

 

[RAW]

Just a thought from some research I have been doing is that MPPT Solar Controllers like this one

Have a Load Output so I think when the Battery is Full then the LOAD would have Power from the Solar and you could use that for many things I would guess:
Lighting
Output to 12V Socket and then Use 12V -> 5V Adaptors to charge other devices like small portable Power Supplies, your tablet or phone etc

 

[Deleted member 4404]

Can't really go wrong with Victron, just make sure you get one large enough for any additional panels in the future. There are lots of USB charging sockets available on ebay; personally I avoid the really cheap ones and prefer to look on sites like this Ebay store

 

[RAW]

....There are lots of USB charging sockets available on ebay; personally I avoid the really cheap ones and prefer to look on sites like this Ebay store

I made a purchase from Wildebus last night, funnily enough

 

[wildebus]

Trying to balance size Vs cost can be tricky. I went for the Victron 100/30, which is upto 440W. Now I fancy upping to 600W so controller is bit small
The 100/20 is upto 300ish watts. It is also the biggest they do with a separate LOAD connection if that is a feature wanted. The handy thing ref size with Victron is if you put "too much" wattage into them it does not harm, just gets ignored, so a 300W controller and a 320W panel will be fine together - you will just waste 20W at peak BUT that 20W will only happen for a few minutes a day in the peak summertime anyway so not a massive loss.

 

[RAW]

As you suggested I will be trialling the new old :camper: as is, to see how the Leisure Battery is and then I will get a Solar Panel Kit probably from Bimble Solar, but if you wanted to sell on your 100/30 then I might be interested but unsure when I will look to fit Solar yet. Thanks again

 

[wildebus]

As you suggested I will be trialling the new old :camper: as is, to see how the Leisure Battery is and then I will get a Solar Panel Kit probably from Bimble Solar, but if you wanted to sell on your 100/30 then I might be interested but unsure when I will look to fit Solar yet. Thanks again

My suggestion would be get decent kit, but stuff that can be easily transferred if/when you change van (very few people find their first camper is right for THEM so even if the Talbot is a perfect van and you love the lifestyle, you'd likely change for one reason or another).
If you have storage in the van, you could buy a panel and just put it out when you are camped up for example if you are not ready to install on the roof yet.

 

[trevskoda]

here is a new kid on the block,duel charging.