Brett
do any of you use them small solar panels to keep your van battery topped up plug into cizzy lighter or clip on to battery are they any good will they cut out so dont do damage to battery is there one people can recomend thank you
Admin
Administrator
I have a bi-directional voltage sensing relay (Victron Cyrix battery combiner). This unit charges my leisure batteries from the starter battery when the engine is running, it also charges my starter battery when my solar charger is charging my leisure batteries. So basically my roof solar panels charge all my batteries.
Deleted member 4404
I didn't want the bother of extra panels for the vehicle battery, so I fitted one of THESE. (I've added a data sheet in resources)
When the solar takes the LBs over 13.3v it sends a small charge of about 3amps to the vehicle battery and cuts out when the LBs drop below 12.9v.
In winter, with limited sun, it still keeps the vehicle battery nicely topped up.
When the solar takes the LBs over 13.3v it sends a small charge of about 3amps to the vehicle battery and cuts out when the LBs drop below 12.9v.
In winter, with limited sun, it still keeps the vehicle battery nicely topped up.
Millie Master
Forum Member
@Brett is your van having a discharge problem with the van battery (VB)? I only ask as modern vehicles come supplied as standard with all manners of alarm systems and in my Renault Masters case it also had a UK distributor fitted Traffic Master system fitted which I discovered could never be turned off (so as it is a service which no longer exists, I ripped it out!). Prior to this and prior to fitting a solar panel, despite having a nearly new and very powerful gel battery, my van was always loosing battery power!
So this leads me to asking you a couple of questions and observations:-
1. When you are parked up, but not using the van to live in, is your VB loosing power/charge? ..... If it is then you have either got a duff battery or, more than likely, there is something that is drawing power when you are away from the van, such as the alarm system.
2. If when you are away out and about in your van, does your van have a leisure battery (LB) or batteries fitted and if so, is the LB large enough to supply your needs, or does your system have to rely on your VB to support it? .... If so, you have a problem and you ought to give every consideration to fitting a decent sized solar panel permanently on the roof as well as increasing the size and quality of your LB.
In my case, my van has a 150W solar panel fitted on the roof, this feeds directly to 2 x 150ah gel leisure batteries (LB), there is also a "Split Charge Relay (SCR)" wired into the system into the main feed cable from the VB to the LB's. The magical SCR always senses if the VB has reached full charge and then it switches the charging power to the LB's.............. Conversely when out and about camping with the sun powering the solar panel, when the LB's have reached full charge it then switches the feed directly to the VB. By the way the SCR I have fitted costs approx. half the more complicated item that (@Edina) Chris has fitted.
As for the small solar panel you are considering, ok they can be of a very limited use but generally speaking I believe they are about as much use as a chocolate tea pot!
Good luck
Phil
So this leads me to asking you a couple of questions and observations:-
1. When you are parked up, but not using the van to live in, is your VB loosing power/charge? ..... If it is then you have either got a duff battery or, more than likely, there is something that is drawing power when you are away from the van, such as the alarm system.
2. If when you are away out and about in your van, does your van have a leisure battery (LB) or batteries fitted and if so, is the LB large enough to supply your needs, or does your system have to rely on your VB to support it? .... If so, you have a problem and you ought to give every consideration to fitting a decent sized solar panel permanently on the roof as well as increasing the size and quality of your LB.
In my case, my van has a 150W solar panel fitted on the roof, this feeds directly to 2 x 150ah gel leisure batteries (LB), there is also a "Split Charge Relay (SCR)" wired into the system into the main feed cable from the VB to the LB's. The magical SCR always senses if the VB has reached full charge and then it switches the charging power to the LB's.............. Conversely when out and about camping with the sun powering the solar panel, when the LB's have reached full charge it then switches the feed directly to the VB. By the way the SCR I have fitted costs approx. half the more complicated item that (@Edina) Chris has fitted.
As for the small solar panel you are considering, ok they can be of a very limited use but generally speaking I believe they are about as much use as a chocolate tea pot!
Good luck
Phil
Brett
thanks for the replies well when this trouble started i had the battery checked was told it,s ok the van battery can power the fridge when engine running but stops when engine off there were two wire,s on the battery that i took off in turn to see if it was one of these was draining power anyway been to an battery shop today was told that the battery was faulty he also said it does not mean that was the only problem he went into detail so in the shop was one of these chargers last one bit dusty £29 you can have it for £18 full warrenty and will fit my car remote key battery for free so had it can use it on motorcycle as well solar on roof for light,s water pump
trevskoda
Forum Member
Solar is for charging batterys and does not care what you run as it just does the above,its the battery which runs things,do remember at this time of year a solar panel is almost useless,come late march or april and things start to change.
Brett
sorry mate don,t get that
Squiffy
Forum Member
Think what he is saying Brett is unless you have a solar panel array that supplies vast amperage you can not run fridge, tv and lights off it alone, especially at night or on dark cloudy winter days. The battery is what runs your equipment and the solar panel tries to top up the battery when the sun is out to play or you are only using marginal amps i.e. radio or charging your phone during the day. At night you are totally reliant on your leisure battery. Phil
Brett
thanks for that squiffy yes i know the solar on the roof just do lights and water pump i also have 240v so use for lighting when reading and fridge the solar i got today i will put in windscreen when parked up to help with van battery i just did not understand the post we must have had some sun as the leisure battery,s are showing full charge