Solar panel costs versus running the engine

[BGT180]

I had a 120w panel roof fitted 8 years ago as part of an offer including a battery master and inverter. Was the best thing I did . The 2 leisure batteries are always charged and trickle feed the vehicle battery. This applies in winter also and checked today after no use for a month and leisure are 13.4 and vehicle 12.8v. Even on cloudy days I get enough charge to maintain the batteries even having a Sigma alarm on at all times. We spend most of our holidays abroad and use Aires so hook up is unnecessary. Best thing is I don't have to worry about power and charging. Don't think idling the engine is good for it and anyone nearby.

 

[eddyt]

Yes they are based on figures researched from the internet.



This is not really relevant as nearly all motorhome dual charging systems are fused at 20 amps.



I looked on the internet for idle fuel usage for 2 litre diesel engines fitted in vans. There is quite a bit of information based on real world usage. For instance, there are people reporting the fuel usage for motorway maintenance vehicles that idle for 12 hours to keep the safety lights running. The reported usage was between 3 and 8 litres per hour.

I use my engine to charge my batteries as I have an 80 amp B2B setup. I would guess that I have run it about 10 times for about 1 hour on idle over 18 months. I am about to fit my third replacement EGR valve. I did not factor in the damage cause to modern diesel engine caused by idling.

hi
i think running the engine on tickover would do more damage
to the DPF and or cat. rather than the egr. because the egr does not
open at tickover. when you change your egr. it is advisable to remove the
inlet manifold and clean it out of carbon as it can get blocked further down.
also have you thought about blanking the egr off. if you drill a 6mm hole
in the blanking plate it sometimes stops the engine warning light coming on.
depending which engine it is.

 

[IanH]

They are not suitable for some motorhome charging systems and can cause problems.

ANYTHING, Mh or not with two batteries, one for the engine the other for other uses, engine one charged by an alternator from the engine, is PERFECTLY suited to a batt to batt device.

Which "some" motorhome charging system did you have in mind????

 

[IanH]

hi
i think running the engine on tickover would do more damage
to the DPF and or cat. rather than the egr. because the egr does not
open at tickover. when you change your egr. it is advisable to remove the
inlet manifold and clean it out of carbon as it can get blocked further down.
also have you thought about blanking the egr off. if you drill a 6mm hole
in the blanking plate it sometimes stops the engine warning light coming on.
depending which engine it is.

Agreed, the DPF in particular will block quite quickly at prolonged idle and there is no possibility of enough heat to help it.
The EGR valve will be closed anyway, you can either blank it, as you say, or simply have the ECU told not to open it!
If it never opens, then exhaust gases will never get down the inlet manifold, you are correct to say clean it, but after telling the EGR not to open, it shouldn't need doing again

No replies from Greeniots please!!!:danger:

 

[maingate]

ANYTHING, Mh or not with two batteries, one for the engine the other for other uses, engine one charged by an alternator from the engine, is PERFECTLY suited to a batt to batt device.

Which "some" motorhome charging system did you have in mind????

The ones I read about on problem pages on motorhome forums.

And the ones referred to in post 27 on this thread.

 

[Jake Drummond]

Interesting!
What I actually do is use what I need from the battery while stopped overnight, fire up and drive to our next location, usually a four or five hours of running, and sometimes its a hookup - sometimes not. When I park up at home I connect to the house hookup and that's it.
We've not been caught short on power yet, but I did think of a solar panel.......just in case!

 

[channa]

My own thoughts are if you spend a lot of time in the van, it is an extra reassurance re self sustainability.

For a couple of hundred pounds is it better to have it and not need it rather than need it and not have it ?

To a certain extent solar panels are less effective when you need them most . i.e this time of year.

There are things to consider, preserving juice rather than jump in with a panel eg Led Lights.

A lot depends on peoples lifestyle on the road. If you need your fix of Emmerdale etc naturally your consumption is different.

Overall I think they are a useful addition.

Channa

 

[IanH]

The ones I read about on problem pages on motorhome forums.

And the ones referred to in post 27 on this thread.

Well, I apologise for my lack of knowledge!

My knowledge base is clearly needing updated, I only really deal with older vehicles and had no idea of the complexities of modern motorhomes. When I upgrade to a more modern one I shall look more closely at this.

This also, perhaps why both my 1991Mh and 2001Car can NOT be plugged into a laptop every time the ECU coughs!!

Thanks
Ian

 

[maingate]

Well, I apologise for my lack of knowledge!

My knowledge base is clearly needing updated, I only really deal with older vehicles and had no idea of the complexities of modern motorhomes. When I upgrade to a more modern one I shall look more closely at this.

This also, perhaps why both my 1991Mh and 2001Car can NOT be plugged into a laptop every time the ECU coughs!!

Thanks
Ian

I have never needed to plug any of my motorhomes into computers either ..... but there again I have avoided buying anything Sevel made that was built after 2007.

I don't do major modifications to my vans. What is the point of buying something and finding out it is not suitable for your needs? I do my homework and ask plenty of questions before committing. I have the engineering background to make changes if I want to but have not felt the need to. If I did a selfbuild, I could make it more versatile than a professionally made van for wilding (looking at some of them, anyone could do a better job ).

 

[Byronic]

Interesting!
What I actually do is use what I need from the battery while stopped overnight, fire up and drive to our next location, usually a four or five hours of running, and sometimes its a hookup - sometimes not. When I park up at home I connect to the house hookup and that's it.
We've not been caught short on power yet, but I did think of a solar panel.......just in case!

So in your particular case you 'may' run out of battery power, unlikely but possible? Not a big problem in itself because you're likely to be moving off the next day and will be getting a charge. However it would be preferable to have a bit of reserve for this rare occasion which so far hasn't eventuated.
Why not just carry a home charged 12v battery of sufficient amperage to last a night or 2 that you can easily substitute for the flat u/s battery.

 

[mistericeman]

So in your particular case you 'may' run out of battery power, unlikely but possible? Not a big problem in itself because you're likely to be moving off the next day and will be getting a charge. However it would be preferable to have a bit of reserve for this rare occasion which so far hasn't eventuated.
Why not just carry a home charged 12v battery of sufficient amperage to last a night or 2 that you can easily substitute for the flat u/s battery.

Because in his particular case (very much the same as ours, as in we tend to move after a day or so) he has no need of carrying a spare battery around.
we have 3 x 100ah leisure batteries powering a inverter running microwave/kettle/toaster/slow cooker and haven't yet been stuck for power.... even over the last months where the solar panels are doing sod all.... the split charger is shouldering the bulk of the charging.

 

[Byronic]

'Just in case,' his words, not mine!!

 

[ashbyspannerman]

Problem here is the starter will pull so much load you will have to drive 20miles to recover,where as solar is a win win .

The starter shouldn't pull ANYTHING from the lb! The sterling will take power from the alternator after around 30 seconds and amplify it to a generous voltage to quickly charge your lb.