Solar panels (1 Viewer)

[jonrud]

Hi I have been looking into solar panels for a motor home and have come to the conclusion that a 100 watt panel and two 110 amh batteries will do the job anybody have a better option? Thanksoh:

 

[pappajohn]

sounds a reasonable combination...if you can afford a larger panel then it will be better still.

you still need to watch your 12v usage though....the sun dont shine every day.

our last van had a 130w panel and three 110ah batteries.
the current RV has a 170w panel and four 120ah batteries

 

[Jaws]

150w worth of panels here and a pair of 110a batteries .. Managed about 5 days no trouble at all with ( sad to admit ) several hours telly daily ( but it WAS peeing down AND sunny !! )

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[jonrud]

Hi do all motorhome have space for 2/3/4 batteries? we are still unsure which van we will go for the Bessy E560 or Balero 680EB. Will these vans have space for extra batteries?

 

[Jaws]

Not familiar with those but there is usually SOMEWHERE they can be put.. Under seats etc.
Mine are under the cab seats, my son in law has one in an external cradle and two under seats in the living area

 

[jonrud]

Would they be just placed under the seats or can you get boxes for them to go in?

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[Munchie]

We have 2 80w panels and 2 110v batts.
Problem with more batts is weight.
We will add another panel and 80 or 130 :thumb:

 

[nannyjan]

Hi, One mistake I nearly made was that I was only going to fit a small inverter however luckily they were out of stock and I had to fit a 1000 watt inverter. This allows me to use my 800 watt microwave and electric kettle however the use has to be conservative as if weather not too sunny it will soon use up your reserves. I hope to go to spain soon and hopefully it will be sunny most days so that I can use these appliances freely. Hope this helps you when organised your solar panels etc. Keep Smiling Nannyjan

 

[hilldweller]

This allows me to use my 800 watt microwave and electric kettle however the use has to be conservative

You'd better believe this.

I hope to go to Spain soon and hopefully it will be sunny most days so that I can use these appliances freely. Nannyjan

800W out and what 80/160W solar on the best of days back in.

So a 10 minute instant meal will take 1,2,4 hours or more to replenish depending on the sunshine. Maybe 8 hours in winter when the sun is low. In UK maybe 8 days.

It gets worse, when talking of 800W the AMPS are so big you effectively de-rate your batteries by 50%, and best not to go below 50% discharge so you've only got 25% of what it says on the tin.

Be warned.

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[Snowbird]

To give you some idea...I have 320amp battery bank charged by 2X75 watt solar panels on my VW.
330amp battery bank charged by 3X75watt solar panels on the RV.
The only things I use on the 12 volt system is lights,water pump,TV,laptop,radio,cd player etc.All these are dedicated 12 volt aplliences and I never have a battery problem.As Brian said,never use inverters for items that can be used on gas or directly on 12 volt.Inverters just eat batteries and should be avoided as much as possible.

 

[Jaws]

Would they be just placed under the seats or can you get boxes for them to go in?

Son in law used a couple of upturned plastic box's to cover the batteries. Available from a lot of retail outlets as toy storage box's and the like..

I just use a bar to bolt them down so they cannot move ( battery fixing bars are available from a lot of car parts outlets for very few beer tokens