advice on solar and batteries set for low power wild camping (1 Viewer)

Lorenzo

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Jun 21, 2017
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Hello dear friends,
Im new to this forum and would like to thank everyone who's been posting here as I've been reading allot of your posts and taking in very useful information, many Thanks!!!

I have just bought a classic motorhome fiat frankia from 1992, 2.5 diesel. Yes I know its old, but old is Gold!!! (or a lame excuse for not affording something better.. :)
Its in very good overall condition (considering age) but the leisure battery is gone!
I need to replace but have very little money left so would love to get some advice from you lovely people.

I have been reading allot and found that gel batteries are the best although very expensive. are they really that much better?

Now, Although I will be doing mainly wild camping, I dont intend to use much power, as I only need lights, which are not LED (about 4), water pump, and charging 2 laptops and 2 phones, and thats about it.
Now The fridge Im not sure how to use it. I know it can be used on gas but will it empty the bottle in a second or not really? Is it better to run it on electric? advise here would be great.

the truma water heater is also not working but I hope to get it fixed and working on gas if needed hot, but im thinking in south europe cold water will do... although missus thinks otherwise.. :)

I will be only using this motorhome in the summer, and mainly in western sunny europe, spain, france and portugal. so Im guessing I dont really need that much input and spend a fortune in massive solar panels, and top of the range batteries? I am right??? so very hope so!!!

any comments would be highly appreciated.

safe campings :)
L.
 

DBK

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Use the fridge on gas, running it on 12v isn't really an option as it will flatten the battery.
 

magicsurfbus

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Check your charging system is fully compatible with Gel batteries - not all of them are. If not, consider sealed lead acid as an alternative.

Your fridge will not run off leisure battery, only via the 12v alternator when driving. Gas is fine for the fridge - we assume a litre a day for gas usage (fridge, cooking, a bit of water heating) but it's probably less than that. A refillable 11Kg cylinder will see us through at least three weeks' normal use.

Swap your lighting for LED if it's easy enough to do. It all helps.

The summer usage pattern you describe is similar to what ours was in our previous MH, plus we had a 12v TV. We managed on an 85W solar panel and a 110 Ah sealed lead acid leisure battery. Panels are cheaper now so a higher output wouldn't go amiss if you've got the roof space and the funds. Make sure you have (at least) a two-stage solar charge controller to get the best life out of your battery.

Better quality batteries will last longer if properly cared for, so buying cheap may be false economy. The NCC (National Caravan Council) have a scheme that grades batteries according to intended usage - try Googling it. From what you suggest I reckon you should go for one of their B or even A grade batteries, if your charger supports it.

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Camping Gaza

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Have a look at alpha-batteries.co.uk It where I got mine.

I dont subscribe much to all this Gel, sealed, approved battery fandango, I have to say. Nothing wrong with wet lead acid for the price. and you can get 2 for the price of one or a bigger capacity one for a similar price.

Gel are good for mounting in awkward places, can even be mounted upside down. unless you need to do this why have the expense.

Sealed wont leak and dont need any topping up.

Maintenence free are NOT sealed should not need topping up and will leak if inverted

AGM are good and are a step up from regular lead acid as the plates are protected better.

Word was once banner batteries were flavor of the month, now they are supposed to be rubbish

If I were you i would look at Lead acid and the biggest capacity you can afford. Considering how cheap they are and as long as you look after it its just as good as any other IMHO. I am sure others will disagree, but to me its like buying branded trainers, ( not that I would be seen dead in a pair!) or other branded goods...

Oh and swap out your lights for under 3 watt or lower LED bulbs, it will make a hell of a difference.

I await humbly to be shot down and to buy the farm but I really don't care.
 
Last edited:

magicsurfbus

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We all know batteries and solar panels are a topic of lively debate so I'm not going to bicker.

Worth noting that unsealed lead acid batteries will vent fumes, so need managing properly if they're inside the habitation area. Apart from that, each to their own.
 
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Lorenzo

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Jun 21, 2017
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Great advice thank you.
The amount of available batteries is so confusing...
I've been looking at the NNC scheme and found the cheapest in Grade A batteries the ET650 Exide 12v 100A. although this website https://www.tayna.co.uk/ET650-Exide-Equipment-Leisure-Battery-100A-P10339.html is selling it 50£ cheaper than anywhere esle. Not sure if its the right one though... anyone has any advise on this one?
definitely swap the lighting for LED.
still looking for solar panels...
thanks

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magicsurfbus

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hilldweller

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A fridge running gas takes almost no gas.
LED replacement bulbs cost very little.
Halfords will sell you quite cheap leisure batteries.
Your missus is right, you can't wash dishes in cold water.
 
Mar 23, 2012
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I keep thinking about solar but as we have just got back from 3 weeks off hook up and the battery was just as full when we got back it seems a waste of time if you intend to stay a night or 2 and move on in th esummer and have led's you will probably get away without it. Make sure you charge the laptop phones etc on the mover from the cigarette lighter socket in the cab the alternator will then do the work not the leisure battery
 
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even with your low usage i would stick a bit of solar on especially in southern europe a 100 w panel and cheap reg will give you piece of mind
 
Mar 23, 2012
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I thought the same but as my better half pointed put in our previous motorhome and this one never had a problem that being said we have no tv and if off site its usually in summer all our lights are led and we use gas for water and fridge.We also usually move every day as welike to roam
 

Malcolm Bolt

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better battery here

If this appears twice I'll blame Greek beer.

Another vote for battery megastore.
I got 4 x 110 amph lead acid for about £55 last October when we were at Malvern.
Called in and they even removed old and fitted new at no extra cost. They also have a very good delivery service.
I got Hancook which I was told used to be alpha but now owned by the tyre people.
 

Terry

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Hi, Bimble solar sell 175w solar panels for approx £85 just make sure they will fit and the cheapest FLA batts you can find, are as @Malcolm Bolt advised,along side a eBay charge controller(y) about £200 quid should see you with 2 x 110 amp hr batts and enough solar to keep everything charged ....sure you can pay a lot more for everything but I got more than 5 yes out of my last cheap batteries so no complaints here
Terry

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Lorenzo

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Jun 21, 2017
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Hi, Bimble solar sell 175w solar panels for approx £85 just make sure they will fit and the cheapest FLA batts you can find, are as @Malcolm Bolt advised,along side a eBay charge controller(y) about £200 quid should see you with 2 x 110 amp hr batts and enough solar to keep everything charged ....sure you can pay a lot more for everything but I got more than 5 yes out of my last cheap batteries so no complaints here
Terry

hey Terry, 200£ sounds good to me... would you be so kind as to let me know what exactly you bought and where? How did u fit it?

Many thanks to all replies
 

Minxy

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Your missus is right, you can't wash dishes in cold water.
... we boil our kettle for that ... one kettle-full is enough to wash up, no waiting around for the boiler to heat up, and no waste of gas by heating more water than we need!
 
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Lorenzo

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... we boil our kettle for that ... one kettle-full is enough to wash up, no waiting around for the boiler to heat up, and no waste of gas by heating more water than we need!

Good advise... (y)

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JackieP

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I thought the same but as my better half pointed put in our previous motorhome and this one never had a problem that being said we have no tv and if off site its usually in summer all our lights are led and we use gas for water and fridge.We also usually move every day as welike to roam

I agree. I used to have the same usage as you and could go two weeks without having to drive to charge the battery.

It's only now I have electrical kitchen appliances and a laptop that solar panels (1x80watt)and and inverter (300 watt) have become a necessary part of my life

Just to give you something else to think about and research Lorenzo is that I have never used a dedicated leisure battery. I've never been convinced by the science. I've used two 110 vehicle batteries for as long as I can remember. Currently using Silver Varta and they've never given me a moment's trouble in two years.
 

Terry

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Hi, Bimble solar sell 175w solar panels for approx £85 just make sure they will fit and the cheapest FLA batts you can find, are as @Malcolm Bolt advised,along side a eBay charge controller(y) about £200 quid should see you with 2 x 110 amp hr batts and enough solar to keep everything charged ....sure you can pay a lot more for everything but I got more than 5 yes out of my last cheap batteries so no complaints here
Terry

HI MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH ROOM ON YOUR ROOF ///// ANY 30 AMP CHARGE CONTROLLER OFF EBAY ///Bought 2 ins ali angle from Toolstation £8 for fixing brackets and either Puraflex 40 £4.20 or Stickall £5ish both from toolstation to stick the panel to the roof //// Roof Cable Entry Gland / Box//approx £6 ebay a dozen self tappers to screw 4/6 10 ins lengths ali angle to panel then use puraflex 40 to stick to roof or if damp use Stickall
terry
 

Goddamn It

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Hello dear friends,
Im new to this forum and would like to thank everyone who's been posting here as I've been reading allot of your posts and taking in very useful information, many Thanks!!!

I have just bought a classic motorhome fiat frankia from 1992, 2.5 diesel. Yes I know its old, but old is Gold!!! (or a lame excuse for not affording something better.. :)
Its in very good overall condition (considering age) but the leisure battery is gone!
I need to replace but have very little money left so would love to get some advice from you lovely people.

I have been reading allot and found that gel batteries are the best although very expensive. are they really that much better?

Now, Although I will be doing mainly wild camping, I dont intend to use much power, as I only need lights, which are not LED (about 4), water pump, and charging 2 laptops and 2 phones, and thats about it.
Now The fridge Im not sure how to use it. I know it can be used on gas but will it empty the bottle in a second or not really? Is it better to run it on electric? advise here would be great.

the truma water heater is also not working but I hope to get it fixed and working on gas if needed hot, but im thinking in south europe cold water will do... although missus thinks otherwise.. :)

I will be only using this motorhome in the summer, and mainly in western sunny europe, spain, france and portugal. so Im guessing I dont really need that much input and spend a fortune in massive solar panels, and top of the range batteries? I am right??? so very hope so!!!

any comments would be highly appreciated.

safe campings :)
L.
Hello dear friends,
Im new to this forum and would like to thank everyone who's been posting here as I've been reading allot of your posts and taking in very useful information, many Thanks!!!

I have just bought a classic motorhome fiat frankia from 1992, 2.5 diesel. Yes I know its old, but old is Gold!!! (or a lame excuse for not affording something better.. :)
Its in very good overall condition (considering age) but the leisure battery is gone!
I need to replace but have very little money left so would love to get some advice from you lovely people.

I have been reading allot and found that gel batteries are the best although very expensive. are they really that much better?

Now, Although I will be doing mainly wild camping, I dont intend to use much power, as I only need lights, which are not LED (about 4), water pump, and charging 2 laptops and 2 phones, and thats about it.
Now The fridge Im not sure how to use it. I know it can be used on gas but will it empty the bottle in a second or not really? Is it better to run it on electric? advise here would be great.

the truma water heater is also not working but I hope to get it fixed and working on gas if needed hot, but im thinking in south europe cold water will do... although missus thinks otherwise.. :)

I will be only using this motorhome in the summer, and mainly in western sunny europe, spain, france and portugal. so Im guessing I dont really need that much input and spend a fortune in massive solar panels, and top of the range batteries? I am right??? so very hope so!!!

any comments would be highly appreciated.

safe campings :)
L.

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Puddleduck

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Make sure you get a leisure battery and not a starter battery. I'd go for a lead acid battery - better understood and you know it will "go" with your charger system.

We've had a van with no hot water (our first one) and you can always boil a kettle but washing hair and body with only a kettle for hot water isn't much fun.

Our previous van was sold as having the water heater not working - well gas boilers don't work if their gas supply is turned off! The plastic gas stop cover was split underneath and it appeared that the gas was on when it wasn't. An easy fix and worth checking.
 

Goddamn It

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Hi,
A tip which I found very useful.As a rule of thumb don't fit batteries any bigger than 10x your charging capacity. I've seen various examples of charger units with melted terminals due to overworking.When designing my system we did allow for input from solar and went for 2x110amp batteries and a 145w panel run through a Votronic regulator which also trickle charges the starter battery.
 
Mar 21, 2017
263
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Van Conversion
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2011
Hi,
A tip which I found very useful.As a rule of thumb don't fit batteries any bigger than 10x your charging capacity. I've seen various examples of charger units with melted terminals due to overworking.



I think he 10% rule of thumb you mention came about because it gives an acceptable charge time and good battery life, that’s all, there are no safety implications.

IMO there are to many variables to consider when choosing a charger/battery combination. If you charge a 100Ah battery with a 1A charger it will take a couple of days to charge, this may be acceptable in some situations, but not for most van owners. The battery would have a long life because of the ‘gentle’ charge regime.

If you charge a 100Ah battery with a 100A charger it will be fully charged (it may not have a 100% charge, but that’s another story) in less than a hour. Great, but the battery was very heavily charged, severe stresses caused by this within the battery will shorten it's life by a considerable amount.

Somewhere between the two extremes above is the typical charger/battery combination but you have to consider your required charge time, expected battery life, whether you want a full charge, average loads during charging etc.

Regarding the melting of terminals, I think it right to point out that, for example, 10A charger works no harder charging a 200Ahr battery than a 100Ahr battery, it just works for longer. The Ctek MSX10 is recommended by Ctek for 20-200A batteries and up to 300A for maintenance charging. The melted terminals cannot be due to ‘overworking’ a charger, I suspect the various examples you saw were due to defective chargers, operator error or some other fault.

Just saying to counter you rather alarmist post.(y)

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