Power switch on or off in storage?

[IanandJulesey]

Hi all and sorry for such a basic question.

We have a 2011 auto trail Comanche, should we leave the power on for the solar panel to apply the little bit of charge in the winter months or will this still happen if switched off?

If it only works if left switched on, should we leave it switched on?

Ian and Julesey

 

[pappajohn]

If the panel is wired to the batteries then turn off the isolator.
if its wired to the control panel then turn it off....in winter its not going to make a lot of difference and parasitic loads will probably flatten the battery faster than solar can charge it.

 

[K9Brian]

In the handbook it says turn the power off ( black button) otherwise the radio etc will drain the battery. You'll probably find the solar keeps the hab battery charged up but that the vehicle battery will get flat in under 4 weeks even with the power off. I use a solar panel in the windscreen for the engine battery whilst in storage, and in winter even that struggles to keep up

 

[tonka]

See below and paragraph 3.6 it has your answer...
If you turn off the shutdown switch on the Sargent panel then the solar will only charge the leisure battery. I am assuming that you have this later PSU / control panel as not sure when it was introduced.
There are many instances of AT owners having flat engine batteries... If you leave the shutdown "on" then the smart charger will do both batteries (subject to enough daylight and power generated). The Sargent system has a continual drain of 0.2-0.3 amps... If you are on Facebook there is an Autotrail owners group that i am a member of, good info shared..

Link Removed

 

[daveandsan]

I think it depends what size solar panel you have. Checked mine out this week and the hab battery was fully charged and then it is supposed to top the vehicle battery up.
Saying that I don't trust it so I take it for a run every 2 to 3 weeks.

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[IanandJulesey]

Thanks for the answers.

Our MH had 100% leisure battery After 3 days on EHU and 50 mile drive home on Monday. With the PCU switched off it was down to 48% by Saturday afternoon.

We has a factory fitted solar panel and we assumed 110ah batteries.

Having only owned the MH for a week and having been told by the dealer these leisure batteries look new, is that normal?

Tanka We have joined the auto trail Facebook group and if the Funsters can't help with any answer they will be our next port of call.

Ian and Julesey