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Go on ............you could fit a sunbed !!
.....or you could sunbathe outside and cut out the 'middle man'
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Go on ............you could fit a sunbed !!
Can be done I guess, but you must have a very frugal electric consumption.
Im guessing you watch very little, if any, TV, use minimal lighting (or have led's) and have a convection gas heater rather than blown air....or move a good distance every day.
You can run older AES fridges on the leisure batteries when there is spare solar, all you need is a solar controller with AES output and connect it to the D+ with a diode on the end of the alternator wire, newer fridges have a S+ so you don't need the diode.Once my Thetford fridge packs up (inevitable) I will be looking to have a Waeco (Dometic?) fridge fitted which uses excess solar electric power when available. I find that my batteries are normally charged up on a sunny day by 10-11am though I do have 4 x 110A batteries and never let them drop below 80%.
That's exactly the point, we do have two battery's but have the tv on but not a lot, lights, charge phones and tablets, and never run out but thought it was time to play with solar, and now I have to wonder whatever it's used for, apart from maybe medical equipment, I can't see what you can use it on.
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You've got it in one I think. Don't fit extra solar until you know you need it.That's exactly the point, we do have two battery's but have the tv on but not a lot, lights, charge phones and tablets, and never run out but thought it was time to play with solar, and now I have to wonder whatever it's used for, apart from maybe medical equipment, I can't see what you can use it on.
This was also the reason that I've just fitted a 100w panel plus bits for araound £180, the Waeco fridge freezer uses an average of 2 Amps per hour 24/7 so demands the panel to feed 3 x 85 amp bats. Just returned from a trial run with FUN at Newark and all working fine but have just received a Battery Master from Vanbitz that will be going on tomorrow to ensure the Engine battery is also looked after.We have a Waeco fridge which works brilliantly and saves us a fortune on gas.
Hi. We have two 120w panels and two 110Ah batteries. Our inverter is a 1500w pure sine wave which runs anything we want to run. We don't have a microwave as I hardly used the one in the house so we didn't bother in the van.what size solar panels and batteries have you got? @Armytwowheels
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My Waeco electric only fridge freezer demands solar power as its a greedy sod averaging 2 amps per hour so no wasted solar power here. Its a necessity to meet our chosen style of 99% wild camping here and abroad. The benefit side of it is a saving in LPG that gets more and more expensive.It is a simple case of overkill -Why if the OP never ran out of power did he pay for solar when he did not need it ?Now he has paid for solar which he does /did not need is he looking for something to waste his not so free power on ?I too never needed solar but it has become so cheap it is now what I consider a no brainier if only to keep batteries topped up and nothing else -to put 2 panels on is the overkill bit, one would do, so take the other off and send it to me -I will make use of it and I promise not to fret or worry about how much it's producing -so long as the little green light is on that's all I need to know Good for techies who all natter about there systems and how much it produces and how much un-used spare power they have
terry
Not knocking anyone who has got it or uses it If it's there to use then good use it Just saying that if you have too much then it's overkill and wasting money but then again people get anxious over batteries and power so if it stops this then no problem --Me I simply turn something on and it works if it does not then it will not kill me just inconvenient at the time until I either fix it or get someone to fix itMy Waeco electric only fridge freezer demands solar power as its a greedy sod averaging 2 amps per hour so no wasted solar power here. Its a necessity to meet our chosen style of 99% wild camping here and abroad. The benefit side of it is a saving in LPG that gets more and more expensive.
Terry I agree with your every word, but everyone keeps going on about how they can't manage without it so saw a cheap self adeasive panel on eBay, so thought why not lets sick one on , something else to play with, well when it came I wasn't happy with the quality of it at all so complained, anyway after a bit of arguing the bloke said he would refund my money and I could keep it.It is a simple case of overkill -Why if the OP never ran out of power did he pay for solar when he did not need it ?Now he has paid for solar which he does /did not need is he looking for something to waste his not so free power on ?I too never needed solar but it has become so cheap it is now what I consider a no brainier if only to keep batteries topped up and nothing else -to put 2 panels on is the overkill bit, one would do, so take the other off and send it to me -I will make use of it and I promise not to fret or worry about how much it's producing -so long as the little green light is on that's all I need to know Good for techies who all natter about there systems and how much it produces and how much un-used spare power they have
terry
WENT OVER MY HEAD WHEN YOU MENTIONED 14.2 V Stick on another L/Batt you know you want toIt's good that it is keeping your batts full I suppose you could carry a INVERTER AND microwave in which you could make me a milky coffee that's all I use mine forTerry I agree with your every word, but everyone keeps going on about how they can't manage without it so saw a cheap self adeasive panel on eBay, so thought why not lets sick one on , something else to play with, well when it came I wasn't happy with the quality of it at all so complained, anyway after a bit of arguing the bloke said he would refund my money and I could keep it.
So then in for a penny, etc put another twenty quid to it and had a real good one, so I ended up with two, so tried the first one after putting the one on and it worked ok so thought might as well stick it on, which I have done, but now I am seriously in over production, by ten o clock this morning on a grey day it's flashing battery full and 14.2 volts.
The solar control thingy cuts out at 14.1 so they are , I presume doing absolutely nothing now for the rest of the day, crazy int it, I think a micro wave might be the next thing even though we manage without one now I'm afraid it's just got me beat what some can use it all on. As I said I had no intention of putting two on but as I had got them why notWENT OVER MY HEAD WHEN YOU MENTIONED 14.2 V Stick on another L/Batt you know you want toIt's good that it is keeping your batts full I suppose you could carry a INVERTER AND microwave in which you could make me a milky coffee that's all I use mine for
terry
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Simple answer is they don't but they do have a smug look on their faces and bragging rightsThe solar control thingy cuts out at 14.1 so they are , I presume doing absolutely nothing now for the rest of the day, crazy int it, I think a micro wave might be the next thing even though we manage without one now I'm afraid it's just got me beat what some can use it all on. As I said I had no intention of putting two on but as I had got them why not
Ay up the Suns just come out we shall be frying now
Tell me more. How many amps would the said fridge use? I have a RM7505 aes.You can run older AES fridges on the leisure batteries when there is spare solar, all you need is a solar controller with AES output and connect it to the D+ with a diode on the end of the alternator wire, newer fridges have a S+ so you don't need the diode.
Martin
Very little. Remember that 200W is only the equivalent of a couple of old style light bulbs. Yes, you'd burn your hand on them, but not a lot of use for cooking. You would need to be somewhere in Africa at mid-day to get the full 200W anyway.how much spare is there for heating and cooking and hot water, ?
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Hi @BoringfrogTell me more. How many amps would the said fridge use? I have a RM7505 aes.
I suppose you could get a 'solar' shower to go with your 'solar' panels but it doesn't need the panels ... you just stick it in the sun and it get nice and warm on it's own ... so that won't use your energy either!during the day i often get a tank of hot water out of the batteries then just topup with gas at night.
Say what? Sorry but all I know about electrics is that it can kill you! I'm having some work done to the van when I get back to the UK at Roadpro so I will contact hem beforehand to see if they can do it, anything to save me filling up with gas as I hate doing it! Thanks for that MartinYou can run older AES fridges on the leisure batteries when there is spare solar, all you need is a solar controller with AES output and connect it to the D+ with a diode on the end of the alternator wire, newer fridges have a S+ so you don't need the diode.
Martin
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Well we are only talking 12 volts, but there again when you go in the back of the fridge 240 is there as well so best keep your fingers out. Our regulator came from Roadpro so that's a start.Say what? Sorry but all I know about electrics is that it can kill you! I'm having some work done to the van when I get back to the UK at Roadpro so I will contact hem beforehand to see if they can do it, anything to save me filling up with gas as I hate doing it! Thanks for that Martin
But that 14.2v is your panels output voltage, not the true battery voltage.by ten o clock this morning on a grey day it's flashing battery full and 14.2 volts