Solar Battery Conditioner - Help Please (1 Viewer)

[HugoBNB]

Hello. Do any of you have any ideas on how to overcome this issue please?
Ducato coachbuilt 2020 that has a drain on the vehicle battery that flattens it in about three-to-four weeks. This is quite normal on Ducato's according to Eddie Vanbitz team and there is nothing you can do to stop it.
Now have Growler alarm on it which will add to the draw.
The van is stored in a barn which has a solid roof (that is quite close to the top on the MH) on it. There sides of the barn are slated timber. Light penetrates through the sides and through the entry door. However, there is no direct sunlight/daylight hitting any part of the MH.
Will any form of solar panel work in these conditions? The only option I can think of is a portable one with a long cable that I can put outside of the barn.
A battery master will not work on its own as all that will do is eventually flatten both the batteries. I do try to take the MH for a run every fortnight but there are times when it can stand for 6-8 weeks.
All suggestions greatly appreciated.
Thanks

 

[funflair]

EFOY fuel cell would give you back up power.

Martin

 

[HugoBNB]

Thanks. Just looked at in on the internet. Certainly an expensive option but, if we also do more off-grid stays this could well be worth it.

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[Lenny HB]

Could you fit a solar panel on the roof of the barn and run a cable down to a socket you can plug a lead into.
A cheap solar regulator will do the job as you only want to keep the batteries topped up (I never thought I would hear myself say that). You can get cheap dual output ones so you can keep both batteries topped up.

 

[dunnah01]

EHU??

 

[Richard n Ann]

My favourite choice would be as you already said, fit an external solar panel and dual regulator 80 to 100w. For a 5 to 8 week absence the only other option would be to take the batteries home with you and leave them on a maintenance charge, but then the alarm won't work

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[HugoBNB]

EHU??

Nope, not a chance of that

 

[HugoBNB]

Thanks all. First port of call will be to ask the farmer if I can fix one to the barn roof. I really would like to keep the alarm functionality when it is stored.
I really appreciate the replies, most helpful. I have been mulling this over since I got the alarm fitted. Prior to that I just used to disconnect the earth on the vehicle battery. The leisure battery has never flickered in storage.
Cheers

 

[autorouter]

If there's no chance of EHU and solar is too difficult, here's an idea that worked for me.

You'll need a spare battery to carry between the MH and somewhere to access a mains supply. Also a small inverter that connects to the battery with clips. And a small mains charger to charge the spare battery at home.

Charge the spare battery at home with the mains charger. Carry the battery and charger to the MH, with a small inverter. At the MH, hook up the inverter to the spare battery, plug the small mains charger into the inverter, and connect the charger output to the starter battery. You then have to wait until the charge transfers over.

Of course a bigger charger and bigger inverter will make the transfer faster. I used to leave it overnight. If you do this frequently, the spare battery won't be totally flattened because the charger will stop charging when the battery is full. If not, the inverter cuts off at 11V.

I already had a spare battery, plus a small charger for charging the scooter. The small inverter I bought for this purpose, but I've found it has other uses too.

I used a CTEK MXS5.0 5 amp charger, and a 150W pure sine wave inverter.

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