Solar panel to maintain starter battery (1 Viewer)

[peterc]

Hi all,

Had our motorhome since August so really new to the scene. However having had a few times away I have to say this is one of the best purchases we've ever made.

It's a 2007 Swift Sundance 590rs, (Fiat Ducato cab).

When we went to take it away over Christmas from our storage site there was not enough power in the battery to start the engine. We had left it for 5 weeks though so I guess looking back this wasn't the most shocking outcome in the world!

We called out the AA who got us started and he suggested we should get a solar panel to keep the battery topped up while it's not being used. Nice easy statement what what a nightmare issue this seems to be.

Despite research I am struggling to find out what size panel I would need to perform this task. Dealers cannot offer assistance as there are too many variables about how much power is being drawn from the battery when the vehicle is in storage and none of them are offering to try and help us find out.

As far as we are aware there isn't a massive amount of draw on the battery. There is no alarm system so I'm guessing that it's just the immobiliser and the memory for the radio, (assuming of course that isn't wired to the leisure side).

I have seen panels that connect via all sort of means, (cigarette lighter, Crocodile clips to the battery and even via the diagnostics port on the vehicle. Not sure I'd trust the latter one and the cigarette lighter is not live with engine turned off).

So I guess what I'm asking you good people is for a little bit of advise on how to get round this problem. Is there any way I can work out myself how much power is being drawn from the starter battery while the vehicle is just sitting in storage?

I know I can probably simply disconnect the battery before leaving it but there must be a better solution where I can leave it connected and still have enough power to get it started after a lay up.

Many thanks in anticipation of your thoughts.

Peter

 

[Kool Kroozer]

If I were you Pete just get a 100w panel on the roof and a control charger connected to leisure battery/batteries, drop a CBE or Battery Master on the line and you should be good...when we had a 120w panel fitted we only had a single standard 95ah battery and stuck a Battery Master on and never had any problems again, it depends on how much you want to spend i suppose.
On another note we did also have a small solar panel that we left on the dash connected to the engine battery and that worked a treat too, cost about £35

 

[MikeD]

Welcome to Motorhomefun

My Autotrail tracker with an alarm used to draw around 1/2 amp while parked up over winter.

Our new motorhome has a 100w panel on it and it has kept both batteries charged so far this winter. Its parked on the north side of the house so don't get much direct sunshine.

This is a subscribed forum and you might be only allowed I think five postings before you become a read only. So make sure you include as much information as possible so that people can assist.

I would recommend you join - it would be the best £15 you ever spent as a new motorhomes.

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[Riverbankannie]

Welcome Pete, I had a 100watt panel fitted by Vanbitz in Taunton as a fit and forget solution. The addition of a battery master means both batteries kept topped up.
I have an alarm fitted which has a draw from the battery.
Have had no problems this winter even though left for long periods. Worth the money in my book but if you subscribe to this forum you will be able to search for many threads on the subject including DIY options.

 

[magicsurfbus]

A solar panel on the roof gives you more options about where you can park up when travelling, and will save some pennies on campsites if you don't feel you need a 230v hook up.

My DIY solution was to make up a split relay charger circuit that I connected from the (solar powered) leisure battery to the engine battery when it was in storage, but you need to allow for cold in winter and low sun angles which may cause lower voltage. The battery master does the same thing and is only a few pounds more than DIY.

A possible issue with the small fold out battery topper upper panels is they can't cope in winter sunlight when the battery's cold, especially if they're on the dashboard and the windscreen freezes over. Others may say differently though.

 

[Spanner]

We have a single 80 watt solar panel on the roof that charges both vehicle and leisure battery, no problems for most of the year until November when it just can't keep up due to the low angle of the sun and short days.
I'll soon be replacing the original solar panel with the biggest that I can fit which will be a 150 watt, personally I think this is the minimum size if you aren't able to top up on mains hookup at least every fortnight.
Others will be better able to advise, but you can't have too much solar.

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[tonka]

These guys are over in Lowestoft, they attend many of the motorhome shows and prices are reasonable. May be worth looking at.

http://www.solarenergyalliance.com/...ervice_for_motorhomes_caravans_and_boats.html

If you want to DIY then there is plenty of advise and help here on the forum. I would recommend fit as big as you can physically and your budget will allow but at least 80-120w with a dual charger / battery master so the panel can charge both leisure and the engine battery.

 

[peterc]

Huge thanks to everybody who has took the trouble to reply. Lots of options here but I think I'll go the whole hog and get a roof panel fitted which will keep both batteries topped up.

Many thanks to tonka for the link. Not a million miles from me either. I will drop them a line.

Many thanks again.
Peter

 

[EX51SSS]

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[OZeRV]

We have recently dealt with this problem by replacing our solar regulator with one that can charge both starting and leisure battery banks. There are a few of these units around. I fitted a Redarc SRP0240 dual battery solar regulator with remote display and battery temperature probe. See: https://www.redarc.com.au/20a-solar-regulator. I have it set so that 90% of charge from our 600 watt solar panels is prioritised to the leisure battery bank and 10% charge to the starting battery bank. If one battery bank is fully charged then 100% of charge goes to the other bank. (I have 24v starting and leisure battery banks). I have friends that use a Trik-L-Start which is suitable for 12v systems: Link Removed.

 

[PhilandMena]

Right Listen up! If your going to do this, do it right and think ahead. You can never have enough solar power. A 100 W S.P. may just about meet your needs in reasonable to good sunlight but will struggle in the UK in winter depending on what drain is on your cab battery and whenever the sun decides to come out and play for a few hours.

Many, Many users fit a S.P only to realise afterwards that they want to spend more time off hook up and or add additional electrical consuming devices i.e. an Inverter etc., and a second Leisure battery So, by fitting a much larger or more S.P's. in one go will keep your costs to a minimum in as much as only one installation process to contend with and not having to repeat the whole procedure 6-12 months later after you realise you need more S.P. and have to shell out more cash again to repeat the process.

So, in essence put on the maximum amount of S.P. you can get away with and make sure your S.P. regulator is man enough to take all the power. (MPPT)
You can do this installation yourself, there is plenty of good advice on here and also You Tube.
Buy high quality S.P. rather than the cheap crap that is available on E-bay and the like. You can never have enough Solar Power (S.P.)

 

[peterc]

Thanks again. PhilandMena, we shall certainly go for the biggest one we can. The price increase is fairly minimal as you go up in size and we do only want to do this once.

Hopefully find something out this coming week. Just like us to try and sort something like this at Christmas and new year!