Solar Panel (1 Viewer)

[Cliffy38]

Have a company called auto additions nationwide coming to install a solar panel to my MH. It is a 150w panel and will be used to charge a 110ah leisure battery and the main vehicle battery. Has anybody used this company before and any feedback. Total price all in is £500

 

[MitchandJenny]

Seems a bit dear...
You can buy 150 watt panels for £150 now ! !
But I suppose fitting cost a lot.
Mitch.

 

[Allanm]

If it's a quality panel and controller, with brackets and the right cables, then £500 isn't too dear.
I paid almost £160 for a 120watt panel after sending back a cheaper (£89) panel I got from EBay because it was fitted with a glass panel that arrived broken.
Can't help with the company though, but I would want to know the make and quality of the stuff they are fitting before I booked them to make sure it's not all cheap Chinese tat.

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[Cliffy38]

• High efficiency crystalline cell for “all weather” charging
  
  
• Perfect for TV operation, 240v appliances* and for permanent fitting
  
  
• Water resistant, robust construction for outdoor use.
  
  
• 20 year cell warranty and 10 year module warranty**
  

Have a picture but show no make

 

[namwaldog]

If you copy the "blurb" you bullet pointed above and paste it into Google it comes up as kits from several suppliers including Maplins at £325 but as you say no actual maker for the panel itself.

 

[Lenny HB]

Not a tremendous variation in panels these days but fitters often use cheap regulators and undersize cables, worth asking what he is going to use.

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[Stealaway]

Don't seem too bad £175 for fitting as long as they do a good job as it should include panel mountings and through roof gland.
I would worry about how they plan to fit the panel to the roof, I wouldn't want any screws into the roof fixings.
Also the gland connection through the roof must be entirely water proof

Link Removed

 

[two]

Why not ask the company for a couple of local references?

 

[Boringfrog]

Sounds expensive, plus I would fit an extra battery too.

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[two]

If looking at cost, don't forget that you're paying for the convenience of having the work completed at the place of your choice. No need to take extra time off, nor travel any distance.

 

[DanielFord]

I would second the need for another battery, also, you need to know what controller is being fitted. I've never heard of this company, so maybe looking up references. The job isn't difficult to do yourself, but then if god had intended us to do DIY he wouldn't have invented tradesmen!
There are a lot of things to be taken in to consideration when getting a professional to do the job for you, the quality of their work should be top of the list.

 

[Allanm]

I think there are two main types of panels, Polycrystalline and Mono crystalline. Mono are generally more efficient and more expensive, just describing them as "Crystalline cell for all weather charging" doesn't give you much information, or, if you are cynical like me, by not specifying which panel ( Poly or Mono) means they are the cheaper option.
Of course, I could be wrong, but I would be asking what type they are and what the cell efficiency is.
I have Monocrystalline panels with a cell efficiency rating of 17%.
I am more than happy with that figure for the price.

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[Cal54]

I had Dave Newell fit my first panel (100 wt) at the Malvern show a couple of years ago and it cost me the same as you have been quoted. I would think therefore the price is right as long as they do a good job,

 

[KeithMak]

Sounds expensive, plus I would fit an extra battery too.

Why?

Apologies to OP for going off on a tangent.

I agree with Lenny HB (post #6)

 

[Triple7]

Whether or not it's expensive depends on the solar controller. You will get about a 30% improvement by having an MPPT controller, which will also be better for your battery. Also think about if you intend to add more panels later, as that will influence the amp rating required. If the quote includes an MPPT controller then it sounds about right. If they plan on fitting a cheap £35 one, that would be a worry.

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[Boringfrog]

Why?

Apologies to OP for going off on a tangent.

I agree with Lenny HB (post #6)

Double the available power, 2 batteries will discharge less (per battery) than one, increasing the life span. Batteries are cheap. 150 watts of solar power would be better suited to a slightly larger battery bank than 110ah.

 

[KeithMak]

Double the available power, Agreed 2 batteries will discharge less (per battery) than one, Agreed increasing the life span. Possibly Batteries are cheap.Relatively speaking possibly 150 watts of solar power would be better suited to a slightly larger battery bank than 110ah. In your opinion, not mine 150 watts will at the best give (150/14.4) 10.4 amps and that give a ratio of 10 to 1 (10%) battery to charger ratio, OK but would be better if the charger was 15% of battery capacity

To keep it simple (maths wise) 100 amp.hr battery discharged to 50 amp.hrs (capacity) will need 10 amps (charge) over 5 hrs but there are losses so it will take a lot, lot longer.

A 200 amp.hr battery discharged by the same amount will still need the same input as above.

So as you say the possible gain is the increased lifespan but that will only happen if the batteries are always fully charged after use.

Does not matter really, we all have our opinions, what does matter is the ability to charge batteries in a reasonable time and to full capacity.

Battery bank and the ability to re-charge should be matched to usage.

 

[Brakers]

Hi There Cliffy
If I remember correctly I was talking to Eddie from Vanbitz at Newbury show and I'm sure he said they use Victron MTTP controllers as they had tested different controllers and Victron have a better efficiency the most others, but I’m sure if you ask Eddie he will put you right.

I’ve included a link to one as an example.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/3014...=9045701&device=c&campaignid=620865095&crdt=0

Best Wishes Tony

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[Terry and Jan]

I've used Tyronne quite a bit, good guy has done good work on mine

 

[MitchandJenny]

A second battery (as already said ) will give you MUCH better off grid ability.
Mitch.

 

[Eamless]

Hi There Cliffy
If I remember correctly I was talking to Eddie from Vanbitz at Newbury show and I'm sure he said they use Victron MTTP controllers as they had tested different controllers and Victron have a better efficiency the most others, but I’m sure if you ask Eddie he will put you right.

I’ve included a link to one as an example.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/301493530633?lpid=122&chn=ps&adgroupid=27378760866&rlsatarget=aud-168805812066la-181484343186&adtype=pla&poi=&googleloc=9045701&device=c&campaignid=620865095&crdt=0

Best Wishes Tony

I have a victron MPPT controller and I can tell you that you do not get a 30% uplift. I am one of their software testers and am happy to admit it works well. If you get the dongle you can see what is going on with your iphone. But sometimes it goes totally left field where it charges your batteries up to 16v before falling over. As there is no remote switching off the only way to rectify the error is to pull the Solar feed leads out of the unit, wait a couple of minutes and re-connect. Victron are aware of this problem. Maybe 10-15% improvement at best and only when it is a mixed cloud sky.

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[Bart]

Price is ok as long as work is well done AND a decent MPPT controller / cable used.

 

[peterc10]

Why?

Apologies to OP for going off on a tangent.

I agree with Lenny HB (post #6)

Because there is no point producing energy you can't store. On a sunny day by half way though the morning the single battery will be full and the panel will be doing very little for the rest of the day. The more storage you have the more protection you have for (literally) a rainy day.

 

[two]

Batteries are heavy. It does not make sense to carry around any more than you need to last you between top-ups. More panels just mean that you'll recover faster in Summer (or more in Winter).

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[KeithMak]

Because there is no point producing energy you can't store. On a sunny day by half way though the morning the single battery will be full and the panel will be doing very little for the rest of the day. The more storage you have the more protection you have for (literally) a rainy day.

So on a dull day the battery will be full and the solar panel will have been 'working' all day.

More storage means you can go longer between charges but it will take a lot longer to re-charge.

There is a balance and everyone will have different usage and ability to re-charge.

It is for everyone to work out there usage over a set period and then build a battery bank and method of charging that is suitable for them.

Personally I would be quite happy if my batteries were fully charged by lunchtime.

 

[KeithMak]

Batteries are heavy. It does not make sense to carry around any more than you need to last you between top-ups. More panels just mean that you'll recover faster in Summer (or more in Winter).

I could not agree more.

 

[MitchandJenny]

We have 100watt up top and 2 100AH batteries. We wild camp most of the time and have never had the batteries go below 12.5v even when using the TV for several hours when it has been persisting down.
Mitch.

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[Kevan]

Just changed today my three 125 amp leisure batteries for three 130 amp, the old ones did not last as long as they used too, we have three 100 watt solar panels which look after the batteries,
my old ones were 6 years old, so they have not done bad, noticed when i took them out, one had started to leak, so am glad i decided to change them now.

 

[peterc10]

Yep we to rarely use EHU. Have 250W solar and 2 x 95Ahr batteries. Never been anywhere near running the batteries low even on the days when my wife uses the inverter to power her hairdryer. Everything else is on 12V.

 

[TheCaller]

I have a victron MPPT controller and I can tell you that you do not get a 30% uplift. I am one of their software testers and am happy to admit it works well. If you get the dongle you can see what is going on with your iphone. But sometimes it goes totally left field where it charges your batteries up to 16v before falling over. As there is no remote switching off the only way to rectify the error is to pull the Solar feed leads out of the unit, wait a couple of minutes and re-connect. Victron are aware of this problem. Maybe 10-15% improvement at best and only when it is a mixed cloud sky.

That's interesting. (Sorry OP, going a bit off-topic here). Given that the average M/H control panel voltage indicator only goes up to 13.5 or maybe 14V, you would never know you had a problem without the dongle or regular use of a multimeter.

I have a Victron 75/15 MPPT controller & had a similar problem, although I suspect the problem with mine was more serious. The output voltage rose to something in excess of 16V & disconnect - wait - reconnect had no effect - it still over-charged. I actually did the disconnect bit to ensure it was sensing the correct battery voltage.

Mine was supplied by @dave newell lvs & then replaced by him under warranty. I guess Dave will also be interested in your comments, even if it's not directly relevant to the fault on mine.

I've so far resisted the temptation to get the dongle & app (android in my case), because although the information it provides is interesting, so long as everything is working as it should you can't actually do much with the information to make anything work any better. But if I'm likely to be affected by the fault described, it might prevent me frying a set of batteries. Might consider it when I replace the current set, which I suspect are now past their best - partly as a result of the fault described.

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