Going solar

[GQtdauto]

Top idea threedogs , just remember they need an air gap.

[threedogs]

Top idea threedogs , just remember they need an air gap.

Im using the 10watt at home in Manland to run the AM/FM MP3 player it keeps my 18ah
golf buggy/Jet ski battery topped up all the time. nice and light in its own small battery box.
Ive found the 18AH battery has enough powder for all my LED flood lights at camp
for a long week end. I have enough lights similar to the Queen Mary but dont use all
as one is more than enough, They are up high Id say about 3mtrs so plenty of light
and not in your face. Plus if need be I can take the battery pack and light poles down
to the river edge if the bite is on. Then I have a 115ah in the patrol and another 100ah in my camper.
Back to the 10watt thats just to keep the start battery moving. lol

Still have an 80 watt and a 120 folding panel if I need them, but pretty much have my
power use under control,,
Sometimes I even use red LED at camp great on tired eyes lol

[Cuppa]

@DXgrunt you could mount your new panels on the doors and then when opened to 90 degree will be flat like the others'
I did that with my othe trailer, worked a treat. lol

Probably ok for 'The Prez' who reputedly never goes off road, but for anyone who drives in places where they tend to get a bit of 'bush pinstriping' the panels mounted in that way would be a liability, just waiting to snag something I reckon.

Re testing of solar panels - yep they are pretty tough items, although they can get smashed. They test them with a standard sized(?) ball bearing dropped from one metre.

Re 'enough solar'. Probably the best advice for anyone considering setting up a solar system from scratch is to consider what equipment they want to run BEFORE even thinking about how much solar/battery/ charger capacity is required, & as part of that process to select equipment which will do the job based on lowest current draw. Pretty much anything which is designed to heat something is, imho, unsuitable for battery use & there are far better alternatives eg. gas/diesel/engine heat. (Surprisingly one exception to this is electric blankets which work well & draw little power - 240v off a small inverter work better than direct 12v). I recall a while back, when getting those Travel Buddy ovens was popular among forum members here, suggesting that they were really only suitable for use whilst driving - ie powered from the alternator.

There are different ways to set up a solar system depending upon intended usage. For me it was essential to have a system which could power us indefinitely without need for mains or generator. To that end we needed enough solar to cover our usage & to return the batteries to 100% full (float) every 24 hour period, (a balanced system) plus to have sufficient battery capacity to sustain us through periods of crap weather without need to break camp & drive. As yet that capacity has never been fully tested, but I estimate we could stay put for 10 days before our battery capacity was getting below 50% & we needed to drive to re-charge. A significant part of achieving that was to be very selective with what equipment we choose to run. The two fridges & the laptop are our biggest power users, but that may change in the near future as I have just been diagnosed with severe sleep apnea & will now have to travel with a CPAP machine which can use 60 to 100 amp hours per night! Thankfully I know folk who travel & who have already been down this path & have directed toward a machine which runs direct off 12v & uses a max of 35Ah per night (or only 10Ah if the humidification isn't needed). Our system will have to be worked a bit harder but should cope ok. (Whether I'll cope with having to become an elephant man crossed with Hannibal Lector every night is another matter!).

[GQtdauto]

Good luck with that Cuppa , I'm dodging the cpap machine like the plague which is probably not a good idea but if I go in my sleep I won't know about it .
As for solar , it's like horsepower and towing something , the heavier the load your towing the more horsepower you need .
Tested my 600 watt system on the van with an overcast sky and gave the numbers to the company I bought them off
( batteries were going flat for some reason ) , they wanted them back because they weren't supposed to work that good under a cloudy sky .
Turns out one battery was shagged the one I didn't replace when I set the dual system up .
You lose a lot of efficiency with solar as you've pointed out Cuppa , depending on conditions .
A panel rated at 100 watt , will only give 100 watt in a controlled lab not in the real world , but a decent set of panels with the right wattage will still give something useful if the day is overcast , how long for depends on usage .

[Cuppa]

probably not a good idea but if I go in my sleep I won't know about it .
.

Getting a bit off topic here but............ it ain't the risk of not waking up which worries me (worries my wife though), it's the waking up with brain damage plus the added risk of stroke.

[GQtdauto]

Oh , hadn't thought of that .

[Covo71]

I am looking at this https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/komodo-...m_medium=email. Pretty cheap and putting it with the Redarc bcdc1225d. I looked at the redarc between $500 and $700. Bit pricey for me.

[GQtdauto]

Seems ok , price is at cheaper end of scale for sure , if you do get it make sure you check all connections are ok , many cheap panels have dodgy connections but are easy fixed .
my usual company for getting cheap stuff is called " Sunyee" .

[Cuppa]

I am looking at this https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/komodo-...m_medium=email. Pretty cheap and putting it with the Redarc bcdc1225d. I looked at the redarc between $500 and $700. Bit pricey for me.

The online sellers who I know have consistently had good things said about their panels over a number of years are Bit Deals, who sell 'Rich Solar' panels and Low Energy Developments.

I have a Rich Solar panel among other ebay cheapies on my car. The Rich Solar starts charging earlier & stops later in the day than the others & is much more tolerant of shading.

If buying a 'kit', be aware that the cabling will be too thin, & should be used to tie your tomatoes up. Replace it with decent thickness cable - see the chart on this page for sizing the cable . The rear of a panel is a far from ideal spot to mount the regulator - you will get more charge into the battery if the regulator is close to the battery, not the panel. They get put on the panel with 'kits' for convenience, not efficiency. Efficiency is important with solar. If you can afford it, treat your batteries to a better regulator than comes with most kits. Something worthwhile doesn't have to cost an arm & a leg, I like Morningstar regs. This one would would be nicer to your battery than any of the kit supplied ones & would handle 160w of panel. With folding panels for portable use be aware of size & weight. Personally I reckon 120w (2 x60w) is about as big & heavy as it's practical to lift in & out of a vehicle & lug around.

[stevemc181]

Well in the spirit of off topic
This must be the CPAP club! I was also diagnosed with severe sleep apnea 3 weeks ago, and have now joined the ranks of the hose noses! My machine arrives from the USA next week for about $800 cheaper than buying it here. I have been wondering about whether to go with a 12volt power adapter for mine or just buy an inverter, I am now leaning towards an inverter though as I'd prefer to use the humidifier component with it.