Solar panel output?
I'm baffled by the technicalities involved in the solar panel on the roof of our 2014 Auto Sleeper Nuevo - it's 80w and appears to keep the vehicle and leisure batteries charged up toa point. The Leisure battery never seems to go higher than 12.2, which I think is only about 50% charged.
What sort of output should we get from the panel on a good day?
All information will be gratefully received - especially if I understand it!!!
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Sorry I don't understand the subject well enough but this thread maybe of some assistance
http://www.caravanclub.co.uk/search?getfields=tccmemberonly&q=How+to+survive+without+ehu
Its a very long oioine but there's plenty of good information on there. I wonder how old your battery is. I'm sure someone will pop on very soon with assistance ?
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Thank you Bakers2 - I'll look up that information. As far as I know, the battery is a bit over two years old, assuming it was new when I bought the vehicle.
Thanks to you too, Deleted UserUser: I had a feeling something had to be wrong with the battery sticking at 12.2v - never higher but not dropping below 11.9v during several days off grid. . Despite that, all the 12v equipment worked properly and we have
never (yet) suffered from no power at all.Today, I charged up the leisure battery from the mains for about 90 minutes and the control panel registered 14v. When I turned off the charger, it dropped to 13.2v and I'll check it again in a few hours. It's overcast here in Devon this evening so I
wouldn't expect the SP to add much. I hope the figure doesn't drop! .I'll let you know the result.
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I'm baffled by the technicalities involved in the solar panel on the roof of our 2014 Auto Sleeper Nuevo - it's 80w and appears to keep the vehicle and leisure batteries charged up toa point. The Leisure battery never seems to go higher than 12.2, which
I think is only about 50% charged.What sort of output should we get from the panel on a good day?
All information will be gratefully received - especially if I understand it!!!
You get about 6 amps from your panel on a good day. Less if it's cloudy. Before you disconnect anything read the manual for your controller. If you don't have one then DONT DISCONNECT THE BATTERY WITHOUT DISCONNECTING THE ( + ) wire from the solar panel
to the controller first. Then put some tape round the bare end as its live. Lots of different solar controllers. Some will charge two batteries but only supply a trickle charge to the engine battery. You really need to find what you have before you start taking
it apart. Solar Controllers can go BANG if you get it wrong.0 -
Thanks again everyone for all that helpful info.
DD, I'm going to put the battery on mains charge for 24 hours as you suggest, starting now. Perhaps it will all be fine after the thing is fully charged! I'll let you know the result.
By the way, I looked at the battery today and it is an Alphaline plus XV27 MF 12v/105AH (20 hour) 700 CCA and it's condition indicator light shows green for good.
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Plugged into the vehicle - the battery is still in its housing.
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80 watts divided by 12.8V (ohms law) =6.25A. But a solar panel laid flat only receives 1/3 of the possible energy from the sun, on a sunny on average over a full day. therefore the very best you can get from your 80W panel is just over 2amps, not enough!!
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Hello DD - reporting back after a full 24 hours on charge. The control panel shows 13.1v on the leisure battery.
I'm keeping it on charge for a bit longer but will stop this afternoon - then leave it for 24 hours to see what happens.
At the moment, the solar panel is giving .6A, again according to the control panel screen.
Derek
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Hello again DD,
I checked the battery last night five hours after taking it off charge (11.30pm) and it showed 12.6v, having dropped form 13.1v at 6.30pm.
At 9am today, raining and overcast, it stood at 12.8v. The SP seems to be charging at .6A, as usual.
I don't have complete faith in the control panel's accuracy so perhaps I should get someone with a voltmeter to test the battery?
I'm very grateful fro your thoughts on this.
Derek
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Hi DD,
We are in (usually) sunny Devon. The display has registered 12.8v all day today and I think I'll leave it to see if the panel can add anything to that score over the next day or two. Then decide on the next step!
I'm more convinced than ever that the control panel is giving an inaccurate.reading which may be leading us up the garden path. I'll get a voltmeter check on the actual battery at the first chance and that should settle the issue.
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Hi DD,
Just unhooked the mains charger after a full 48 hours on charge. The control panel display shows 13.1v - the same as before.
Our control panel display is certainly inaccurate - it displays both internal and external temperatures way out.
I've read somewhere that the vehicle's inbuilt charger never charges the leisure battery more than 80% full - cutting off at 13.85v at the best. Also that the full charge should show 14.4v.
Our next test will be to take our next trip without ehu, relying only on the sp, and see how long the power lasts.
Thanks again, DD and all, for all your tips and useful information.
Derek
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Yes, it's a Sargent. The display already dropped to 12.9v - that's after less than two hours.
We don't know of anything that may be leaking away power, unless it's the Cobra alarm which is set all the time the vehicle is locked. Or some sort of wiring fault.
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Hi DD,
Having taken the battery off charge after 24-30 hours on mains charger (via the Sargent charger), the reading has remained steady at 12.7v ever since.
Everything I've read online says that 12.7v indicates that the battery is fully charged - Caravan Talk, Uk Campsite, Camping and Caravan Club and even the good old Caravan Club all say the same!
I hope they are right and that our battery is full and gets topped up as necessary from the SP. I'll settle for that!
So many figures are bandied about, as you know, including suggestions that the battery should go up to 14.4v, it becomes amazingly puzzling!!
Derek
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2 x 60 watt solar panels, give us about 6 amps in on a very sunny day. Note, we clean the panels regularly.A bit of muck and dust seems to make a lot of difference.
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