Flat Battery since installing a solar panel.

Lucanjohn
Lucanjohn Forum Participant Posts: 15
edited March 2017 in Caravans #1

Hello. We bought our caravan 3 years ago and we left the battery in the caravan over winter and it was still virtually fully charged the following spring. We then had a 80wp solar panel fitted and the following spring the battery was fully flat and the dealer replaced the battery at no charge saying the battery was duff. Just been over to the caravan storage and the battery is again fully flat. Its a Bailey Pursuit 400-2 and the solar panel is a PV Logic 80wp. We do have a motor mover but never use it to save the battery. The van is stored at YC Leisure and they service it but try to blame us for not taking the battery home (we only bought the solar panel so that we did not have to take the battery home)

John Clarke

Comments

  • DSB
    DSB Club Member Posts: 5,685 ✭✭✭
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    edited March 2017 #2

    Hi John.  For some reason, this thread has occurred 12/13 times.  I'm trying to delete them leaving just this one.  Hope this works, and hope you get some replies.

    David 

  • m0rrisman
    m0rrisman Forum Participant Posts: 75
    First Comment
    edited March 2017 #3

    had the same problem Lucanjohn turned out the panel control box was faulty coupled with wired in incorrectly

  • Simon100
    Simon100 Club Member Posts: 666 ✭
    500 Comments 100 Likes
    edited March 2017 #4

    Have you fitted a regulator between the solar panel and the battery? If you haven't the solar panel will drain the battery when it is not producing electricity, ie overnight.

  • brightstar2
    brightstar2 Forum Participant Posts: 128
    100 Comments
    edited March 2017 #5

    I have also just changed my old Maplin folding solar panel to one of the new eco ones - 10 watts.

    Flattened my battery in 4 weeks. Never had flat battery with the Maplin.

    New panel allegedly has " integrated blocking diode" to prevent reverse discharging - I think it ain' t working!! 

    I am in daily email contact with supplier who wans to blame the battery

    I' ve suggested - very subtly of course that his panel may have a fault and that it might be better to give me my money back and I'll start all over again.

    Will hopefully keep you updated.

  • Vicmallows
    Vicmallows Forum Participant Posts: 580
    500 Comments
    edited March 2017 #6

    Be aware that a blocking diode (to prevent reverse discharge at night) is NOT the same as a 'bypass diode' (which is to facilitate panels being connected in series).  Unfortunately these different functions are quite often confused by advertisers.

    Usually though any reverse discharge at night will be vastly less than the charge put back in during daylight, so of little consequence.  Most regulators will block any reverse discharge anyway.

    I suspect you have a problem with the panel electrical installation.  You really need to connect a multimeter directly in series (measuring current) with the battery to analyse what is actually happening.

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