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They say problems come in 3's. I've already mentioned my problem of the brake wear pad warning light staying on.
We came back this evening to find the 12v system had turned off - which meant the fridge was off too. The leisure batteries were showing amber (I just have the green/amber/red indicators).
I turned the engine for a bit and found the leisure batteries went almost immediately back to green. We had a reading lamp (LED) and fridge going and it wasn't long till the system tripped again.
So I ran the engine for a half hour. It all seems to be working, but I'm concerned that I need some other sort of backup.
I don't want to have a roof panel fitted here but wondered about a portable panel I could plug into the system. Does Carrefour do such a thing (there's a big Carrefour here in La Linea)? Google translation gives me "panel solar" for the Spanish but I'm not finding what I want on the Carrefour site.
We manage generally very well but I've been using the netbook quite a bit and charging it up in the van; and we haven't been doing a lot of travelling recently.
Solar panels are not cheap in Spain, very unlikely to get one in any supermarket. You would need 60 watts as an absolute minimum and that will be quite large. There are caravan and motorhome places where you can buy them. Expect to pay over £400 for a 60w panel, expect to get 3 to 4 amps from it.
Where are you in Spain, someone may know a caravan place near you. You can buy them online too but still not cheap, Alan.
Solar panels are not cheap in Spain, very unlikely to get one in any supermarket. You would need 60 watts as an absolute minimum and that will be quite large. There are caravan and motorhome places where you can buy them. Expect to pay over £400 for a 60w panel, expect to get 3 to 4 amps from it.
Where are you in Spain, someone may know a caravan place near you. You can buy them online too but still not cheap, Alan.
Oooh, I think we'll visit campsites instead!!
We're on the hardstanding just outside Gibraltar.
I'd thought of getting just a wee portable pack like the ones Halfords do at home but maybe they're worse than useless?
And maybe if I stop charging the netbook, except when we're travelling, that might carry us through.
The fridge is not designed to run from 12V electrics unless it is being supplied from a running engine.
It seems that your problems are more operator error than systems issues.
Gerry
Few answers to the problem.
There are two types of fridge used in motorhomes,
1: Compressor type, as used in your house.
2: Absorbtion type, mostly fitted in modile applications.
If it is a compressor type, it will draw a couple of amperes but only while running.
BUT if it is the other type, which is the more common one, then expect to draw about 10 ampere from the batteries.
Even if you have a couple of 110AH batteries, these will be getting low in a couple of days at maximum.
I would suspect you have an absorbtion type. Check to see if it was running off 12 volt, gas, or mains. If gas, then you either have a problem, or you have run out of gas !!.
So, for the fridge, can you run it on gas, or better still is there a mains supply nearby.
Expect a 110aH battery to last at least two days with average to heavy use.
For solar panels, I would prefer roof mounted ones for a couple of reasons.
1. Light fingered people who like the look of your panel and remove it for their own use.
2. The odd gust of wind that blows the panel over. If you are lucky, no charge while it lies on the ground, if unlucky, a smashed panel !.
Buying panels from motorhome/caravan dealers will be expensive. For whatever you see, take £100 off the price and that is what you can buy them for off the likes of Flebay.
For instance, bought a 60 Watt panel with regulator, £170 recently.
From local dealer £300 plus regulator. It is the same make panel from both sources.
if you have an auto energy fridge it will use around .25 to .5 amps per hour to monitor the temp and turn the gas on and off as needed. even if you set it to gas only, your biggest draw is the net book, if I charge my laptop using an inverter it draws a lot of current which takes a lot of time to replace, running you engine for an hour wont recover it. I would suggest you only charge your netbook when either plugged into mains or when travelling. if you need to run your engine when parked up to charge the batteries make sure that if you can leave the fridge on gas as depending on the unit it will take upwards of 6 amps if it is a large fridge freezer like mine it will take 18 amps which will slow the leisure batteries charging if only on a fast tickover. 110 amp leisure battery fully charged will only give you a max of 55amps use and will become less efficient if repeatedly deeply discharged. Hope this helps.
Solar panels are not cheap in Spain, very unlikely to get one in any supermarket. You would need 60 watts as an absolute minimum and that will be quite large. There are caravan and motorhome places where you can buy them. Expect to pay over £400 for a 60w panel, expect to get 3 to 4 amps from it.
Where are you in Spain, someone may know a caravan place near you. You can buy them online too but still not cheap, Alan.
Hi if you going to Malaga try this dealer (Main Benimar agent) .Its just off the A7 opposite IKEA as you approach Malaga from the west.
You can phone them and they do have english speaking staff if required.
Solar panels are not cheap in Spain, very unlikely to get one in any supermarket. You would need 60 watts as an absolute minimum and that will be quite large. There are caravan and motorhome places where you can buy them. Expect to pay over £400 for a 60w panel, expect to get 3 to 4 amps from it.
Where are you in Spain, someone may know a caravan place near you. You can buy them online too but still not cheap, Alan.
Hi if you going to Malaga try this dealer (Main Benimar agent) .Its just off the A7 opposite IKEA as you approach Malaga from the west.
You can phone them and they do have english speaking staff if required.
Sorry forgot to paste the address for Karavan here it is.
Karavan
Av. Duque de Aveiro Nº4
29140 Churriana (Malaga)
Tel.: 952 17 17 97
Fax: 952 23 72 40
multimarcas@fimalaga.com
I can supply a list of dealers in southern Spain if the OP tells us where he is but it sounds as though he does not want to spend a lot of money. Very wise too, he was going to buy a panel to small to help with his problem and he will do better when he gets back to the UK, Alan.
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