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I'm in 2 minds what to do. I can get a 120w solar panel kit with all of the trimmings and controller etc. for a pretty good price and I know I have the ability to fit it myself.
But do I need one, or just want one? Because a lot of other people here have them and use them, and I don't.
Firstly, since we got the MH last year we've been away a few times, done 8000 miles (crumbs!) but every time we overnight it is at a site and we pay for EHU. Then, of course, we use power as and when we want without any concern about the batteries - 2 x 85ah leisure.
So, if we continue to do as we already do then I don't actually 'need' a solar panel because the leisure batteries won't go flat between hookups.
But if I fit a panel then we can wild camp at leisure? That presupposes though that we would be staying put in one place and therefore not running the engine. It's not usual for us to stay put for any length of time. But then we'd be able to I guess.
I reckon I'm going to get one - but I could as easily just go and get a cheap 2kw suitcase genny for the same money.
Are there other benefits (or downsides) I'm not thinking about?
______________________________________________________________ Blue Merle Border Collie - Meg - she´s got the brains
Chocolate Labrador - Jewel - about as daft as a daft thing can get
If it aint broke, break it
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Then life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly
Sounds as if you're really trying to convince yourself, but it also sounds as if you don't really need it - no point in adding weight/something else to go wrong if it's not needed.
We're getting one fitted right now, but that was because we found ourselves a few times on our last trip with the batteries failing on us. That was due to being off EHU almost all the time, and doing very few miles. But that's the way we like it, and that's the way we want to continue.
If I didn't need it, I sure wouldn't be fitting it, with the extra cost and payload!
Its probably the best thing we've bought, 135w Kyocera panel, charging 2 x 110ah leisure batteries, attend rallies 3-4 days off ehu TV all night, lights etc, no worries and no annoyance to fellow campers or the continual (fuel) expense from a generator.
Also a big plus for us is MH is in storage for 4 weeks at a time whilst I'm away at work so no more coming back to a flat vehicle battery.
______________________________________________________________ The point is that´s not the Point!
If your happy to just use sites with EHU then you don't realy need one.
However if like us you go to rallies and DA meets etc, then they are a godsend.
We go away for 3-4 nights as much as possible our record is 13 weekends in a row. and not once did we have any power issues.
Never worried about using lights (LEDs) or the TV
We only have the one 110amh battery and the panel was 80w
So think of all the places you can then go for £4-£6 a night.
Enjoy your van & use to it's full potential.
We have a solar panel for over 12 years now. Been on 3 vehicles since that time. To us, it has been well worth it as we are often camp without EHU, Aires in France and other places.
The outlay at that time was £400 and to move it to each vehicle £80. Have we stayed in enough places to warrant the outlay. For us, yes. We still EHU, especially in winter, but that is so we can use the oil heater.
Peace of mind, no noise made by an offensive generator.
Battery has been low twice. So we used the lights to read instead of watching dvd/tv. Fully charged by 10am the next morning.
Detroit Solar did the work for us. Initial fitting and transfers.
Well Sprinta, depends what you're powering really. I've thought about getting one a couple of times & haven't bothered, that's not to say I won't in future though!
We've had the van for 3 and a half years & touch wood have never had a problem, & we only have a single 110aH battery. By the same token, we don't have a TV, rely on the laptop only for the odd checking of something we can't see on the phones, & charge the phones via the 12v as required.
We've done a two week holiday almost exclusively without EHU, save for using the "noisy, offensive, smelly*" generator (delete as appropriate).
Before I get lambasted, we got a cheap 1kw digital generator (remember Planet?? well, a similar one to those, but cheaper!), solely so Sandra could dry her hair & therefore forego the EHU requirement! It tends to only get used for a maximum of 15 minutes at any one time, & at a reasonable hour - no more "annoying" or "offensive" than a loud TV / barking dog / squawking child* (again delete as appropriate ).
Anyway I digress - to use a hairdryer (or indeed toaster / microwave / kettle etc) would also require a big inverter costing even more money & drain battery quicker, which we don't need to be paying.
So..........back to personal choice - if like us you don't have a TV & just use your gas to cook / brew up etc then I would say you don't NEED solar.
If the opposite & you like to have tv on a lot, use laptop extensively & use microwave, toaster etc & you're van's like Blackpool illuminations, then I would say it's well worth considering.
Take the van out of storage and the engine always goes, as the engine and leisure batteries are all full with the solar panel doing its job without any input from anybody, providing you have a battery master, or as I have a switch that allows all the batteries to be linked or be able to isolate the engine from the leisure side..
Get on site turn on the inverter and you have power at your finger tips without any need for EHU's.. Just keep an eye on the meter on the wall, if it falls to 12 volts things will stop working, but with careful management of your electricity use, you can balance your needs against the lecy you have, exactly the same mind set as the water you carry on board and it's usage.
Then the next day if sunny, the panel will top you up and you can do it all over again.. Oh the above scenario when on site in the winter does not work, as no panel can keep up in dull rainy weather.
______________________________________________________________ Damn you Autocorrect. DAMN YOU TO HE’LL.
I'm following an incremental path towards a solar panel - I've just added a second battery to see if we can survive without a panel due to cost - but the £165 seems a lot cheaper than I've seen for a whole kit.
I store the MH without access to power, so the top-up for the batteries would be good and increase my confidence that it will start.
I'm not sure how it will charge both vehicle and leisure battery - is there another box of tricks to buy?
I'm after some other advice on batteries -see another post.
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