H all, firstly if this is in the wrong place please feel free to move!
Having bought our first motorhome in February last year, i wasnt really sure on how long our leisure battery would last with no hook up etc.
Having read re solar power on MHC and looking at our options i plumped for one of these as i didnt want the expense of a roof mounted panel.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/pr…UTF8&psc=1
Firstly it states free UK delivery, so i had it sent to my address pal address and withing 5 days it had arrived at my local post office,here in Ireland, for 3.75 euro. The post mistress was gobsmacked that i had got it through without an excess charge due to the size of the box it came in, so that was bonus number one.
It came with the plug and the 8mm ring connection, so i attached these to the terminals on our leisure battery, which on the Carado A366 is located behind the drivers seat. This meant i could plug the 5M long cable to the panel in without using the supplied crocodile clips.
The case it comes with is very good quality and protects the whole panel very well, because it folds in half when stored away i store it between the rear seats and table when on the move.
The cable is long enough to have the panel on the roof of the van if needed, and feed the cable out through the roof skylight, however we found we could rest it across the dashboard of our van in the windscreen, and put 4 bits of foam padding under the points of contact, to protect the dash and steering wheel. Although on the makers site it does state it is not as effective through the windscreen or glass as if it was out in the open.
However, i can only go from experience re effectiveness, so here goes.
We first used the panel as described above on the dash at the North West 200 in May with no hookup, there were four of us in the van for 4 nights, we used the shower and water, so pump on, we used the TV with electric satellite dish for a couple of hours each day, charged a couple of mobile phones and tablets and had our lights on, all be it they are all LED bulbs. We had a couple of days brilliant sunshine and a few cloudy days. I checked our vans battery panel and the lights showed the leisure battery as full charged at all times. Through the winter i leave the panel connected, stood on its stand on the table in the dining area and our leisure battery still shows fully charged.
The makers claim it is fully waterproof, so you can stand it outside and aim it towards the sun if you want.
The charge controller on the back of the panel has to be set on first set up to the type of battery you have, which is quite simple to do. It has LED indicators to show if it is charging and how well, but these are difficult to see in bright sunlight, i use the towel over the head trick to check!!
So in a nutshell, for the price i am very impressed, you can get this in 80W up to 150W, but i felt 120W was sufficient.
I hope this helps someone if they are thinking of solar, but dont want the expense of solar panels on their roof.
Regards
Tim B
Having bought our first motorhome in February last year, i wasnt really sure on how long our leisure battery would last with no hook up etc.
Having read re solar power on MHC and looking at our options i plumped for one of these as i didnt want the expense of a roof mounted panel.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/pr…UTF8&psc=1
Firstly it states free UK delivery, so i had it sent to my address pal address and withing 5 days it had arrived at my local post office,here in Ireland, for 3.75 euro. The post mistress was gobsmacked that i had got it through without an excess charge due to the size of the box it came in, so that was bonus number one.
It came with the plug and the 8mm ring connection, so i attached these to the terminals on our leisure battery, which on the Carado A366 is located behind the drivers seat. This meant i could plug the 5M long cable to the panel in without using the supplied crocodile clips.
The case it comes with is very good quality and protects the whole panel very well, because it folds in half when stored away i store it between the rear seats and table when on the move.
The cable is long enough to have the panel on the roof of the van if needed, and feed the cable out through the roof skylight, however we found we could rest it across the dashboard of our van in the windscreen, and put 4 bits of foam padding under the points of contact, to protect the dash and steering wheel. Although on the makers site it does state it is not as effective through the windscreen or glass as if it was out in the open.
However, i can only go from experience re effectiveness, so here goes.
We first used the panel as described above on the dash at the North West 200 in May with no hookup, there were four of us in the van for 4 nights, we used the shower and water, so pump on, we used the TV with electric satellite dish for a couple of hours each day, charged a couple of mobile phones and tablets and had our lights on, all be it they are all LED bulbs. We had a couple of days brilliant sunshine and a few cloudy days. I checked our vans battery panel and the lights showed the leisure battery as full charged at all times. Through the winter i leave the panel connected, stood on its stand on the table in the dining area and our leisure battery still shows fully charged.
The makers claim it is fully waterproof, so you can stand it outside and aim it towards the sun if you want.
The charge controller on the back of the panel has to be set on first set up to the type of battery you have, which is quite simple to do. It has LED indicators to show if it is charging and how well, but these are difficult to see in bright sunlight, i use the towel over the head trick to check!!
So in a nutshell, for the price i am very impressed, you can get this in 80W up to 150W, but i felt 120W was sufficient.
I hope this helps someone if they are thinking of solar, but dont want the expense of solar panels on their roof.
Regards
Tim B