solor van

[panelbeater]

hi all,new to here because i will soon take delivery of a t2,but a reborn older vanner.
2010 i went mad and had 150 night away
2011 i went madder and had 164 night away.
2012 i was worse and had 196 nights away.
2013 so far 9 nights away.
befor 2010 i went away with my brother in his van but after a bad near death experience twice,i changed my outlook on life.
gone are the hols abroad now its around the British isles i seek.
as the header says solor,after many trials the set up i now use keeps me in solor 12v and 240v all year round.
on the roof are 4x80w fixed panels linked to a 30a duel battery solor charge controller.i have 2x140a battery's that can be linked together through a marine switch box,this gives off,1batt,2 battery through 110a cable to various fused feeds.i also put out a 100w panel if i need extra charging.peak power a last year was 29.05a a good bit of power.
i have a 600w inverter linked into to circuit that is plugged into my mains circuit so all 240v plugs are live when i flick a switch.
i use the 240v to power the toaster and kettle,all other items are 12v.
these are,16"hdtv with freeview,500gig duel tuner hd satellite recorder,on board itx computer i built in,various meters to show me the state of my battery's with amps in/out.i am all led with automatic bright red rear parking lights,auto,when the door is opened bright lower door lights/awning light.i have full wrap around waterproof led lights,red across the back,white across the front and amber down the sides,the amber i can change for various colours with changing patterns,this i do on rally s.
my van is a 92 sprite with cold water but i have built in a hot water 12v set up,it draws 17a and in 1 and 1/2 hrs i get 5ltr of hot water at 45deg,the van only ever goes on ehu now and again and does not have a built in charger,i only had 1 socket on my tow car so never got charged when on the road.
i installed a hot water shower in the wash room but not yet to the sinks,this i use the kettle for.
the co,fire,gas alarms are modified to run of my 12v so no need for batteries and are on all the time.
my van is well known around the country as it sticks out wherever i go.
i steward lots of meets and make tourers laugh when in the middle of now where i make them a hot drink with my set up.
so it can be done if you want to.
i will help any one who asks if i can.
i run on wast veg oil as well.

[Thomas-the-Terrano2]

wow, 4 x 80w

have many rally pals with one or two panels

one of them as 3 large batteries in the van, linked by jump lead grade cables.

he has built in invertor which feeds to couple of 240v sockets, always has
domestic sky system running.

I havent yet got a panel, I tend to limit what I use battery for, tv usually
stays in locker as its supposed to be to me getting away from home etc.

Did swap out my bulbs to led but found didnt like light produced so swapped
back to originals.


Welcome aboard

[solarman216]

well done mate good on ya, however some of your numbers are a little over optimistic, I have lived on battery power for nearly ten years and therefore have a very good knowledge of what solar and battery power can and cannot do, I lived on a narrow boat for 5 years and I was always meeting other boaters that claimed they lived on 2 or 3 100 Ah bats, no problem with that but then they told me that they ran a fridge on electric via an inverter and they could go two or more days without starting their engine, errrrrrr!!!! just not possible, but there you go, if you are frugal with your needs great and good luck, just for comparisons I have 720 Ah @ 24 volt = 1140 Ah at 12 volt, and a 1380 watt PV array to charge them as well as a water wheel and a silent genny, Rick

[panelbeater]

my fridge and cooker are gas.a 12vfridge will kill a 100a in about 6hrs.it did mine when testing well a battery was flat in the morning..i dont have tv/recorder on all day just when i want to watch things,morning,lunch and evening,thats my biggest drain.i have to be frugal in winter but have not run out of power from both battery's,hence the switch gear.i was away for 3 weeks over xmas and new year and only had 1 battery down to 11v,just switched over to the second one.then charger put more charge into the flatter one but soon both were nearly full.
i agree in the long nights i cant run as much,just watch my meters as they tell me how things are.
i have been looking to put a wind generator with the set up but funds wont allow it yet,but it will i hope.
my aim is when i sell my house i will have a static type home but i will make all my own leccy for daily use but a lister genne for a washing machine and heavy power needs.the genne will be on wvo to.

[solarman216]

Originally Posted by panelbeater

.the genne will be on wvo to.

Do not bother with wvo for a genny, red derv is far cheaper, Rick

[Fez_uk]

he might have a free supply?

[panelbeater]

well almost 12.5p a ltr.i get a lot more than i can use as built up a good round over many years.
i have 1000 ltrs in stock but only filter it when i want it .my moto the colder the better so no thickening up in tank.
xmas i left 2ltr out on the roof of the car,it went down to -5.5and still runny.

[solarman216]

Originally Posted by panelbeater

well almost 12.5p a ltr.i get a lot more than i can use as built up a good round over many years.
i have 1000 ltrs in stock but only filter it when i want it .my moto the colder the better so no thickening up in tank.
xmas i left 2ltr out on the roof of the car,it went down to -5.5and still runny.

That is cheap, , Rick

[zippy656]

We have some 90w solor panels at work. If any one wants a price i can ask

[panelbeater]

100w for £89.99 delivered or £79.99 picked up.they are cheap now.
my 80w 1st one was £160 i think the cheapest i could get from germany.
be interested to see how much as i supply a lot of vanners over the summer i carry a full roof set up or free standing kit for 1 or 2 batterys with me.charge controller cable fixing etc
i got to one meet and i had not got set up and a newish chap to us came over and was frantic as he had ran over his panel,dont ask how but as it was a 5 day meet he needed a panel pronto so i set one up for him at cost.i do not profit from these but i normally get given a bottle of cider or something.

[zippy656]

Will ask for unit price

[panelbeater]

thanks.
i have not put my van on a weigh bridge but with all i have in it it could be over my limit of the van so i am thinking about removing the 2 140amp batts and setting them up in the back of the 2t full time.
i will put my 100a in the van saving about 75kg.
now how to connect the t2 easily and fast to the van.
looking on ebay i have come up with this.
1 red 1 black ark welder push and twist plug and sockets with 160a 5mtr leads with heavy duty crocodile clips to connect to the fixed t2 batts.
i always park on 1 side of the van so could easily fix the welder sockets on the same sidei can set my solar share controller to give more %to the 100a batt.
+side
connection time about 2mins with no heavy lifting.just push and twist to connect.
the 100a batt in the van will be more than enough for usual usage.
my tv and recorder draw 6a and computer draws 6a sow i have many hours of power.
when i want the inverter on for mains power i just switch my batt switch over switch to the t2 batts and then i can use the kettle or toaster as usual.
if i need it i will have a jump lead ready set up if from the van.my kettle or toaster draw near 80a through the inverter so easily covered on cable size.
when i need to use the t2 i just unclip the clips from the t2 and coil them up making sure they dont touch,i have already got a 100amp fuse fitted in van and carry a spare.
if i get low just start the 2t and charge the batts in the back.
- side.
makes the t2 70kg heaver but it will not matter.
cost about £55.00 for all the bits and pieces.
any other.
what do you guys think.

[rayf3262]

Anderson connectors are pretty good for high current low voltage.
Plenty of them on Ebay too.
http://www.andersonpower.com/product...onnectors.html

[panelbeater]

thanks.
just ordered 6mtr 800a multi strand jump leads 1xred 1xblack welder 250a plugs and connectors £39 so all good.will cut jump leads for extra cable i need inside the van to my heavy currant bus bars to new exterior sockets.

[(RIP) PLANK]

I have a new, LED TV and the power drain is very low! it is a 19" screen and while recording and running a DVD it consumes around 1.5 amps at 12v

The laptop is the power killer