Discussion
TwinKam said:
I'm considering buying a 150W panel to maintain/ restore charge in the leisure battery we use to run our lights and compressor fridge whilst camping.
Does anyone have any personal experience of this fold up type?...
Not that one specifically but one that looked like pretty much the same but cost more via Amazon....Does anyone have any personal experience of this fold up type?...
It produced about 30w!! and was bulkier than expected... so I sent it back and got a 100w thin panel with guaranteed performance and a 10a mppt charger.....without one of these something like a single small shadow (guy line/cloud) can hit charging performance quite hard.
I used an online solar specialist shop
We run lighting and a compressor fridge as well as a small load on a heater as well as the usual USB stuff I also charge RC battery's etc etc
This is with a 70ah leisure battery and we have done 17nts in North Wales with typical weather for August that swung between hot/sunny one week and grey/wet the next...
On a sunny day it does charge at 10A and will produce 60Ah a day - we had a week of rain/grey and it still kept up no sweat.
No worries - panel https://www.sunstore.co.uk/product/12v-100w-monocr...
We have a victron mppt controller - it's not cheap compared to eBay/Amazon stuff but overall we are pleased with it all.
You will also need to make a stand (stick) to get the correct installation angle and a compass.
After a few cloudy days you will turn into a fridge nazi but leisure battery's hold at 12.1v for a long long time!
We have a victron mppt controller - it's not cheap compared to eBay/Amazon stuff but overall we are pleased with it all.
You will also need to make a stand (stick) to get the correct installation angle and a compass.
After a few cloudy days you will turn into a fridge nazi but leisure battery's hold at 12.1v for a long long time!
Thanks, I'll take a look at them. I was being a bit lazy in wanting to buy a 'one-click kit' rather than sourcing individual components.
Ours is one of the new generation of compressor fridges (Dellonda); the most I've seen it pull is 2.2A, but (and I'd love to know precise durations) it's rarely running for long, perhaps the duty cycle is <33%?
Even with all our 2000+ LEDs switched on, the ammeter shows <2A draw (a little more if they're in disco mode
) and of course they're only on for a couple of hours/day. So far we've managed with a leisure battery, as we're usually only staying put for a max of three nights before moving on and recharging as we drive.
So if the solar option gets much more expensive it would make more sense to just buy another 100Ah battery instead.
Ours is one of the new generation of compressor fridges (Dellonda); the most I've seen it pull is 2.2A, but (and I'd love to know precise durations) it's rarely running for long, perhaps the duty cycle is <33%?
Even with all our 2000+ LEDs switched on, the ammeter shows <2A draw (a little more if they're in disco mode
) and of course they're only on for a couple of hours/day. So far we've managed with a leisure battery, as we're usually only staying put for a max of three nights before moving on and recharging as we drive. So if the solar option gets much more expensive it would make more sense to just buy another 100Ah battery instead.
Do you use EHU? I have installed a new fridge, leisure battery with a smart charging unit that is connected to our EHU.
The fridge will run for a few days without extra charge, but we mainly stay on sites and connect up anyway. Cheaper than solar panels and we can spend a night or two without EHU too.
The fridge will run for a few days without extra charge, but we mainly stay on sites and connect up anyway. Cheaper than solar panels and we can spend a night or two without EHU too.
Thanks for the suggestion, and each to their own, but we avoid EHU for the simple reason that, in our experience, that's the noisiest area of any campsite. It may be coincidence but we've frequently found EHU pitches to be frequented by caravans with big awnings whose owners think nothing of sitting up talking noisily until the early hours.
First thing we do on site is head for the area farthest from 'civilisation'
...besides, managing without outside assistance is all part of the fun for us.
First thing we do on site is head for the area farthest from 'civilisation'
...besides, managing without outside assistance is all part of the fun for us.TwinKam said:
Thanks for the suggestion, and each to their own, but we avoid EHU for the simple reason that, in our experience, that's the noisiest area of any campsite. It may be coincidence but we've frequently found EHU pitches to be frequented by caravans with big awnings whose owners think nothing of sitting up talking noisily until the early hours.
First thing we do on site is head for the area farthest from 'civilisation' ...besides, managing without outside assistance is all part of the fun for us.
Same here, the best and quietest spots are in the farthest corners of the fields, we prefer solar to EHU.First thing we do on site is head for the area farthest from 'civilisation'
...besides, managing without outside assistance is all part of the fun for us.A chap on the T6 Forum has researched a few solar / battery solutions to try and run fridges whilst off grid. None of them seemed to work very well, especially when you consider the cost and effort.
If you want more than two days worth of power to a fridge off grid then the best solution seems to be gas.
If you want more than two days worth of power to a fridge off grid then the best solution seems to be gas.
rustyuk said:
A chap on the T6 Forum has researched a few solar / battery solutions to try and run fridges whilst off grid. None of them seemed to work very well, especially when you consider the cost and effort.
If you want more than two days worth of power to a fridge off grid then the best solution seems to be gas.
My van's solar runs my fridge fine. In fact now I think about it it's never been plugged into the mains. If you want more than two days worth of power to a fridge off grid then the best solution seems to be gas.
We've just had a long w/e away in a cottage, self cater so took all perishables (and drinkables 
) in our Dellonda 50l. fridge.
As an experiment, I ran it off a leisure battery with the knowledge that I could plug into the mains at any time if needed. It was fine. So will only need a second battery (or a run out in the car or solar charging) if we're planning a longer than 3 night stay.
Having said that, I did pick up a 150w 'briefcase' type solar kit cheaply the other week. As we're home now, and it's such a lovely day, the leisure battery is currently on the patio being recharged FOC courtesy of Mr Sunshine
) in our Dellonda 50l. fridge. As an experiment, I ran it off a leisure battery with the knowledge that I could plug into the mains at any time if needed. It was fine. So will only need a second battery (or a run out in the car or solar charging) if we're planning a longer than 3 night stay.
Having said that, I did pick up a 150w 'briefcase' type solar kit cheaply the other week. As we're home now, and it's such a lovely day, the leisure battery is currently on the patio being recharged FOC courtesy of Mr Sunshine
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