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I'm installing a small solar system for my caravan - this is my first time working with solar. My electrical experience is mostly limited to diy auto electrical work; I can solder, use a multimeter and have a basic grasp of 'how things work' (think grade 12 physics).
I've done a fair bit of research but want some unbiased opinions/advice before I get started
Budget is an issue in that I don't want to spend on what I don't need, but I'd like to do it right, maintain batteries well and have it all work efficiently and effectively. A pretty long post, trying to be fairly comprhensive; if you stick with me I appreciate it!
The van is an old 16ft Jayco , the vehicle an 80series landcruiser (1993) with dual batteries. Might just get a solar blanket for the car and its 40ltr Engel, a friend with similar can keep things running for a week no worries. Our travel tends to be very off grid - we very rarely stay at caravan parks and don't want to rely on mains power at all.
Power usage - low.
Really only usb ports (2 phones, 2 tablets, not used heaps), limited lighting (2*int+2*ext), water pump for the kitchen sink, and a small inverter to charge laptop, toothbrush, and batteries for power tools very occasionally. Highest draw there is 80w. Probably a blender so she can make smoothies, I've found a nice little one that draws 300w. There's a 3 way fridge which we can run on gas while in camp (90ltr Dometic, 12.5a) and I thought switch to 12v while connected to the car.
So... here's the idea.
160-200w in 2 panels, roof mounted in series but removable to chase the sun if we want. I'm leaning towards 2*80w as they fit on a sandwich board and that'd just be easy
but 100w mono are cheaper..
140ah AGM 12v battery.
20a dc-dc solar charger. I like the idea of being able to use the car to charge after a couple cloudy days, and to get fully charged while driving (assuming solar alone rarely would) for battery longevity. Fair?
Inverter. 300 or 600w. I actually already have one, but it's at dad's place and he's on the road for another week or so.. and I can't remember what it is. I've figured that a 140ah agm should be limited to a 420w inverter (140/4 = 35a *12v =420 - cheers Sunking!). If I install a 600w but never draw over 420w, I'm thinking that would be ok.....? On the flip side, a 300w blender would likely trip a 300w inverter, right?
Here are links to the products I'm looking at. Prices are AUD (AUD*.66=USD)
Battery; decent reviews and warranty, looks like a solid mid range choice at a good price. $267 delivered.
Charger/reg; any one used the Thunder? At $239 it's $100 less than the Ctek and looks like it does what I need. Haven't come across any complaints...
Panels. These guys have a lot of happy customers and better prices than most. 80w is poly, $85. 100w is mono, $67.
Inverter as I said, I'll know in a week or so.
I guess I've focused on the big ticket items. I'll also want to put in something pretty simple to monitor things, a voltmeter seems the most obvious way to go, any recommendations here? Maybe an inline watt meter for the panels?
Wiring and fuses/breakers I'll look at next. Will probably ask a mate with the right tools to do the heavy leads up for the inverter, the rest I should be right with...
What do we think guys? I figure if I really need to I can go up to 300w panels and 250ah batteries on that controller, but I'm hoping it wont be necessary. We'll be living out of it for up to a year, so plenty of time to figure it out once the base system is together.
Thoughts, concerns, ideas? Thanks a lot, this forum has already been a great resource.
I've done a fair bit of research but want some unbiased opinions/advice before I get started
Budget is an issue in that I don't want to spend on what I don't need, but I'd like to do it right, maintain batteries well and have it all work efficiently and effectively. A pretty long post, trying to be fairly comprhensive; if you stick with me I appreciate it!The van is an old 16ft Jayco , the vehicle an 80series landcruiser (1993) with dual batteries. Might just get a solar blanket for the car and its 40ltr Engel, a friend with similar can keep things running for a week no worries. Our travel tends to be very off grid - we very rarely stay at caravan parks and don't want to rely on mains power at all.
Power usage - low.
Really only usb ports (2 phones, 2 tablets, not used heaps), limited lighting (2*int+2*ext), water pump for the kitchen sink, and a small inverter to charge laptop, toothbrush, and batteries for power tools very occasionally. Highest draw there is 80w. Probably a blender so she can make smoothies, I've found a nice little one that draws 300w. There's a 3 way fridge which we can run on gas while in camp (90ltr Dometic, 12.5a) and I thought switch to 12v while connected to the car.
So... here's the idea.
160-200w in 2 panels, roof mounted in series but removable to chase the sun if we want. I'm leaning towards 2*80w as they fit on a sandwich board and that'd just be easy
but 100w mono are cheaper..140ah AGM 12v battery.
20a dc-dc solar charger. I like the idea of being able to use the car to charge after a couple cloudy days, and to get fully charged while driving (assuming solar alone rarely would) for battery longevity. Fair?
Inverter. 300 or 600w. I actually already have one, but it's at dad's place and he's on the road for another week or so.. and I can't remember what it is. I've figured that a 140ah agm should be limited to a 420w inverter (140/4 = 35a *12v =420 - cheers Sunking!). If I install a 600w but never draw over 420w, I'm thinking that would be ok.....? On the flip side, a 300w blender would likely trip a 300w inverter, right?
Here are links to the products I'm looking at. Prices are AUD (AUD*.66=USD)
Battery; decent reviews and warranty, looks like a solid mid range choice at a good price. $267 delivered.
Charger/reg; any one used the Thunder? At $239 it's $100 less than the Ctek and looks like it does what I need. Haven't come across any complaints...
Panels. These guys have a lot of happy customers and better prices than most. 80w is poly, $85. 100w is mono, $67.
Inverter as I said, I'll know in a week or so.
I guess I've focused on the big ticket items. I'll also want to put in something pretty simple to monitor things, a voltmeter seems the most obvious way to go, any recommendations here? Maybe an inline watt meter for the panels?
Wiring and fuses/breakers I'll look at next. Will probably ask a mate with the right tools to do the heavy leads up for the inverter, the rest I should be right with...
What do we think guys? I figure if I really need to I can go up to 300w panels and 250ah batteries on that controller, but I'm hoping it wont be necessary. We'll be living out of it for up to a year, so plenty of time to figure it out once the base system is together.
Thoughts, concerns, ideas? Thanks a lot, this forum has already been a great resource.
I'm hoping the victron with a couple panels in series will manage 100% charge most days, and gives me the option to add a third if req.
And Im not removing the snow for solar generation but because Im not a dick and remove snow off my vehicle before I drive on the road. 
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