Help request - conversion co. say no need for solar panel.

S

Susan

Member
T6 Pro
Hi guys, I am due to have my van converted in a few weeks now, all going well. I will be getting a 100 amh leisure battery with split charge relay and 7amh battery charging system. There will be LED lighting in the van, a dometic cre50 compressor fridge, 240 v hook up, 12 v sockets and usb charging sockets. We are a family if 4 - 2 adults 2 teens and would hope to spend a couple of nights off grid on our travels. Whenever I have asked our conversion co. about getting a solar panel they have said we don’t need one because the leisure battery will be enough for a couple of nights off-grid, and if the battery goes low that we will just need to start the van for ten minutes to have a full leisure battery again. So based on that advice I thought we might just see how we go and then get portable solar panels if we find we need them. I’d really appreciate if someone could let me know if that sounds like a good plan, and also if i need to ask for some additional wiring to be done at the conversion stage to facilitate the connecting to portable solar panel. Thanks so much for any advice or words of wisdom! Susan :)
 
It all really depends upon your style of camping.
For us we are almost always on hook up and very rarely do we go off grid and when we do it’s only ever for a night or two before we move on which recharges the batteries so we manage perfectly well without solar.
I did consider having it installed a year or so ago but when I worked out how often we would use it verses the extra cost of a hook up I couldn’t make the figures work.
However if you feel you will be off grid for weeks on end then it’s a no brainer.
one other consideration is how do you intend to keep the batteries charged when not in use and over winter? Again we have a hook up in our drive and leave ours plugged in all the time. If your is stored/not used much/too far from house for an extension lead then you will appreciate solar.
 
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Nigel W said:
It all really depends upon your style of camping.
For us we are almost always on hook up and very rarely do we go off grid and when we do it’s only ever for a night or two so we manage perfectly well without solar.
I did consider having it installed a year or so ago but when I worked out how often we would use it verses the extra cost of a hook up I couldn’t make the figures work.
However if you feel you will be off grid for weeks on end then it’s a no brainer.
Click to expand...

Hi Nigel, thanks very much for such a prompt response to my query - I really appreciate your advice and for sharing your experience. It is good to know that other people survive very well off-grid for a night or 2 without solar. The cost is a factor, especially as I can’t seem to stop buying van accessories before it’s even been converted... thanks a million for your response, Susan :)
 
Do you by any chance know if we need any wiring done beforehand to connect with portable panels if we do find we need them at a later stage? Thanks again for your advice! Susan :)
 
Susan said:
Do you by any chance know if we need any wiring done beforehand to connect with portable panels if we do find we need them at a later stage? Thanks again for your advice! Susan :)
Click to expand...
Hi Susan there are some really smart guys on this forum @Dellmassive who will probably be along later with some good advise but if it was me I wouldn’t worry about it just now, see how you get along first and if you find you do need them go for a professional instal rather than lugging around big panels - there is a thread on this somewhere I will try to find you a link
 
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Here you go
www.t6forum.com

[Guide] Mobile Solar Panels ? . . . - How I Did It -

Mobile Solar Panels ? . . . - How I Did It - There is loads of background to this . . . . . but for now here is a vid for you all. =] Just remember W = V*A and as a general rule a good 100W panel will give you up to 6A charge with good sun. 25w = 1.5A 50W = 3A 100w = 6A 200w = 12A 300w = 18A...
www.t6forum.com www.t6forum.com
 
Thanks so much Nigel, that’s really kind of you to post that link - it looks like a really helpful and valuable thread. There seems to be a whole lot of learning to be done on my side - but it’s a good day when you learn something new as they say. Thanks a million for getting back to me again. Susan :)
 
It really depends on how you use the van, they are correct in what they say, however it could be as little a 1 day if say the van inside air temp is high and the fridge is working overtime.

It is far easier to fit the panel during the conversion than retro fit, however you could 1s fix wiring and fit later with less upheaval.

They are great and charge the battery (and main) all of the time so no worrying about low batteries.

If you are using for 2 day max wild then you will probably be fine (*notwithstanding keeping the batteries charged if not using for a while).

We generally always fit solar panels now to full conversions.

Good luck,
Ian
 
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Tbh with the price of panels and controlers being relatively cheap why wouldn't you have them fitted now? What prices are they coming back with?
 
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If you are planning on any off grid I would go for solar, running the leisure battery down too low will limit it’s life and they are not cheap to replace.
100Ah isn’t a very large capacity battery assuming it’s not lithium. It’s surprising how much power is required to charge gadgets and unless you have two exceptional teenagers I’m guessing there are gadgets.
Far easier and cheaper to install during the conversion than later and the re-sale price of the van will be improved
 
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Would not be without a solar panel. If you go out for the day and park up and start using batteries the solar panel will (providing no cloud cover) put back what you are taking out.

If your parking it on the drive and cannot feed EHU to your van at least the solar panel will help put something back in.

Go for as big a panel you can afford - you will not retreat it.
 
The converter that I used made them standard fit as was a lot of extra work to retrofit when customers came back to get them added. On a good day makes a difference.

Also not convinced running the engine for 10 mins will fully recharge a low battery -mine are lithium (charge faster) and takes around 45mins to an hour of driving (not idling) to fully recharge.

We did wild camp in a rental and was fine for the night (about half full I think in the morning) and my kids certainly aren’t exceptional...
 
I'm sorry you cannot fully recharge a battery driving for 45mins unless you have a B2B fitted returning 30/40/50/60 amps back into battery. The veh alternator will regulate the amps and if a smart alternator will not fully charge any battery (only up to 80%). Lithium are different in that they have different system of charging.
 
Susan said:
Hi guys, I am due to have my van converted in a few weeks now, all going well. I will be getting a 100 amh leisure battery with split charge relay and 7amh battery charging system. There will be LED lighting in the van, a dometic cre50 compressor fridge, 240 v hook up, 12 v sockets and usb charging sockets. We are a family if 4 - 2 adults 2 teens and would hope to spend a couple of nights off grid on our travels. Whenever I have asked our conversion co. about getting a solar panel they have said we don’t need one because the leisure battery will be enough for a couple of nights off-grid, and if the battery goes low that we will just need to start the van for ten minutes to have a full leisure battery again. So based on that advice I thought we might just see how we go and then get portable solar panels if we find we need them. I’d really appreciate if someone could let me know if that sounds like a good plan, and also if i need to ask for some additional wiring to be done at the conversion stage to facilitate the connecting to portable solar panel. Thanks so much for any advice or words of wisdom! Susan :)
Click to expand...
some good advice above . . .

i would say be cautious of the advise about running the engine for 10mins . . .

and advice about running a split charge relay on a T6.

and that 100ah battery will last a weekend . . . . . im not so sure. (especially with teenagers and phones and tablets contently on charge)

++

it can take 10hours to charge an AGM with a 10Amp charger . . . . so running the van for 10mins might not charge the leisure battery sufficiently. it might need hours to charge a flat battery.


The T6 with stop/start should have a DC-DC charger fitted for charging the AUX battery . . . .


+++


if it was me . . . . i would suggest swapping the "split charge Relay" to a dc-dc charger, but one with solar input. the CTEK D250SE is a good example.

then have a 100w-300w panel fitted to the roof -or have a mobile panel. - this would connected to the dc-dc charger and provide some charge while parked up.


+++

'more info here:


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Thanks so much for all your responses guys! It’s really great to get your insight. The conversion company haven’t given me a price - they have just said I don’t need it when I have asked about. I will give them a call and ask for a price now. Thanks again! Susan :)
 
Qnapper said:
I'm sorry you cannot fully recharge a battery driving for 45mins unless you have a B2B fitted returning 30/40/50/60 amps back into battery. The veh alternator will regulate the amps and if a smart alternator will not fully charge any battery (only up to 80%). Lithium are different in that they have different system of charging.
Click to expand...
Qnapper said:
I'm sorry you cannot fully recharge a battery driving for 45mins unless you have a B2B fitted returning 30/40/50/60 amps back into battery. The veh alternator will regulate the amps and if a smart alternator will not fully charge any battery (only up to 80%). Lithium are different in that they have different system of charging.
Click to expand...

Not had it on the stop watch but depending on the starting point, those times quoted are roughly right (2 / 3 bars back up to 5). Point was more even with a fast charging lithium, it’s not 10 mins idling.
 
Mateus said:
Not had it on the stop watch but depending on the starting point, those times quoted are roughly right (2 / 3 bars back up to 5). Point was more even with a fast charging lithium, it’s not 10 mins idling.
Click to expand...
Mateus said:
Not had it on the stop watch but depending on the starting point, those times quoted are roughly right (2 / 3 bars back up to 5). Point was more even with a fast charging lithium, it’s not 10 mins idling.
Click to expand...
I'm not going to get into one with you it just cannot be done.
 
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