Club 80-90 Forums

The link I gave seems to have a bit more info than the usual manuals. It intimates that red light is on if no battery on second connection.

Get your starter battery connected to the second battery connection.

keytouch wrote:The link I gave seems to have a bit more info than the usual manuals. It intimates that red light is on if no battery on second connection.

Get your starter battery connected to the second battery connection.

Good thinking Bat man

Doug T wrote:l have 2 x leisure batteries wired up in parallel, So I cant connect the second battery to the 2nd out let.

Why not?

I've got the same set up and if I disconnect 1 batt I get the same fault, connect them up as if there was only 1 and the light will turn green.

whats the biggest panel someone has put on their roof? I have seen there is now a 250w semi flexible panel available. Size wise it would just fit from skylight to the end of the roof, and is a little bit narrower than the roof is wide. My thinking is with one that big, if the angle isn't quite right or its a bit shady you should get decent power out of it still.

I would rather have 3 smaller ones so that one doesn't lose it all if one were damaged. Also they used to function so that if one cell was completely covered by a leaf you would lose the output from the whole panel, I don't know if that is still the case. It would be a disappointment to lose the output of one large panel like that.

your probably right, i really want to get one of the folding portable type. Its just if i'll ever bother taking it out of the bag and using the thing!

Better permanent and up top out of sight. I was originally thinking of portable but my camper has been sat for four weeks and VROOOOM! started first time cos battery fully charged. Worth it for that alone. Otherwise you'll have a solar panel that for most of the time will be doing nothing.

The only thing that puts me off the roof mounting is the fact I have a westy pop top, meaning I may find myself trying to camp to get sun on the panels rather than the best position for camping.

I plan on having both for the very reason you eluded to. I have a 120w portable with miles of cable and I think I'll put a 60 - 100w (depending on size) to keep batteries stopped up when parked up etc. This way when camping I can hide under the trees with the panel out in full sun.

Ideally I need to make one that fits on the pop top and is C shaped to wrap,around the skylight as I have a roof rack on the rear half of the pop top.

I also need to work out how to wire it into the circuit, along with the external one....

Bear in mind that during the busiest time for campers (ie when theres actually some sun) its mostly overhead anyway. I don't bother angling mine (I can't, they're fixed) but even if I run the Propex all night, battery is back to fully charged before 9am. The other advantage with fixed is you don't have to keep watching out for light-fingered scrotes, don't need to pack it, remember to unpack it, and it'll keep your batteries in good order all Winter which is why I bought mine - sick of flat batteries in cold months.

Had to take mine off the road for a month to do work on it and when I put the key in it today, it whizzed over and started straight away. NO WAY would that have happened in the past. I was dead keen on portable to start with but glad I didn't now. You have to sit with it. These lightweight flexible ones are no bother stuck on top, no matter what you've got. In fact you can't even see mine unless you really look.

Two panels (you could just use one) = 200 watts (around £90 each) plus a dual solar controller (£19). With the time I've saved not having to stick a battery on a charger, plus the independence for off-grid camping, its cheap enough. Stuck mine down with builders-grade silicone sealant and finished outer edges (those you can see) with short length of cable trunking. Did the whole lot one Saturday. In fact my leisure isn't connected to the split charger anymore - not needed. I don't watch amps either. Whats the point, does the job.

I have one 100W glued to westy roof and never evr use hookup and always have radio on, phones charging, kids DVDs , all lights inside van are LED and most of the outside ones are too. Never looked back, don't care which way the sun is facing just works and is easily enough unless you need a compressor fridge in which case i'd get 2x 100w . I live in Hackney (i.e. full of scrotes looking to nick anything) and its been safe for 3 years now. In fact the only time anyone broke in was an old tramp to sleep in the van.

was that me? i cant remember.

Just to add a question to this thread.

Just how have you guys fixed the flexi panels to the fibre glass roofs of your Westies?

Sikaflex apparently ... mines a solid but that's what most are using with the flexi's.

Martin

California Dreamin wrote:Sikaflex apparently ... mines a solid but that's what most are using with the flexi's.

Martin

Just finally had a 100W flexi panel delivered after watching this thread for about 2 years - a couple of follow-on questions about sticking it in place on Westy roof...

1. Is it the Sikaflex 512 stuff that people have used?

2. Is this done with a line of Sikaflex all the way round the edge?

3. Are there any worries about trapped moisture underneath? (Esp as mine will be going over one of the dips in the roof).

Thanks for any advice/tips!