joc45 replied:

Hi, Captnsnooze,
Sounds like you have a good reserve capacity, but even one solar panel will help; the less you run the batteries down (ei, the shallower the discharge), the longer will be the life, so keeping some charge into the batteries will help a lot. 85w is not enough to keep up with the fridge and light, but will reduce the draw-down on the battery.
I use an Autofridge (4A draw, 30% duty cycle) and a couple of Versalites, and I get by with about 130w of panels, so a second 85w panel later would fit the bill in your case. Go with it - early replacement of two 130AH batteries later sounds like a lot of money!!
Don't forget to factor in the cost of a solar regulator, tho it could be argued that you may never reach full charge with one panel.
Suggest you spend a few bucks on a reasonable digital voltmeter to monitor battery condition. Jaycar http://www1.jaycar.com.au/ sell a nice one with tempertature guage included (monitor your fridge temp) for about $40 Cat no XC0116.
I agree about not running the engine while camping - someone did that to us for several hours one night in the Kimberleys - was not a neighborly thing to do.
Gerry

William replied:

1 x BP 125w panel would just cut it in summer
1 x 80w panel would help to extend to 3 days but running your batteries that far down does them no good
2 x 80w in summer and 3 x 80w in winter
I have 4 x 80w and is the best investment I ever made
I started with 2 in summer bought another 1 in winter and during a time it was overcast for many days bought another one. with 4 I have not run out of power or got dangerously low to damage my batteries. I dont take my batteries below 60% according to the meter
I run my fridge tv radio and usually only 1 Versalite but sometimes 2 for short periods

Shane M replied:

Hi
I have also looked into this and another option would be to Buy a small DC generator. These use a 50cc honda motor and car alernator. They sell for about the same price as an 80w solar panel and can put out up to 70amps. Most of them are adjustable so you don't cook your batteries. Let me know if you won't any more details.

Morgs

Mick replied:

How about an 80 AMP christie honda battery charger?
http://usrwww.mpx.com.au/~christie_eng/
a lot cheaper than at least 2 panels which you WILL need if your staying in the same spot for a long time.

-OzyGuy- replied:

I use a 80 watt Solarex Pannel with 2 x 80 watt Delkor deep cycle jell batteries, with a Pirahna isolator, everything including the fridge, radio and interior lights work off the Dual battery system and I don't have any hassles, I camp for weeks at a time not over night, however I had a good fridge, sold it to get a better one....
I believe that a lot must depend on the way the system it is wired up.

-OzyGuy- replied:

Capt'n
the Solarex VLX-80 panel that I use puts out 80 watts, 21.1 volts (open circuit), 17 volts (at load) and with a current load of 4.71 amps.... yep, I coppied it from the back of the pannel.
The Piranha DBE 150S Battery Isolator allows the starter battery to be fully charged first then the charge is automaticly directed to the second battery(s) allowing the starter battery to be always at full power and disconected from the dual battery system when the vehicle engine is off.