Where to fit solar panels and battery care

Hi Richard,

I have got 4 x 130s on the roof of my 16 ft Bushtracker. A bit of an overkill, but peace of mind on cloudy days.

It would be crazy to put them any other place, even though they are out of the way regarding cleaning. Portable they take up heaps of space and they would have to be too small to be of much use.

I only clean mine at the start of a trip. I use a car washing brush with a long handle and just lean a ladder against the side of the van. Pretty easy really.

Some people rig up a trickle charger for long storeage. Mine is out in the weather, so it's no problem.

Cheers,

Willie.

Richard,
Solar panels are in fact an absolutely fantastic idea, ask anyone who has a decent Solar system and it will be readily confirmed, only those with-out a decent Solar system will disagree in some way.

As to where you mount them is ruled by where you park when living out in the bush, if it's under the trees for all the shade you can get, then obviously not on the roof, because they do require copious amounts of sunshine to do what you need them to do - charge your batteries.

When your camped in the shade, you will need to use them on an extension lead and they can be placed out in the sun to charge your batteries.

When on the roof the batteries will be maintained in a fully charged state while your parked in the shopping centre car park, visiting the local scenic areas and sight seeing etc...

I would consider using a combination of mounting two on the roof and one to be placed out in the sun when your camped in the shade.


I've had a Solar system mounted on the vehicle roof since 1996 and has not been removed for more than a week in all those years.
They get cleaned when it rains, and if they look very dirty I use a wet broom on the surface as it removes any garbage quickly and easily, dust etc will be removed as you travel, simply by movement of air over the panel surface.

Maîneÿ . . .

In addition to the above try this calculator -
Solar calculator

It will help you determine what size solar unit you require ..

A smaller mobile panel say 50 watts would be a good size for trickle charging your batteries when the van is at home under cover ..

Rgds

Steve

A quick uninstall frame sounds the goods!
Does anyone have a pic or two of such a device?
Thanks,
Mary