Silly Solar Panel Question 🌞😎

Urlauber · 03-07-2022, 09:22 PM

My Rize came with a 190W panel on top, and the rig is parked outside, most days in direct sun.
It's not even summer yet, but I can tell already that the batteries will be fully charged most of the time.

So the efficient me is wondering if there is any way I could use that energy collection for other purposes.
Not looking for some complex setup. Just wondering if I could do anything 12V or 5V. Using the inverter doesn't work as that one even idling will empty the batteries.
Don't have another car to trickle-charge... Not sure about anything else. Have you come up with something?

Davydd · 03-07-2022, 09:33 PM

You could install a Trik-L-Start battery tender for your chassis battery if I suspect you don't have one. In longterm storage your chassis battery may deplete if not driven.

Urlauber · 03-07-2022, 09:41 PM

Actually it seems like the chassis battery is already being maintained via the solar panel. I don't have all the wiring details, but looking at the BMPro over time it goes up to 13.1V and hangs out up there.

I think the PV panel first charges the coach battery, and when that one is full tends to the chassis battery. Which is pretty cool.

@Michael · 03-08-2022, 01:51 AM

Use the excess solar to power a fridge and cool beer?

Urlauber · 03-08-2022, 04:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by @Michael

Use the excess solar to power a fridge and cool beer?

Ha, that's a great thought!

I could power THE fridge (the one in the camper) and fill it with stuff.

Pro's:

Free beer cooling
extended fridge room
maybe freeze ice packs to save on cooling when weekend-traveling

Con's:

Would need to re-arrange stuff before camping (family wants other things besides beer )
Not sure if running the lil compressor fridge 24/7 cuts down on its life-span
There isn't much point in cooling it down before camping since it is so quick and efficient

Urlauber · 03-08-2022, 04:28 AM

Whatchoo think about getting a Jackery or similar and charging that to then use the output for something else?
They are pretty expensive though ($1200 for the 1500 model?) so the ROI would be terrible. Plus it's pretty much an in-between to charge the power station to then charge other devices.

HarryN · 03-08-2022, 04:01 PM

Perhaps mount a few more solar panels near where you park it. (example on the house or garage)

Plug the panels into the van to increase capacity.

Turn on the inverter, and run this 120 vac into the garage to power some things in there, such as a garage refrigerator.

Urlauber · 03-08-2022, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryN

Perhaps mount a few more solar panels near where you park it. (example on the house or garage)

I am not trying to increase the solar capacity, I want to do something useful with the existing excess capacity.

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryN

Plug the panels into the van to increase capacity.

There is no external solar panel port or other way that I can see that additional panels can be plugged in. The Solar Charge controller could handle another panel (it's 30A).

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryN

Turn on the inverter, and run this 120 vac into the garage to power some things in there, such as a garage refrigerator.

Yeah kinda what @Michael suggested, but that would be a separate thing. Running the inverter would require more solar power, and again, I am not trying to extend the system, but efficiently use what is there.

avanti · 03-08-2022, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urlauber

I am not trying to increase the solar capacity, I want to do something useful with the existing excess capacity.

Mining Bitcoin?

RSABOERSEUN · 03-09-2022, 05:03 AM

The best answer is to install a Victron Smart BMS CL 12/100 system, it will separate the vehicle and "house" batteries, manage the battery charge and protect the vehicle battery from discharging. This way you can run the inverter without worrying about the Vehicle battery going flat.

eric1514 · 03-09-2022, 12:11 PM

Since the van is parked outside in the sun, could you use the electricity to run some fans to help keep it cooler inside?

avanti · 03-09-2022, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eric1514

Since the van is parked outside in the sun, could you use the electricity to run some fans to help keep it cooler inside?

That is a good idea. Even small fans are quite effective, assuming that there are also effective air inlets. You can get little solar-powered fans, but this would be better, if you can manage the control complexities.

Davydd · 03-09-2022, 03:02 PM

The most effective fan, IMO, is the roof Fantastic or Maxxfan drawing from an cracked open awning window rain or shine most all Class Bs have. Can solar provide that?

booster · 03-09-2022, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davydd

The most effective fan, IMO, is the roof Fantastic or Maxxfan drawing from an cracked open awning window rain or shine most all Class Bs have. Can solar provide that?

I would think that it would fill up with blowing snow in our part of the country. It can get through tiny openings even if rain won't.

Urlauber · 03-09-2022, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eric1514

Since the van is parked outside in the sun, could you use the electricity to run some fans to help keep it cooler inside?

Quote:

Originally Posted by avanti

That is a good idea. Even small fans are quite effective, assuming that there are also effective air inlets. You can get little solar-powered fans, but this would be better, if you can manage the control complexities.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davydd

The most effective fan, IMO, is the roof Fantastic or Maxxfan drawing from an cracked open awning window rain or shine most all Class Bs have. Can solar provide that?

Yeah, that's a good idea! Using the roof fan to pull out the hot air when the sun is heating up the camper. There may even be some cracks/openings in the bottom of the vehicle where cool air could enter. Or I drill some holes.

Now... to put this on a temperature controller... the roof fan is very manual, just OFF - 1 - 2 - 3. Running it 24/7 would just pull in dust and prematurely wear it out.
The A/C unit has a temp switch, but that doesn't help since a) it doesn't run off the coach batteries and b) blows air in from the top which isn't QUITE as good as pulling hot air out from the top.
Need to look closely at the fan and see if I can wire in a temp controller...

Urlauber · 03-09-2022, 04:09 PM

BTW it is a Dometic FanTastic fan, maybe a 1400, not totally sure. Any suggestions for adding a simple thermostat to one like that?

avanti · 03-09-2022, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urlauber

BTW it is a Dometic FanTastic fan, maybe a 1400, not totally sure. Any suggestions for adding a simple thermostat to one like that?

For my next van, I am anticipating putting the fan on a temperature-controlled PWM controller, and possibly smarter lid-control. However, this is part of my fairly-elaborate automation project.

This is why I mentioned "control complexities" in my previous message. You also have to worry about battery management.

Davydd · 03-09-2022, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by booster

I would think that it would fill up with blowing snow in our part of the country. It can get through tiny openings even if rain won't.

Maybe a Fantastic fan but a Maxxfan has a pretty good built in hood that is impervious to rain. A Fantastic fan closes and turns off when it senses rain. Common sense would be not having it open and on when it is blowing snow or needing a fan at all when it is that cold.

avanti · 03-09-2022, 06:13 PM

I always leave our Fantastic Fan open just a crack when the van is parked. Never had a snow or rain issue. The lip is pretty significant.

Urlauber · 03-09-2022, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by avanti

For my next van, I am anticipating putting the fan on a temperature-controlled PWM controller, and possibly smarter lid-control. However, this is part of my fairly-elaborate automation project.

This is why I mentioned "control complexities" in my previous message. You also have to worry about battery management.

I generally leave the lid open. It has a cover with a screen, so nothing bad should get in there. Doesn't rain much here and when it does, it's strictly vertical, so no issues with water intrusion really.

I was thinking of something cheap and simple like this. Any thoughts on why that would not work? Looks good to me so I should be receiving it tomorrow. Cheap enough to play around with!

Not sure what you mean by worry about battery management. The idea is to use the excess solar electricity to power the fan which keeps the interior cool. On a cloudy day the fan should not run, on sunny days the solar PV will produce enough energy to keep the batteries topped off plus the fan running for part of the day. The thermostat could be adjusted accordingly to not empty the batteries.

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