Jump to content

Battery charging question


alansh

Recommended Posts

We are having solar panels fitted and have been told they only charge up the leisure batteries. If our MH is being stored in a secure area for a while, how can we keep the engine battery charged up? Is there a way for the solar panels to do this?

 

Thanks for any advice

 

Alan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Alan,

 

You either need to get a charge controller fitted which has two separate outputs, one for the leisure and the other for the starter battery OR if your control panel will allow it, get the control panel set to charge both batteries from the solar panel.

 

What is the make and model of your Swifts existing control panel?

 

And what make and model of solar charge control are you currently planning on having installed?

 

Keith.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Keith,

 

I don't know what make and model it is as the dealer we bought it from is going to fit it. I will call him tomorrow and ensure it can charge all the batteries now that I know it's possible.

 

Thank you

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

alansh - 2021-06-18 10:57 PM

 

Keith,

 

I don't know what make and model it is as the dealer we bought it from is going to fit it. I will call him tomorrow and ensure it can charge all the batteries now that I know it's possible.

 

Thank you

Alan

 

There is a good deal of online guidance on fitting a solar-panel system to a motorhome.

 

https://tinyurl.com/bjkd4sm6

 

http://www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/solar-power.php

 

and (as should be apparent from the advice provided above) a number of ways for the power produced by the solar-panel system to charge the motorhome’s starter-battery as well as its leisure-battery.

 

It’s perhaps stating the obvious, but if your dealer is planning to install a solar-panel system that only charges the leisure battery, revising that plan to provide more sophistication should be expected to cost extra. For example, the price of a new Votronic Duo charge controller (recommended by Charles) is around £100, and the price of a Van Bitz “Battery Master” (which I assume is what Mickt was referring to) is around £70.

 

When a motorhome is out of use and its batteries cannot be charged via a 230V mains-powered battery charger, a suitable solar-panel system will help to maintain the batteries’ charge state. The system can either charge all the batteries (starter and leisure) via a controller, or charge the leisure batteries and have a device (eg. a Battery Master) that transfers charge from the leisure batteries to the starter-battery. The simplest/crudest ploy is Clive Mott’s ‘bridging fuse’ approach

 

http://www.motts.org/BRIDGING%20FUSE.htm

 

but even this will involve effort and cost to install fuse-holders and wiring to connect the leisure and starter batteries together.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...