old grey mare Posted June 7, 2020 Share Posted June 7, 2020 Hi all, should my solar panel trickle charge both starter battery and habitation batteries? Battery to start is flatter than a fluke although habitation seems ok. Please don't get too technical as I won't understand you (lol) Grateful thanks OGM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo Posted June 7, 2020 Share Posted June 7, 2020 The majority' of solar panels only charge the leisure battery. There are ways of diverting the solar charge to the starter battery but it depends on what type of 12v distribution system you have. You haven't supplied any details of your motorhome so am unable to help any further. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted June 7, 2020 Share Posted June 7, 2020 If the battery is flat, then it's probable it's not wired to charge both. Aside from that with zero info from you as to what van you've got let alone what system how would anyone be able to answer you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted June 7, 2020 Share Posted June 7, 2020 I believe the motorhome is a Hymer 634, but I don’t know what year it is. (I did ask about the vehicle’s age in the past, but I don’t think the information was provided.) It should be evident from OGM’s posting of 4 March 2019 3:51 PM here https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Speed-of-DVLA-turnaround-time-for-return-of-Ci-category-over-70-licence/51468/ that OGM’s shortage of technical expertise is perfectly understandable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old grey mare Posted June 7, 2020 Author Share Posted June 7, 2020 Yes Hymer 634 and is 2003. Love it, would not change it but the electrics can be a bit tricky. Technical aspects are a mystery, I have in the past, wired up a 3 pin plug wrongly!!1 Hubby used to do everything like this but then the dreaded stroke got him (lol) xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceM Posted June 7, 2020 Share Posted June 7, 2020 Solar panels will generally be wired in in a way that complies with the installers preference so will vary from van to van. Without knowing how your solar panel has been wired in and for instance which solar regulator is being used we’ll probably just end up guessing as to whether it has been cabled to charge both sets of batteries. Is there anything in the habitation manual that explains how the solar electronics has been installed? And are your habitation batteries fully charged? If they are it may indeed imply that the solar is working but not wired to charge the starter battery. if we’re unable to pick up anything from the van’s manual, I think that you’ll need to call in a favour from a diy-ing friend to have a root around for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted June 7, 2020 Share Posted June 7, 2020 A 2003 van is most likely to have a after market solar panel, but even if not back then very few would have a dual output regulator, so I'd guess it's to leisure battery only. You might find it beneficial to have dual output regulator fitted, but without knowing set up it's hard to advise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted June 7, 2020 Share Posted June 7, 2020 OGM mentioned a solar-panel problem in August 2018 not long after the Hymer had been bought https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/solar-panels/50029/ and I assume that issue was resolved at that time. First thing to do is to recharge the Hymer’s starter-battery as soon as possible. Having become so heavily discharged the battery may well have suffered damage and require replacing, but whether or not that’s the case won’t become evident until recharging is attempted. It really needs someone competent to check OGM’s motorhome’s electrical system and establish whether it’s working as designed. If the Hymer has been static outside for months without being connected to a 230-Volt mains power supply, it’s a fair bet that the solar-panel has beeen charging the habitation-battery as that would probably be discharged by now otherwise. And (as has been said above) the likelihood is that it is only the habitation-battery that the panel charges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebishbus Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 If your starter battery is not charging from your solar panel, and you want it to charge when you are parked up, there is a simple circuit for connecting the batteries together. I have included a flashing led to warn you when the switch is on. Remember to switch off before starting the engine. BrianB. ps if I can attach the diagram. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebishbus Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 Perhaps I should have mentioned, that the led is just to show when the switch is switched on,but it will still flash after the fuse has blown , so keep an eye on the charging. BrianB. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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