new to the game Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 We have just purchased a 12watt solar panel and wondering do we need a regulator or can we connect straight to leisure battery. (!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Cole Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Hi you can connect your 12w solar panel direct to your leasure battery ,but It will not charge it! its far to small at the best you will only get around a 1 amp output on a really good day, add to this the wiring and internal resistance of your battery there will be very little benifit. Your leasure battery which will have a capacity of at least 90amph and will require a solar panel with an output of at least 80-120w to be effective, these larger panels usually come with a voltage regulator, but are quite expensive. Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Usinmyknaus Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 EM suggest you use the "Search" facility for info on solar panels because there is a great deal of historical information on this forum - it has been covered many times. You should find a number of posts where people have detailed the set-ups they have installed and the performance achieved. If you need detailed advice I suggest you provide information on your van, the equipment on board which you wish to power and your intended usage of the van e.g summer, all year, mainly CLs/wild camping/commercial sites etc. That would enable the "techies" on here (not me) to help you. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 new to the game - 2009-02-19 6:21 AM We have just purchased a 12watt solar panel and wondering do we need a regulator or can we connect straight to leisure battery. (!) Do you actually mean 12 watt or do you possibly mean 12 volts? edit - 12 watts may be ok as a trickle charger to keep batteries topped up but as mentioned no use for replenishing bulk charge. All depends what you want to use it for and also how much current drain you have on batteries when parked/laid up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Losos Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 I'm taking a guess that the OP did mean 12v since all the solar panels I've looked at are at least 25 watt - anyway, I agree witht the above comments, apart from 'trickle' charging, it's necessary to have a substantial size solar panel to keep a leisure battery fully charged and they are not cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brambles Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Reason I wondered is because I have seen 5 , 10 and 13 and more but never 12 watt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul- Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 My first panel was about 12.5 watt (this was 20 odd years ago), it was ok for charging the 85ah battery on the caravan, but caravans weren’t very power hungry at that time, & we only had a 10” black n white tv. If you keep your electric use to the minimum (no tv etc) it will keep your battery from going flat too quickly, but only if you have the panel facing the sun as much as possible Realistically you should go for a 50 watt panel if it’s free standing & 80 watt plus if you intend on fitting it flat on the roof. An 110ah battery will need a regulator if using a panel over 18 watts, & the choice of regulator is more important than your choice of panel. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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