simran Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 info from you clever folks out there - which or more than one is the best option. Thanks in anticipation. B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyfletcher Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 I also would be interested in what comments you receive as I am thinking about the same thing. Cheers Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 It rather depends on your power usage and your camping style. If you use a medium amount of 12v volt power and rarely use a hookup but mostly camp in the summer or in sunnier regions in winter for more than three days at a time then a decent sized battery bank (110AH plus) and a solar panel may well do you nicely. If you use a lot of power, never use a hookup and regularly stay in one place for more than three days and will camp in Northern Europe (UK included) mainly then a fuel cell or even a generator will be almost definitely required. However, if you always use main sites with hookup and never camp in cold weather then you probably don't need to bother changing anything. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batch Posted October 16, 2009 Share Posted October 16, 2009 Have just had efoy fitted . Wonderful power and silent to boot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syd Posted October 19, 2009 Share Posted October 19, 2009 My wife is a fairly heavy user of electricity and we have started touring in our caravan so I was a bit worried about this subject so I intended to fit the Efoy but having discussed this with an electrician friend I decided against the efoy and elected for solar panels. We have three 95amp panels and have been touring for seven weeks now, wife uses the iron through the 1800w inverter plus the hoover, son watches TV every night and we are not as careful with the electricity as we could be but we have experienced no problems at all, wife even left the inverter switched on all day ONCE and the twin outside lights on all night ONCE and still no problem and never used the plug in I feel quiet sure that we could comfortably manage with just two panels but put three up because of the special circumstances in our family. We have not had exceptionally sunny weather all of the time and have spent as much as two days under trees from time to time. Get LED lights and think more carefully again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 Very, very, roughly, solar panels of a size large enough to be useful will cost somewhere around the cost of an EFOY. At least that seemed the case when I last looked, which was before Sterling's latest fall from grace! A third battery will cost far less than either. However, all that battery can do is store electricity, whereas the other two "make" it. The more battery capacity you have, for the same rate of consumption, the longer it lasts, but the longer it will take to re-charge. Alternatively, the more charge capacity (i.e. bigger panels/more powerful EFOY) you will need. Finally, batteries are heavy, so payload is diminished proportionately.A panel/panels need good light to work, and for maximum efficiency needs to be oriented toward the sun. Fitted flat to the roof and used in UK, you'll need larger panels to compensate for lower light intensity and lower sun angles. Mounted on a movable frame, manual or automatic, and/or used in Southern Europe, smaller panels will suffice. How large/small will do in either circumstance will depend on your rate of consumption. They cannot generate at night, when most electricity is used, and their charge rate is sharply reduced by bad weather or being placed in shade. (Shade is a great aid to comfort in Southern Europe, so you an roast with plenty of electricity, or stay cool with less! :-)) You will therefore need to balance your rate and pattern of consumption, against your battery capacity and likely panel outputs, to be sure of adequate reserves in adverse conditions and to ensure comfort. Additionally, the panels are fairly weighty, and involve making holes somewhere through the roof.The EFOY, on the other hand, functions day or night, completely automatically, whatever the weather. However, it does require fuel so, unlike the panels, it has a running cost. My understanding is that an EFOY plus fuel is probably no heavier than solar panels of useful size. It installs inside the van, and involves no holes in the roof (though it requires a small one for its exhaust).As I see the benefits, therefore, an EFOY of appropriate capacity for your needs, capable of re-charging the battery on demand (and, I believe, supplementing its output for peak demands) is light, quiet, relatively economical to run (Clive will, I am sure, have some useful data on this), fully automatic, and will always work provided it has fuel. Unless you intend staying in one place without hook up for weeks, my money (subject to current costings) would go on the EFOY as the best all round solution. Since the EFOY charges on demand, and since the battery will only store the electricity it has generated, it seems to me that the EFOY much reduces the requirement for storage capacity, allowing one battery (maybe 85/100AH?) to be used, with the bonus of a resulting benefit to payload.Well, that's how I see it. Now wait! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Syd Posted October 22, 2009 Share Posted October 22, 2009 No argument with what Brian has posted but we are in Europe Efoy has a constant low noise when running and a constant cost in its fuel Solar panels are noise free and have no running costs and last for many years Our three panels cost us less than an Efoy and two would actually suffice We now have had nine weeks out with panels only and in spite of a careless better half and no REALLY sunny days we have experienced absolutely no problems and our panels are fitted flat to the roof Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonB Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 With the Efoy system you also have to take into account not only the weight of the unit itself but also the fuel that you are going to have to cart around with you. I for one would not want to chance a couple of winter months in Spain thinking that I might, or might not, find a supplier of Methane locally. It would be nice to receive some feed back from the original poster. Is his intended use a fortnight in summer Spain or a month on top of a winter alp? Without knowing something of the intended use we are all peeing in the wind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 Methane is it?..........Myself and Mrs Mental could probably produce enough fuel ourselves after a good feed of the Guinness dont you know :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davenewellhome Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 No its not METHANE its METHAN....OL which is liquid at room temperature and highly flammable. METHANE is a gas at room temperature and is also higlhy flammable but of no use whatsoever to a fuel cell. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 JudgeMental - 2009-10-23 3:42 PM Methane is it?..........Myself and Mrs Mental could probably produce enough fuel ourselves after a good feed of the Guinness dont you know :-S Caught on camera ....! (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 Its simplez Will the biggest battery bank you can carry satisfy your requirements? If so this is the lowest cost option and should be done first. If its summer camping then fit the biggest array of solar panels you can fit to maintain the biggest battery bank above. . If this cannot keep up then look critically at your usage of 12v electrical power. LED lights? EFOY is the last thing to consider. They work very well and do exactly what is said on the tin. Efoy even sell a special controller to ensure you make best use of your solar "real estate" before you use any methanol. But its loadsadosh. C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RonB Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 All right, all right, you lot. I know its Methanol so why did I say Methane? It could have something to do with my age, also I'm a Fiat driver and it could be getting the better of me. What a wally! Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 RonB - 2009-10-23 8:54 PM All right, all right, you lot. I know its Methanol so why did I say Methane? It could have something to do with my age, also I'm a Fiat driver and it could be getting the better of me. What a wally! Ron No worries Ron - there are much bigger wallies - or is that, sorry or are they wallys - than you on here - I should know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Den Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 WE have both, 100w panel and a 1600 efoy. Panels are fine when the sun shines, but when its cold and your using the heating ,after 2-3 days you'll wish you had the Efoy. Yes they are expensive £2500 plus. But turn it on auto and forget even in Winter(starts up to keep warm automaticaly) Fuel wise its no more dangerous than petrol (you may go blind if you drink it, But then would you drink diesel or petrol) In 11months of normal use -Heating-tv-sky-internet-inverter for microwave-lights-etc. By the way we use Aires in France and no sites, so no hook up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simran Posted October 31, 2009 Author Share Posted October 31, 2009 Thank you all for your input - sorry about the delay in replying - no computer for over a week. We tend to wild camp, small sites but use larger ones with grandchildren and mainly in the u.k now. We tend to move on fairly frequently unless on site and hooked up when with grandkiddlies. Our usage is fairly minimal - no t.v., hair drier, microwave etc. and only lights for reading in the evening. Have had solar panels with previous 2 'vans and debating what to do with new one, hence request. (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 Do the maths, it sounds like a good battery bank may well do what you want. C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 Besides which, you can always add a solar panel later if needed.How many batteries can your new van accommodate? If there is an option to get a larger battery bay fitted during manufacture, at reasonable cost, or even just a higher capacity battery, it sounds as though either might be worth considering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simran Posted November 2, 2009 Author Share Posted November 2, 2009 Thank you very much for your well informed and useful input Brian and Clive. Will do the maths as you suggest. *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomo3090 Posted November 2, 2009 Share Posted November 2, 2009 If I wanted to add a third battery to my 2X110 amp Elecsols already fitted, can I just wire it up to the other two or does it need some other piece of kit as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Travelling Tyke Posted November 4, 2009 Share Posted November 4, 2009 My thoughts on the matter are down to the "need". What is the 12 volt system for and when will it be used? Lighting can be converted to leds, this has dropped the power used by about 80 to 90 % in my case. Use of the support systems, water pump, heating control and fan isn't such a drain on power over all so that just leaves "entertainment" ie radio, CDs, DVDs and Sat TV. Having tried a four night break over a New Year with my two existing leisure batteries and managed without any apparent deterioration of battery power, I have decided that my "need" was met. ( The main problem then was and still seems to be, gas usage!) I have revisited the issue of solar panels versus generator many a time (more gadgets) but I would the need back-up in the winter when solar panels are least efficient.....and fuel for the generator, an issue that I'm not so keen on! So knowing that I generally move on after about 4/5 days and the engine will charge the batteries, parting with cash for a "presumed need" hasn't happened yet. Being a "boy" it may happen........... So my advice is to try using what you have got in a situation where you can test what it is you need and take it from there. Good luck and happy motorhoming. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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