AGH Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 I am thinking about having a solar panel fitted to the roof of a Geist 6900 low profile. Any advice on type, size etc would be greatly appreciated. It is really for keeping the battery topped up for extended motor home use in Europe in Spring, Summer and Autumn but not winter. We tend to avoid hook-ups although do go for the occasional one. We have just the one leisure battery, a Banner 115 Ah. We don't have television. Are they fairly aerodynamic? The Fiat Ducato 3 litre returns around 32mpg driven carefully and I wouldn't want to seee that eroded away too much. Thanks in anticipation. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 I fitted a 60w panel to the roof of my Autocruise and it's made no discernable diffference to the fuel consumption whatsoever. Go for the biggest panel you can justify spending on or have space for and make sure you get a good regulator to prevent your battery being fried. If you fancy a second battery to extend your off site time this is a much more cost effective solution than a solar panel. Personally speaking I have both a second battery and a solar panel and have no regrets - but we do have a power hungry Eberspacher heating system without which probably just the two batteries would be good enough for up to a long weekend stationary? The day I start worrying about fuel consumption on a motorhome will be a sad day indeed and is unlikely to ever happen! You pays yer money and takes yer choice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike 202 Posted May 22, 2011 Share Posted May 22, 2011 Hi, we have an 80watt panel with Sunsaver regulator plus fox meter and it works fine keeping the batteries both habitation and engine via a battery master unit in winter and in spring/autumn we can go without electric hookup ( in Spain). Expensive around £ 650 fitted but personally I would never have a van/motohome without one. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkc Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 Hi AGH. A well fitted panels shouldn't make any discernible difference to the the MPG, make sure it will not be shaded by any vent, Sat dishes etc, but is still accessible enough to be cleaned. As a matter of interest Maplin are selling a flexible stick on panel 68 watt for £249.99, order code N69JK. But I would stick with a conventional panel myself . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rolandrat Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 I think 32mpg is being a little optimistic for a 3ltr unless it has wings. Having a solar panel on the roof wont make any noticable difference to the fuel consumption but if you have the space available then go for the 120 size which should be well on top of the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 rolandrat - 2011-05-23 8:10 AM I think 32mpg is being a little optimistic for a 3ltr unless it has wings. Having a solar panel on the roof wont make any noticable difference to the fuel consumption but if you have the space available then go for the 120 size which should be well on top of the job. 32mpg. :-o I've tried driving our 3 litre at various speeds being very smooth etc, over the last two years and the best i can manage is 23/4 mpg. Thats calculated from fuel reciepts, not the dash as like most vehicles they are a bit "over rated". Please tell me where i am going wrong as everytime i see a post about fuel consumption everyone elses figures are considerably more than mine...strange thing is on my last motorhome based on a fiat 2.8 jtd i had the same problem, everyone else got much more than me again. come on what's the secret do you all have sails fitted ? (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Tracker Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 Too many hills and strong winds in Cornwall Nigel for you to get decent economy! We get from 25 to 30 mpg - average 28 overall - from our 2.2 hdi depending on weight of right foot and terrain. Joking aside - since moving from Pembrokeshire to Norfolk our car mpg has improved noticeably - which could well be due to the lack of steep hills? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 Go for at leasts an 80 watt panel, I fitted one over the winter & 2 weeks in Scotland in April came back to the van every day to find both leisure batteries & engine battery fully charged. No noticeable effect on fuel consumption. As others have said how you manage 32 mpg from the 3 litre is unbelievable, we hired a 3Lt Hymer B Class (A class) a few years ago, best we could get was 23 mpg. Our 2.3 regularly does 28 - 30 mpg providing you don't go over 60 mph (optimistic speedo reads 65 - 66) it's only gone up from 26 - 28 mpg since we got past 14000 miles. Our computer readout is a bit on the low side, reads 28 mpg when actual is 28.5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AGH Posted May 23, 2011 Author Share Posted May 23, 2011 Thanks for the replies so far. Are there particular makes that are better/more reliable? Any good or bad experiences on fitting (we are in the W Midlands)? (32mpg is admittedly based on the trip computer and I will do a proper check based on fuel receipts -- but I have a very light foot and the Geist is fairly streamlined. I normally cruise between 58 and 60 mph) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 Our panel is an Alden 100 watt and keeps our two 100 watt batteries topped up, and we have an auto sat' dish and 16" telly that we have on in the morning for a couple of hrs and in the evening for about 4 hrs. The telly is very good for £129 from Comet, it's a ferguson LED and is also a dvd player. It only draws 20 watts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lennyhb Posted May 24, 2011 Share Posted May 24, 2011 I brought a cheap £160 panel from ebay, it is Monocrystalline and performs brilliantly some say the cheaper panels are around 5% less efficient than more expensive ones for about £300 saving I can live with that. I did buy an expensive Schaudt charge controller as it integrates easily with my Elektroblock didn't have a lot of choice as my particular Elektroblock you can not use a standard charge controller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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