Mr Motorhome Posted April 3, 2016 Share Posted April 3, 2016 Hi All Recently purchased our first MH which came with a solar panel and two leisure batteries already fitted. However, I don't know the size/wattage output of the panel ie 85w, 100w, 110w etc. Is there a way to establish its output? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted April 3, 2016 Share Posted April 3, 2016 I have one of these. http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/400mm-automotive-current-tester-maxi-blade-n48cy A handy bit of kit. You should have a blade fuse on the solar circuit between the regulator and the battery(ies). Just remove the fuse, plug it in to the tester and then plug the tester into the fuseholder where you removed your fuse. It runs off its own small internal battery and has an on/off switch. It will show the output in Amps. It is also very useful in any 12 volt wiring circuit for testing purposes and I have used it for testing other circuits by plugging it into the fuse boxes on my vans. Be aware that it comes in 2 sizes of blade. The standard size (common on older vehicles) and the mini blade size (popular on newer vans). I expect you will need the standard size (called a Maxi for this unit), if in doubt, take a fuse with you to check. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazarus Posted April 3, 2016 Share Posted April 3, 2016 Do you not have a solar panel controller fitted between the panel and battery? this should tell you all you need to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witzend Posted April 3, 2016 Share Posted April 3, 2016 Don't forget that if the batterys are fully charged you'll not see a great charge going into batterys as controler is designed to just trickle charge charged batterys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Motorhome Posted April 4, 2016 Author Share Posted April 4, 2016 747 - 2016-04-03 9:03 AM Thanks for your feedback and link. That looks to be a useful piece of kit. Would this method just show the output depending on how sunny it was? Sorry if I'm way off but it's all new to me ;) I have one of these. http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/400mm-automotive-current-tester-maxi-blade-n48cy A handy bit of kit. You should have a blade fuse on the solar circuit between the regulator and the battery(ies). Just remove the fuse, plug it in to the tester and then plug the tester into the fuseholder where you removed your fuse. It runs off its own small internal battery and has an on/off switch. It will show the output in Amps. It is also very useful in any 12 volt wiring circuit for testing purposes and I have used it for testing other circuits by plugging it into the fuse boxes on my vans. Be aware that it comes in 2 sizes of blade. The standard size (common on older vehicles) and the mini blade size (popular on newer vans). I expect you will need the standard size (called a Maxi for this unit), if in doubt, take a fuse with you to check. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Motorhome Posted April 4, 2016 Author Share Posted April 4, 2016 There's a solar charge controller (EPIP-20 LT) but the manual isn't very helpful at all so I'm not sure if/how the controller shows wattage of the panel. lazarus - 2016-04-03 2:08 PM Do you not have a solar panel controller fitted between the panel and battery? this should tell you all you need to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Motorhome Posted April 4, 2016 Author Share Posted April 4, 2016 Thanks for that. So does that mean the controller and the method described above wouldn't really show me the actual output of the panel? witzend - 2016-04-03 4:08 PM Don't forget that if the batterys are fully charged you'll not see a great charge going into batterys as controler is designed to just trickle charge charged batterys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vindiboy Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 Unless there is a digital read out from the solar controller such as FOX has you won't get much info from it, as for testing at the fuse holder , that will only tell you what is coming "down " the cables from the panel at time of test and that will vary each second depending on the amount of sun on the panel, the panel itself should have a rating plate on it somewhere, mine does so check that out . My solar regulator has a series of LEDs to indicate what the panel is doing,no help to you though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 vindiboy - 2016-04-04 10:02 AM Unless there is a digital read out from the solar controller such as FOX has you won't get much info from it, as for testing at the fuse holder , that will only tell you what is coming "down " the cables from the panel at time of test and that will vary each second depending on the amount of sun on the panel, the panel itself should have a rating plate on it somewhere, mine does so check that out . My solar regulator has a series of LEDs to indicate what the panel is doing,no help to you though. As this, if you want to find the nominal output the best way is find the data plate, problem is this is usually under the panel and often in with the terminal block. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikejkay Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 Try one of these: http://www.aasolar.co.nz/Votronic%20Battery%20Computer.html Just fitted mine, so far it works well. More info: https://nebula.wsimg.com/f5738fefaaf93b0a83cab983871a2870?AccessKeyId=69CC3057D53E066A8205&disposition=0&alloworigin=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandncaravan Posted April 4, 2016 Share Posted April 4, 2016 Labels indicating a Solar Panels 'Wattage' power output are usually inaccessible under the panel once the Panel is in position. However, the real power output of the Solar panel will depend on it's position on the roof, how clean it is, manufacture/build quality, type and age. An 80watt panel mounted on one vehicles roof could give twice the real power output of that on another vehicle. So while the physical size of a Solar panel is a general guide to it's output, it won't necessarily be that in practice. You may get a better idea of it's usefulness by fiting a simple device that will measure it accurately? We suggest the simplest low cost device, about £11 with postage, is a power meter that tells you the voltage, the current and the power over time in Amp hours. Something like this : http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WATT-METER-LCD-60V-100A-Voltage-DC-Power-Analyzer-Watt-Meter-solar-PV-/111483996597?hash=item19f4f6c9b5:g:ZCkAAOSwQiRUmnKO It can be connected between either the Solar Panel and the regulator, or between the Regulator and the battery/Power Controller. The data is stored, so it will tell you both in Amp Hours and Kw/h how much power has been put into the battery, say over a week. That info is in addition to the realtime Voltage and charge current. It can display the data over time because it knows how many amps it is charging at, and for how many hours, hence the amp hour figure. Very easy to wire in between the, Solar Panel and the Solar Regulator, 2 wires to the Panel and 2 wires to the regulator. For more info on Solar, see : http://www.aandncaravanservices.co.uk/solar-power.php Please see the note re safety Fuses as many Solar Installations don't have the safety fuses fitted at the Solar Panel end, including many professional fit ones. They don't seem to see the Solar Panel as the Power source it is, yet Solar Panels, especially muliples, on a roof have enough amps to melt cables and start fires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Motorhome Posted April 4, 2016 Author Share Posted April 4, 2016 Appreciate the further replies/info everyone. Thank you. The links are also very useful. A and N Caravan - wish you were based nearer to north east england as I would be round like a shot ;) Looks like some useful info on your site so I'll have a good read through that. Thanks again everyone. Regards, Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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