Mandy will Posted March 8, 2019 Share Posted March 8, 2019 Please can you tell me how do i know if my solar panel working in my motorhome. I have a autocruise quartet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aandncaravan Posted March 8, 2019 Share Posted March 8, 2019 Mandy will - 2019-03-08 7:43 AM Please can you tell me how do i know if my solar panel working in my motorhome. I have a Autocruise quartet Mandy, This isn't as easy as it might seem, because while a Solar panel can be 'working', it's output can be so low that it is deemed as not working properly. As can be seen on all the various Solar threads on here, many are working below their best, yet some will be delivering a charge to the Solar Panel. It is relatively easy to see if the Solar Regulator raises the voltage of the battery to above 13.8v just by monitoring the voltage at the habitation battery on a sunny day, but that won't mean it is working well. We have always advocated the fitment on all Solar installations of a £7 Watt meter (very easy to fit yourself) that displays the voltage and current going into the battery. This not only allows you to see the Solar panel working, but able to monitor it's efficiency over time, as all Solar Panels degrade with use. The device, see photo below, just fits between the Solar panel and the Solar regulator and will tell you how much current it is delivering, the charge voltage, etc. Takes about 10 mins to fit by anyone who can fit a 13amp plug, so even if you get one professionally fitted by an Auto electrician it shouldn't cost much. It even tells you the total amount of power it puts into the battery in a day, so you can watch for any deterioration over time. Just search on ebay for them, best price is currently about £6.99 with free postage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.