Posted on 27/07/2020 15:35
Does anyone have any views on wether a solar panel battery charger is a good idea when your motorhome is in storage.My battery was flat when I went to check the vehicle.The guy who owns the storage depot said he knew some people who had one of these panels.Would I have to disconnect the battery to charge it or could I leave it connected.Any help would be gratefully appreciated.
Posted on 28/07/2020 11:08
Autosleepers fit an 80 watt solar panel and this is more than adequate for keeping both batteries topped up throughout the year. It seems penny pinching not to have a split charge system fitted on new motorhomes but maybe the thinking is that if you drive the motorhome about once a month for half an hour or so (as most people recommend) then this will keep the cab battery charged then the solar panel will keep the leisure battery topped up.
Posted on 28/07/2020 10:33 by BoffAs far as I am aware most dual controllers you can alter the split of charge. The controller in the link I posted earlier you can select the split in 10% amounts from 90%/10% the default all the way to 10%/90% with points in between. Iām not sure that it matters much because once the battery that is the priority is fully charged the controller should send the charge to the second battery.
Posted on 28/07/2020 15:02
Fair point, it depends on what sort of drain each battery is subject to while unused for long periods e.g alarms, trackers etc so one or both batteries may never remain fully charged without balancing the charge priority, particularly if light levels are low.
Posted on 01/08/2020 11:03
Had same problem on my swift caravan, found out you have to switch all electrics off when in storage, this does not stop battery being charged. Look on your power control system under bed box , should be a button to push and release ( up is off) did this and no further trouble.š
Senator5
Motorhomer from Stirlingshire