Installing a 150 Watt Solar Panel onto a Fiat Ducato Campervan
Вставка
- Опубліковано 24 жов 2018
- It's not a job we looked forward to, in fact I think we had huge doubts about doing this, but when you break down each task it's so easy.
Links to buy...
150W Solar Panel Kit -rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-53...
Sikaflex sealant - rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-53...
We are John & Mandy, and sometimes Cooper too. We travel, mostly in our campervan, to explore new sights and eat great food. Our videos will mostly cover our travels or campervan maintenance. Follow us on Instagram @Our.Van.Adventures
Please visit our video sponsor if your UK Business wants secure online data backups & Storage www.xlclooud.uk
#campervan #travelvlog #ukvanlife
You are an ABSOLUTE life saver! You're seriously the only person who has ever explained off grid electronics in a way I can understand.... I'll definitely continue tapping into your videos. THANK YOOOOU
The Man is legend for motorhome/campervan power information !!
Thanks for answering my post on Insta earlier, you've given me the confidence to go ahead and just stick the panel to my roof.
Best video I have found on solar panels and install thanks fella I'm looking to join the van life soon and I have had advise from Mr urban motorhome, I also enjoyed watching your camp gadget footage
Darran has a massive solar setup on his van, we can all plugin to his van 😜
another brilliant easy to understand video. awesome. i have same ridges on my van and fitting kit!
Most interesting. I have a Fiat Ducato based van on order so I might look into this
Nice one John well done and lovely van btw
Thanks 😎🚐
Hi mate just found your channel very informative video you have made ,definitely set me thinking about solar by the way van roofs are not flat as they have ridges in them for strength thanks for sharing
Perfect explanation and as i have a flat roof should be a breeze also knowing that i can cut the cables to suit is handy thankyou
Thanks for the video!
Hi all I fitted a 255w panel and votronic 350watt solar controller to my fiat Trigano 650 (2011).
Made a roof rack using unistrut and heavy duty hinges so I can tilt it to the correct angle to catch the most sun for winter use.
This panel recharges a 110ah leisure battery and keeps the starter battery topped up usually by 10am in the morning.
I’ve disconnected the battery charger as I don’t need it anymore., been well over a year.
Since fitting the panel the solar display that goes with the controller is showing that the system has produced over 57kW of free power.
We only use EHU to get the fridge cold before a trip and sometimes on site if it’s part of the pitch fee.
Much prefer going off grid.
Isn’t just the best feeling that all your power is free 👍🏼
Hi John thanks for your informative videos , we have more or less decided on buying a new Tribute 680 but are bit concerned at the insulation and would they be warm enough in the winter months . Also where is the fresh water tank located and would be liable to freeze up .
Your inside thermal blind that separates the cab is a great idea could you provide a link for that and your 130 amp leisure batteries are they AGM or conventional wet lead acid ..........thanks keep up the good work
Hi Steve, thanks for the nice comments 👍🏻
The batteries I use, and have used in my previous caravans too, are these rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-53481-19255-0/1?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fitm%2F12V-130AH-130-AH-Leisure-Battery-DEEP-CYCLE-for-Motorhome-Caravan-Campervan%2F112427659033%3Fhash%3Ditem1a2d35ef19%3Ag%3Ay5YAAOSwr8hbVIzs%3Ark%3A2%3Apf%3A0&campid=5338427418&toolid=20008
The thermal curtains are these amzn.to/2zQwmFn and we just stuck them together to get double the benefit.
The vans truma heating is great, we have it set to 18oC overnight and the noise of the unit is low enough not to disturb your sleep and it keeps the van really cosy warm.
The fresh water tank is under the van and doesn't have any frost protection from what I can see, the hot water tank is built into the truma heating system.
That's interesting John, I didn't realise those cables were just a single core.
Thanks that's cleared that up, connect straight into your controller then 👍
Single core but plenty of insulation. Keeping the cables as short as possible & having no or few connections will give you more power 👍🏼
@@johnmandy John - how did you cut your solar panel fitting kit pieces? you didnt show it and i have same issue 😁
jojo kilner Which parts do you mean? The frame & plastics? If so then you might want to watch the video in full.
Thanks for some good information. I would like to have seen and heard the decision making on where to put the panel, which way round? where the hole should be, why are we drilling it here, etc. I would like to have seen the drilling. When you wired it into your control panel, how did you know which wire to stick in where? Show us what it said on the back of the control panel. What was involved in choosing the best place to put the controller? Show us how you measured before you cut the wire. Maybe I'm the only one who would appreciate this level of detail but these are the questions I have.
Erm, did you not watch the video? That’s all covered. Wiring the controller is another video. The biggest issue with your expectations is no one can ever do something that’s universal. So making a video to that level would be wasted as it wouldn’t work on any other van, wires are different lengths, drilling holes suited to internal layout, wiring different controllers etc. it’s just not something that works.
Hi John - very useful and informative, thanks! Your ebay Panel Kit link points to a poly panel with a different controller than yours - the panel shown does not look like yours, perhaps your panel might be a mono panel?, could you please confirm your spec? thanks in advance
It’s the same panel but different colour they assure me.
Hi Johnand Mandy.... thanks for this. My question is, does the solar charge controller shut off the charge from the panel to the battery automatically when you're driving and the alternator has fully charged the batteries? Thanks Paul
The solar controller & engine charge would carry on working together until the batteries were charged. Some engine charge systems, like b2b, might not charge if they sense the charge voltage of the solar.
Hi john great vid as usual , just about to fit a 150w to my ducato , what size screws did you use on brackets , thanks
Everything came in the kit I ordered, small bolts with locking washers is what I had.
Another good informative video John :-) You doing any Winter touring videos mate :-)
We plan to use the van all-year-round Russ, to go away whenever work permits and as we love wild camping I would imagine we'll be seeing plenty of wintery scenes over the coming months.
Hello , yet again another informative video , just wondering have you done a video on wifi on the move especially in europe ? only asking as I am going into europe later in the year and need to know how to go about it , any advise would be much appreciated , thanks.
Yes, there a video about van internet setup 👍🏼
@@johnmandy Ok thanks.
How is the panel performing now and and how long does it take to top up your Batterys once you have had a night out in van ? Roughly and I know it depends on sun but basically is it worth it ! I am toying with doing exactly what you have done . I have a diesel heater that takes it out of my battery so no good after one night out .
In no longer have this panel, I upgraded last year. All the details are in our video library 👍🏼
Hi John, great video. Does this installation affect your vehicle warranty at all?
You’d have to ask fiat or the dealer.
Hey guys I just wanted to know what you used to fix the panels to the roof besides the silicone? Did you use grommets in the roof or self tapping screws? Thanks
We didn’t use silicone. The product we used is in the description. It’s THE product used in the caravan/Motorhome industry to bond parts to each other 👍🏼
Hi Gadgets, please can I ask when you drilled your cable entries did you drill into the cupboard from above? Thanks in advance!
Yes, it came into the corner 👍🏼
This was amazing video, we’re about to start off grid van life. We have a solar
Installed but there’s no controller to let us know what’s coming in apart from the switch above the habitation door. Is this sufficient or do we need to get this installed? We have lived on a boat for the last 6 years so have MPPT controller telling us what’s going in and out. 😀.
If you have a solar panel then there will be a controller for it somewhere.
@@johnmandy we will have a good look when we have picked her up. 😀
After you connected the solar controller output to the leisure batteries, did you also reconnect the altenator charge cables that wree there before you made your changes? And of so, were there any conflicts when both were charging?
The battery to battery charger & solar controller are both smart chargers so they’ll manage the charging as required. Please check my newer videos for updated solar controller details.
Thanks John.
What sort of weight are the Solar Panels? Wondered if it’s possible to fit on a poptop camper?
Very lightweight, they’re sturdy and well made though 👍🏼
Hi John, do you have much issue from the wind not using a spoiler on the leading edge?
Never had any problems at all. It’s been quit and also never budged in over a year.
it's the wiring in bit that scares the bejeezus out of me 😱
I've got roof rails and solar coming tomoz so bricking it a bit but should be fine if I use 3 ton of sealant 😱
A quick question about the distance from the top of your van to the top of the Solar Panel. From your video, which I liked, it looks about 10cm. Please confirm this dimension. Dave
Sorry, this is an old video and we have a new van now.
Great video! What kind of screws did you use to attach the plastic bits with the solar panel? Cheers
All the bolts came with the solar panel. 👍🏼
@@johnmandy are they like selftapping type or more like bolt and nut??? Cheers Jhon!
can you use this ontop of your other system which charges up the leasure battery only when you get to 13.4v ?
You can connect multiple sources to charge your battery as long as they all have charging limits, we have solar & hookup chargers 👍🏼
Brilliant thanks
I am about to fit a solar panel to my vauxhal vivaro that also has a ridged roof. Did you just use the sikaflex 512 to hold it on. Is that all it needs. ? ? ?
Yes, check out the video showing me removing it to upgrade to a larger panel.
Hi please can you let me know if the solar panel has any affect on a split charge system ie do you have to wire it in different to how you explained it many thanks look forward to your reply
Solar and engine charging can run together without any problems.
@@johnmandy thanks for the reply very helpful just what I wanted to hear regard paul
Well sunshine .. you.ve done a right propper job .. good onya .. dont you just love drunkin stupers ... cheers ..😁
Thanks very helpful awesome
How do you find 150 watt to recharge the batteries after heavy use ? Does it take long to fully recharge the batteries ?
We have not yet run out of power, we use laptops, ipads, inverter and other power hungry devices each day and even in the winter months the solar setup gave us more than enough to keep the batteries topped up.
Which solar panel did you buy ?
Hi john i want to install a single 300w panel can u advise me what type of controller i need ? Connected to 2x 95amp btteries
You'd need to get the panel voltage info. Then work out the amps it'll produce and then you can look for suitable controllers.
So there was no drilling where the panel is concerned, just for the cable entry bracket?
Yep, and 1 year on the solar panel is still stuck solid using the special glue we used 👍🏼
@@johnmandy Nice one Cyril 😏👍
Do you think 150w enough going full time/... Nice job both...👍
It’s been on a year now & supplies more than enough power. I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t be the same once we go full time, with regular driving around & the solar we’ll be getting plenty of charge to our batteries.
Hi, great video. Is your panel only glued to the roof?
Yes 👍🏻
@@johnmandy tnx
Would you consider fitting your system to a vw pop top?
We had a VW pop top and decided it was far too impractical to fit decent rigid solar.
Do you have a link for installation of 2nd leisure battery
Yes, I do have a video about connecting multiple batteries ua-cam.com/video/rAnrqxBbd3c/v-deo.html
I’ve a vw splitty so I can’t and don’t really want it fixed permanent I have two slatted racks I could mount once set up. Inside I’ll have
Compressor fridge
Six led spot lights
Double din stereo hooked up to a small amp
Possible a tv and inverted
I think my battery is 100ah leisure would a 150w solar work ok with this
Always get the biggest panel you can, 250W is a good start, maybe consider folding portable panels too.
Gadget John on tour have you any links to panels ? I was looking at folding panels they look neat too also my van actually goes inside a tent when I’m camping so on the roof isn’t a good idea unless sun can go through and event shelter😆
Yes, check out my videos and you’ll see the ones I used with links 👍🏼
Hi ive two 100 watt solar panels would i use a fuse between solar and controler? And what size fuse? Thanks in advance
The fuse rating should match the maximum load of your solar controller to protect it
@@johnmandy so 20 amps meens use 25 amp fuse??
Hi John.
How are the feet 2 years on?
Still solid?
Check out our other videos and you'll see 👍🏻
Only thing sticker flex don't work on is the wife's gob lol .. Apart from that its a great product . thinking about this for my ford connect ! Be sound for my motocross weekends
I am in the process of starting to convert my Fiat Ducato L3H2 van and have just fitted roof vents and next job is to install solar panels. Followed your video with interest thank you. I have a similar fittings kit and am using it on a 360W 195 x 95 x 4cms panel and on ridged Ducato roof.
You don't mention in your video what you did with the bolts through the roof or did you not bolt the white plastic fittings through the roof, and just rely on Sikaflex (512)?
I am a little concerned about what happens to a 23kg solar panel on the roof of your van if you have to brake sharply or are involved in an accident.
Sikaflex is amazing, as long as you prepare the surfaces as we did and then apply the sikkflex and then gently place the panel down, the sikkaflex will stick really well and squashes down to around 5mm, remove the excess and that's it. Our panel has been on the roof for a year now and still is stuck down solid.
Mr G how long were the cables from the panel?
I cut them down from how they came attached to the panel. So maybe about 2m.
@@johnmandy thank you John.
👍
How are your Probat batteries going John?
Still brilliant, I drained them to 9.5v a few weeks ago using a slow cooker on the inverter, then going to the pub & forgetting ⚠️🍺 But after a week they recovered and are back to peak performance around 13.7v
@@johnmandy My 2 Probat 130's were delivered today and there are 2 vent bungs in each that need to be removed. I know that the smaller Banner battery had a vent pipe connected to it so I was wondering what was your solution to managing the venting of the dual probat setup?
I bought the sealed batteries so there's no vent holes.
@@johnmandy Hi John, just a quick note to say that my probat batteries are also the SMF type but my supplier said to me that the red vent bungs need to be removed, (obviously), but also the batteries should be vented with 6mm pipe. I am going to do this and I'll let you know what I did if you're interested. 😀
It depends where you put them, in my installation I have them in a well ventilated area, drop vents in the flooring etc. So in the event they vent through the pressure valves it'll be vented quickly. It's not like this is on a boat in a sealed hull so it's something to consider but the ones I bought can be tilted to 90 degrees, they're maintenance free and safe. Thanks, John
Great vid guess what I’m doing It involves eBay and solar panels Thanks
Sorry great videos
SCARY CUTTING HOLES IN THE ROOF!!!!!!
Yep, it really was on a van that's just a few weeks old. But you can't fret over things in life, you've got to just get on with what needs to be done. After all, there's always duct tape if things go wrong, they even do it in silver too 😆
drunk shopping lol
Danke für das schöne Video 🤝💪
vielleicht gefällt dir auch das was wir machen schaut doch mal vorbei lg Tanja & Marco Reiselust statt Alltagsfrust
You only showed how to stick it onto the roof!!
You only watched the bit where we stuck it on the roof 🤦🏼♂️So here's a list of all the bits you skipped past, just in case you actually wanted to know how to do this but your attention span is a bit off. 2:38 Panel testing. 2:50 solar panel assembly. 5:05 Cable gland fitting & mods. 7:22 wiring explanation - which you probably skipped past as you missed the link to the 2nd part of the solar install where the controller was fitted. Here's that video in case you are interested ua-cam.com/video/aZRfQUFyKHw/v-deo.html 10:25 talking about the cable lengths and wiring.
The title of the video is right though, this video shows the installation of the Solar Panel onto our van, so not sure what you thought you were going to get? Dancing girls maybe? 😁
@@johnmandy Hey John, a question. i have the same size panel and fixing kit (and also annoyingly a ridged roof) now ive seen how you tackled it i feel like i can do it. i was worried about using only the sikaflex to hold the panel brackets onto the roof. has this been a good solution for you?
jojo kilner Yes it’s great, almost 1 year now and 7000 miles and it’s stuck as strong as ever. 👍🏼