Fitting a SOLAR PANEL on our VW California! NO DRILLING REQUIRED!
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- Опубликовано: 5 сен 2024
- We finally fit a solar panel to our VW T6.1 California Beach! See how we got on!
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We have to say we’ve been hugely impressed with this solar panel, especially since you don’t have to drill any holes. This video isn’t sponsored by Solar Camper Solutions, we just love the product. If you’re interested you can find them here:
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Hi ! I'm Roger from Solar Camper Solutions who made your kit - great to see an installation in the Beach/Coast - which is the slightly tricker installation than the Ocean/SE. I get asked frequently for a video so I'll send people to this video in future!
Two little things a) He's right - I always use silicone spray :-) b) Where the curly cable meets the panel, all of the straight part of the cable goes under the panel so that the curly cable is held more taut. It's purely cosmetic.
Delighted you are happy - you'll get over 6 amps on a nice day as long as the battery needs it / fridge demands it.
BR, Roger
It’s a great bit of kit. Just back from France and we had a full battery all the time. 👌
That’s the exact same system I got for my Ocean and at the same time I fitted a 6000/3000W inverter. Since the panel has been installed I’ve never plugged the van in once, which is a miracle considering how many times the wife uses her hairdryer. You won’t be disappointed.
It’s so good not having to worry about plugging it in. Should keep the battery tip top. Good idea about the inverter 👍
What inverter did you get ?
@@d1ppaz
CARRYBATT 3000W6000W Pure Sine Wave Power Inverter DC 12V to AC 240V Converter With Remote Control, dual AC outlets,Dual cooling fans.
Cover the Solar Panel when wiring in the Solar Charge Converter to avoid the charge coming through as you connect the unit.
I also threaded a straight (rather than curly) cable under the raising roof and down the scissor hinge (using cable clips) and into the upper roof space before dropping down into the van. That avoids the curly cable flapping around and potentially marking the paintwork as you drive
Just wanna say thank you. You saved me from drilling a hole on my Multivan!
After following you guys for a long time and dreaming about owning a camper van....this will become a reality on Wednesday... Thanks for this video as want a solar panel 🙂
Fantastic! Enjoy your adventures
@@ABusAndBeyond Thanks a lot 🙂
We need to do this on our T5.1, most of the sites we visit have no power! You could do with some solar on that garage :)
The best solar panel assembly in my opinion
Good stuff, I got Roger to fit mine, didn't take long and reasonable price whilst I watched with interest 😁
ive got the same set up on my beach but got roger to fit mine
Doh! You missed the bit about how you got the rubber thingies bak in the rear upper trim. Go on - spill - how did you do it?
Fab job! That’s the one thing I want on my T5 but don’t want to drill my skyline roof so bought a 220w portable folding one instead, doesn’t help I left it behind the sofa last time we went away ooos 😂😂
I've got a 160w fitted to my skyline . Drilled into in the overhang at the back so not directly into sleeping area .
Absolutely I love your videos.. always learn something I could add to my VW california. Can’t wait to see your future videos🤩
Thank you very much for watching 😊
Great job looks nice my mother-in-law lives in sgeg vegas .
We love Skeg Vegas!
Lovely! What kind of connector for panel and spiral cable is that? Doesn't look like MC4 and the panel has only one cable not like the panels have usually - minus and plus. Why is that? Thanks for the answer! :)
Where did you get the curly solar cable from
It came with the kit 👍
hi guys i love your vlogs take care and keep them coming cheers.😀
Thank you so much!
Got the app for ours and it’s slightly addictive to keep checking how much power you are generating when sat with a beer…🤓
Haha I can imagine!!!
Have been thinking about adding this to my t6.1 swomper, looks simple enough, but what's happening with the big green bus build 🤟😀
More on that coming soon!
What a great looking panel. Question - does the cable get pinched at all by the boot opening/closing, and did you hear the cable flapping about at all?
I kind of feel I'd prefer to just drill a small hole and use a watertight cable gland for simplicity, but I haven't actually done this. What was your experience?
A great piece of kit - I fitted one to my Ocean. I have also added a small strip of 3M Protective Film under the cable coil - just in case of abrasion on the roof.
Great idea!
Do you do one for a t4 ( no holes to tap into ) ?
You said 5 amps is that good? Will it be good enough for the fridge ? And with that controller do you hide it and forget about as you can see it on your own display. I find it hard to believe it’s that easy to do I have been worried about doing this for ages? Good video look forward to seeing yours
It all depends on conditions but it massively extends the duration we can be off grid. If there was very little sun then we wouldn’t get as long off grid but on the whole it seems to be giving plenty of continuous charge. The fridge only uses power occasionally and it’s very efficient.
Yes with the T6.1 you can completely forget about the charge controller. It’s great as it gives a very OEM look to it all.
Thanks for watching
It''ll actually go over 6 amps if needed. I've tested a panel in the past with a voltage logger and it powered a compressor fridge on a 75ah battery permanently in the summer. The battery was full by 8-9am most mornings. For reference, most compressor fridges use around 4amps, but this is only when they are "running". When they reach their set temperature, they go off, so you are really using around 2 amps or less on a permanent basis.
Great video! Does the big fat curly cable make a noise on the roof and will it damage the paint as you drive along?
Haven’t heard a thing and we’ve just come back from a long drive in France and there’s no mark on the roof 👍
I like it 👌
Does this raise the height of the vehicle at all? Where you seem to have it, towards the back a bit, looks like it might be no higher than the awning perhaps?
No that’s exactly right, it sits lower than the awning 👍
Were can I buy one the same?
Expensive way to do it and that cable will make a lot of noise on the roof at speed.
We were concerned that you’d hear the cable but we’ve driven to France recently and you don’t hear it at all
Why did you go from an ocean to a beach?
Can you still use an automatic car wash with this panel fitted?
I doubt it. I wouldn’t risk it
Can you please tell me we're I can buy the solar panel in Australia mate ..
We ship to Australia. It's not cheap, but we've sent a few! Drop me an email via our site - linked above in the info.
Wow that looks far too complicated for me to fit that!
It’s probably the way I did it 😂 made it look more complicated than it is
your 10% code does not work...