For someone trying to navigate a motorhome purchase and the ability to run off grid for extended periods this video is the best I have watched by far. Well structured and informative making the subject easy to understand. Thank you!
I off grid all year round, I have refillable gas, 280ah lithium and 240w solar. It has saved me thousands over the past couple of years and more importantly met lots of new friends on rallies.
Great VLog. keep up with the good work. I bought a brand new Swift challenger 560 in 2021 fitted a Sargent solar controller. As I go off grid a lot, what Swift fitted wasn't up to the job & not fully charging the caravan AGM battery, and over winter battery went flat. So I have done the same as Steve Bloxham and had fitted MPPT controller which allows Bluetooth monitoring and greater control of charging profiles, from a world renown company "Victron". A leading solar brand - one of the worlds best for on/off grid applications. even on poor days now it keeps the battery topped up. Victron products are not cheap, but you get what you pay for if you want the best. And the results speak for themselves.
Great explanation Dan, and MPPT is a very good upgrade. Personally I’d have fitted a top notch Victron controller that allows Bluetooth monitoring and greater control of charging profiles. Anyone contemplating a change beware of no name cheap MPPT controllers sold on eBay or Amazon, many are just PWM controllers with MPPT printed in the front!
Hi Steve, I have the same PWM controller that Dan was replacing but mine seems to be faulty. What Victron one would you recommend and if you can let me know if there are any useful additions that are also available to purchase? Thanks. Great video Dan as always
Brilliant video Dan. We can't believe that our van has the upgraded controller already (perhaps these have become more standard in recent years?). You video also really helped us to understand what the lights mean. Thanks.
I love going off the grid. I have had the spark mppt for the past 12 months with the Bluetooth and control panel and paid just under 100 pound . Great video though stay lucky
Dan. A great instructional video with all the right tips and practical advice for the layman. Basically I trod the same path on my Bailey motorhome a few years back when the Banner died due to constantly gassing itself to an early grave despite topping up. I selected two Yuasa EFB 100Ah for Leisure battery for better off grid support. Also researching Solar expert sites and reading the PWM Truma SDC10 controller manual in detail indicated that any morning with reasonable light the controller would “wake up” ramp the voltage to 14.4 and hold it there for 2 hours minimum regardless of battery SoC. Hence the gassing off. I settled for a Votronic MPPT Duo that would keep the starter battery maintained. That had a variable timer for start up 14.4 initial charge then drop quickly to Float. Also fitted a SoC monitor system from NASA BM-1 that BTs to my phone for immediate SoC of Leisure and voltages of Leisure and Starter. Since added a second Solar panel for rapid recharge of low battery.
Nice one, been waiting for this one for years. I have an MPPT controller but needed an idiots guide to get the difference through my thick head. Cheers
Great video Dan I would love to see a digital screen added bit of man thing but easiest to understand and a visual guide you can easily see just by glancing at just makes things easier Joe 🇬🇧ps want to see you guys on holiday in you’re new van !!! Well that’s what it’s for.
Thank you Dan for a very informative upload that will help me understand how things work inside my van, I will also look into upgrading mine as well, could you also let me know were you purchased the unit, thank you again Dan.
Brilliantly detailed and blue collar explanation as well, thank you for your great content and hopefully , long may it reign.... legend of a Tee shirt too 😉
Very well explained Dan. I haven’t a solar panel but it was interesting to watch👍. Seriously I think you should be a college lecturer 😁. Hope you’re all well. All the best, Rob & Gail 😃
Hi, Dan, I'm not sure that your description of how things work on EHU is true. I'm afraid I'm not nearly as good as you are at explaining these things, but here goes. The usual charger built in to our caravans (certainly our vintage of Bailey) is, as you say a constant voltage device, with current limiting and a nominal voltage of 13.8v. Now 13.8v will not fully charge a modern lead acid battery which requires a boost charge with a voltage between 14v to 14.6v depending upon the exact battery architecture. Both models of solar controller you showed are much more complex devices which are capable of delivering this charge profile to the battery and this is the purpose of the dip switches, to set a particular program for the different battery types. As I understand, with a discharged battery the solar charger will share charging duties with the EHU charger until the battery voltage is high enough to take the ehu charger out of current limiting. Once this happens the solar charger will increasingly take over charging duties until it has completed it's boost charge cycle and only then will it switch off, leaving the EHU charger to float charge at it's 13.8v nominal voltage. I have confirmed this action by dint of having a battery computer fitted and observing it directly. The upshot of this that having a solar charging system fitted even if you mostly use EHU is benefitial in that it does a much better job of looking after our batteries, for instance by reducing sulphation, which is the main problem associated with a long term float charge at 13.8v. Does that make sense?
Hi, interesting video, you say you want to extract more power on duller days, but the increase in efficiency is only going to be apparent on brighter days(when the PWM duty cycle is low), and even then you will probably see nowhere near 30% increase since the panel will have been chosen to suit 12v battery charging. I really can't see you will even notice the difference this makes, sure if your PWM controller is old/broken/overheating then a worthwhile upgrade, if not, probably not. Awesome presentation all the same - as usual!
Did you see the multimeter - voltage of 20v on a slightly cloudy day on our 100w panel. Since installing the MPPT and staying off grid for 9 days in mixed weather - I’ve noticed a huge uplift in charging.
@@TheTrudgians Sure I saw the 20v, that was at full load - battery discharged etc was it? Probably just the placebo effect, you wouldn't notice a huge uplift even if you did get the marketing hype full(up to)30% all of the time. It is quite obvious if you are using more power than your panel can supply, it is running at full load continuously and a more efficient controller is not going to help.
Anybody thinking of doing this - Victron kit is cheaper, better supported and more widely available. The SmartSolar MPPT 75/15 is more than good enough for a 100W panel and gives you the benefit of Bluetooth control too.
Great video Dan, I have been wanting to change to an MPPT as we go off grid. I have added a second battery in parallel and two 100 watt panels on roof plus a second controller to plug in two 50 watt suitcase solar panels when on site. Changing the controllers to MPPT is going to make a big difference. Just one comment I thought you said the 12 volts runs the fridge. Do you have a different fridge as the 12 volts is only for towing. We run ours on gas.
Love your vids But for some reason maybe because I’m bloody tired today, I started the vid and totally glazed over and listened to nothing 😂😂😂🤦♂️ I have no brain power left today to compute, I’ll rewatch 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️👍
Fantastic blog Dan I've got a Sargent solar panel I was wandering how to check how much it was charging the battery it would be nice to see a voltage at a glimpse
Hi there love the videos you put out, I have a question on inverters I understand the wattage side of things my question is, if my inverter only has 1 x 230 AC socket for me to power the appliances ie tv kettle fridge etc do I have to run an extension cable from the sole socket on the inverter to each appliance or is there a way off tapping into the caravan 230v sockets ?? Many thanks Darren
Hello Dan, Thanks very much for such an excellent video - as always... We have a brand new caravan with exactly this system. However I think we have a problem with the battery not being charged. After fully charging the battery at home the "Full" and "Charge " lights are on. Then after a few minutes these lights extinguish and the MMP is flashing - indicating It's not charging - (It was reading more than 13v at home..) In the last few weeks the battery has completely run down... So I imagine I have a problem. If you have a minute I would appreciate your thoughts please... Thanks very much and a Happy New Year... Col
Hi Dan just a quick question. Finally getting my caravan sorted and should get it tomorrow. Needs a good wash and as I don’t stay on mainland what’s the best stuff for a long awaited wash down? I know I have silky cream cleaner and another spray bottle of something (it’s in caravan at mo ) and also does the caravan have to be hooked up for the electrics to take the water through the taps
Great video, I am new a Caravanning. I have a solar panel fitted with a mppt controller and the mpp light is flashing which I understand means “ready to charge”. No other lights on the mppt controller are on. The main caravan controller shows the battery is at over 13V. Could you explain what “ready to charge” means and under what circumstances I would expect to see the it.
Hi Dan. Brilliant explanation. Thank you. Our van is less than a year old. Will this affect the warranty? Looks similar set up to yours. Brindisi grand se 2023. What about fitting a second liesure battery? For more capacity. Best regards.... Chris
Great vlog and very worthwhile upgrade.Agree with comments regarding an isolator.Did you consider increasing the size of your cables between mppt and battery or were they adequate for the distance?
Hi Dan I have been following your video on the MPPT charger and I have been looking at some, but the MPPT controllers that I have looked at state, 40, 50, 60 or 100 amp What should I order?
A Victron controller imho is much better and has BT to a mobile to log charging info. But without fitting a Life04 (LFP) battery, changing only the controller the gain will be very small. A lead acid battery is good for 25% discharge, go to 50% and its life span will decrease quickly. Which means at 25% discharge the battery voltage will go below 12v. A LFP battery can discharge to 90% and still maintain 12v output. But on a site hook the cvan charger (13.8v) is set to charge a lead acid battery only and wont charge an LFP battery fully.Charging an LFP battery at 13.8v will result in a 50-75% total charge. So you will need a new cvan charger if going LFP.😢
Love the vids and as always well made a informative, one question How do you/me set it up to charge a second battery i have now fitted. i have just connected the second battery + to + & - to - with an old set of jump leads and fitted it into a plastic battery box with a lid on it screwed to the floor. Many Regards Peter.
Hi Peter, ok if you’re wiring these in parallel, you may need to connect the solar controller to + of one battery and - of the next, in order to balance the charge. Alternatively if they are separate, use the 2nd battery terminal on the controller. It will charge one, then the next. 👍
@@TheTrudgians Hi Dan, Thank you for reply, i see what you mean, they are in parallel so i will give it a go. Just for info when i double checked the controller unit in my new Bailey Evora it is the upgraded unit already. Win/Win 🙂
a question.. may be im being an idiot??? Does the caravan need to be switched on when parked in storage for the battery to be continually charged from the panels
Hi Paul - good question, and the answer is no. The controller has a direct connection to the battery, so always sending charge regardless of caravan master switch. 👍
@@PAULOathamBut - if you leave the master on and anything is drawing a little power, antenna?, fridge? the battery could slowly discharge over really cloudy short winter days with low solar light onto panel. An MPPT will help stop serious discharge. 👍
Just a second question Dan, stable door fly screen can not be used if bottom half of door is shut due to bin on back of door, apart from leave the whole thing open any idea's 🙂
The biggest crime I see is the controller location. I never understand the factory location, it is incredibly inefficient. Actually no. The BIGGEST crime is you wired up the new controller in the incorrect order. Battery connection first yes, but the controller HAS to be powered by the battery before connecting the panel. You run the risk of frying your controller by doing it the way you did it.
Wired as per instructions. And with no battery connected, no current produced by panel, explain how it could have been fried? Also, how does the physical location of the controller make it inefficient?
![[DRAGON BALL LEGENDS REVEALS ＆ STUFF] LEGENDS FESTIVAL 2024 Special Edition Part 2](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/af0phKxitX8/mqdefault.jpg)
For someone trying to navigate a motorhome purchase and the ability to run off grid for extended periods this video is the best I have watched by far. Well structured and informative making the subject easy to understand. Thank you!
I off grid all year round, I have refillable gas, 280ah lithium and 240w solar. It has saved me thousands over the past couple of years and more importantly met lots of new friends on rallies.
Great VLog. keep up with the good work.
I bought a brand new Swift challenger 560 in 2021 fitted a Sargent solar controller. As I go off grid a lot, what Swift fitted wasn't up to the job & not fully charging the caravan AGM battery, and over winter battery went flat. So I have done the same as Steve Bloxham and had fitted MPPT controller which allows Bluetooth monitoring and greater control of charging profiles, from a world renown company "Victron". A leading solar brand - one of the worlds best for on/off grid applications. even on poor days now it keeps the battery topped up. Victron products are not cheap, but you get what you pay for if you want the best. And the results speak for themselves.
An excellent explanation of the solar panel set up. This has helped me a lot to understand, purchase, connection and function. Thanks so much.
Great explanation Dan, and MPPT is a very good upgrade.
Personally I’d have fitted a top notch Victron controller that allows Bluetooth monitoring and greater control of charging profiles.
Anyone contemplating a change beware of no name cheap MPPT controllers sold on eBay or Amazon, many are just PWM controllers with MPPT printed in the front!
Victron all the way Steve!
Are you sure about that 'mppt printed on the front ' i was just looking at one myself
Hi Steve, I have the same PWM controller that Dan was replacing but mine seems to be faulty. What Victron one would you recommend and if you can let me know if there are any useful additions that are also available to purchase? Thanks.
Great video Dan as always
Brilliant video Dan. We can't believe that our van has the upgraded controller already (perhaps these have become more standard in recent years?). You video also really helped us to understand what the lights mean. Thanks.
I love going off the grid. I have had the spark mppt for the past 12 months with the Bluetooth and control panel and paid just under 100 pound . Great video though stay lucky
Dan. A great instructional video with all the right tips and practical advice for the layman. Basically I trod the same path on my Bailey motorhome a few years back when the Banner died due to constantly gassing itself to an early grave despite topping up. I selected two Yuasa EFB 100Ah for Leisure battery for better off grid support. Also researching Solar expert sites and reading the PWM Truma SDC10 controller manual in detail indicated that any morning with reasonable light the controller would “wake up” ramp the voltage to 14.4 and hold it there for 2 hours minimum regardless of battery SoC. Hence the gassing off. I settled for a Votronic MPPT Duo that would keep the starter battery maintained. That had a variable timer for start up 14.4 initial charge then drop quickly to Float. Also fitted a SoC monitor system from NASA BM-1 that BTs to my phone for immediate SoC of Leisure and voltages of Leisure and Starter. Since added a second Solar panel for rapid recharge of low battery.
Nice one, been waiting for this one for years. I have an MPPT controller but needed an idiots guide to get the difference through my thick head. Cheers
Glad I could help!
Thanks very much for sharing your videos, they’re a great help and I am very grateful.
Cheers Colin
Just fitted a MPPT charge controller to my solar system and have noticed a marked improvement as we do a lot of off grid caravaning
Great video Dan I would love to see a digital screen added bit of man thing but easiest to understand and a visual guide you can easily see just by glancing at just makes things easier Joe 🇬🇧ps want to see you guys on holiday in you’re new van !!! Well that’s what it’s for.
Thanks Dan. Will be looking to purchase the MPPT controller. A good upgrade.
Well explained video and easier to understand than reading the instruction manual. Thank You 👍
Every day a school day Dan, thanks for the info.
Thanks Dan, very useful video, looking forward to any updates 👍
Thank you Dan for a very informative upload that will help me understand how things work inside my van, I will also look into upgrading mine as well, could you also let me know were you purchased the unit, thank you again Dan.
Brilliantly detailed and blue collar explanation as well, thank you for your great content and hopefully , long may it reign.... legend of a Tee shirt too 😉
Very well explained Dan. I haven’t a solar panel but it was interesting to watch👍. Seriously I think you should be a college lecturer 😁. Hope you’re all well. All the best, Rob & Gail 😃
Hi, Dan, I'm not sure that your description of how things work on EHU is true. I'm afraid I'm not nearly as good as you are at explaining these things, but here goes.
The usual charger built in to our caravans (certainly our vintage of Bailey) is, as you say a constant voltage device, with current limiting and a nominal voltage of 13.8v. Now 13.8v will not fully charge a modern lead acid battery which requires a boost charge with a voltage between 14v to 14.6v depending upon the exact battery architecture. Both models of solar controller you showed are much more complex devices which are capable of delivering this charge profile to the battery and this is the purpose of the dip switches, to set a particular program for the different battery types. As I understand, with a discharged battery the solar charger will share charging duties with the EHU charger until the battery voltage is high enough to take the ehu charger out of current limiting. Once this happens the solar charger will increasingly take over charging duties until it has completed it's boost charge cycle and only then will it switch off, leaving the EHU charger to float charge at it's 13.8v nominal voltage. I have confirmed this action by dint of having a battery computer fitted and observing it directly. The upshot of this that having a solar charging system fitted even if you mostly use EHU is benefitial in that it does a much better job of looking after our batteries, for instance by reducing sulphation, which is the main problem associated with a long term float charge at 13.8v. Does that make sense?
My controller has 2 USB ports aswell. Great gadget
Thanks for vdeo and superb explanation, greatly appreciated 👏
Hi, interesting video, you say you want to extract more power on duller days, but the increase in efficiency is only going to be apparent on brighter days(when the PWM duty cycle is low), and even then you will probably see nowhere near 30% increase since the panel will have been chosen to suit 12v battery charging. I really can't see you will even notice the difference this makes, sure if your PWM controller is old/broken/overheating then a worthwhile upgrade, if not, probably not. Awesome presentation all the same - as usual!
Did you see the multimeter - voltage of 20v on a slightly cloudy day on our 100w panel.
Since installing the MPPT and staying off grid for 9 days in mixed weather - I’ve noticed a huge uplift in charging.
@@TheTrudgians Sure I saw the 20v, that was at full load - battery discharged etc was it? Probably just the placebo effect, you wouldn't notice a huge uplift even if you did get the marketing hype full(up to)30% all of the time. It is quite obvious if you are using more power than your panel can supply, it is running at full load continuously and a more efficient controller is not going to help.
Anybody thinking of doing this - Victron kit is cheaper, better supported and more widely available. The SmartSolar MPPT 75/15 is more than good enough for a 100W panel and gives you the benefit of Bluetooth control too.
Another good video and well presented 👍
Thanks 👍
Great video Dan, I have been wanting to change to an MPPT as we go off grid. I have added a second battery in parallel and two 100 watt panels on roof plus a second controller to plug in two 50 watt suitcase solar panels when on site. Changing the controllers to MPPT is going to make a big difference. Just one comment I thought you said the 12 volts runs the fridge. Do you have a different fridge as the 12 volts is only for towing. We run ours on gas.
Most company suggest a isolator from your panel and battery
So why don't caravan manufacturers fit one then when they come from factory?
Love your vids
But for some reason maybe because I’m bloody tired today, I started the vid and totally glazed over and listened to nothing 😂😂😂🤦♂️ I have no brain power left today to compute, I’ll rewatch 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️👍
Fantastic blog Dan I've got a Sargent solar panel I was wandering how to check how much it was charging the battery it would be nice to see a voltage at a glimpse
Great video, Dan. Many thanks.
Nice video Dan where can I get one from, very interested to upgrade my motorhome to have more off grid holidays.
Thanks soooo much for this brilliant tutorial!!!
Glad it was helpful!
Excellent video Dan
Hi there love the videos you put out, I have a question on inverters I understand the wattage side of things my question is, if my inverter only has 1 x 230 AC socket for me to power the appliances ie tv kettle fridge etc do I have to run an extension cable from the sole socket on the inverter to each appliance or is there a way off tapping into the caravan 230v sockets ??
Many thanks Darren
Another brilliant video Dan, the EHU question was one I've been thinking about and you've just answered it for me!!
Perfect!
Fantastic dan great information
Hello Dan, Thanks very much for such an excellent video - as always...
We have a brand new caravan with exactly this system. However I think we have a problem with the battery not being charged. After fully charging the battery at home the "Full" and "Charge " lights are on. Then after a few minutes these lights extinguish and the MMP is flashing - indicating It's not charging - (It was reading more than 13v at home..) In the last few weeks the battery has completely run down... So I imagine I have a problem. If you have a minute I would appreciate your thoughts please... Thanks very much and a Happy New Year... Col
Awesome
Superb video
Great explanation!!
Hi Dan just a quick question. Finally getting my caravan sorted and should get it tomorrow. Needs a good wash and as I don’t stay on mainland what’s the best stuff for a long awaited wash down? I know I have silky cream cleaner and another spray bottle of something (it’s in caravan at mo ) and also does the caravan have to be hooked up for the electrics to take the water through the taps
Great video, I am new a Caravanning. I have a solar panel fitted with a mppt controller and the mpp light is flashing which I understand means “ready to charge”. No other lights on the mppt controller are on. The main caravan controller shows the battery is at over 13V. Could you explain what “ready to charge” means and under what circumstances I would expect to see the it.
This morning it is all working as expected, maybe the “ready to charge” light flashes if there is insufficient sunlight to charge the battery?
Hi Dan. Brilliant explanation. Thank you. Our van is less than a year old. Will this affect the warranty?
Looks similar set up to yours. Brindisi grand se 2023.
What about fitting a second liesure battery? For more capacity.
Best regards.... Chris
Surprised you didn’t go for a Victron MPPT controller, can be monitored & adjust the settings from an app on your smart phone.
I did look, but tbh - how many times do I actually need to adjust settings and already know voltage from tracker and iNet.
Dan very good video very interesting well done.
Thanks 👍
Our new our new caravan has this new controller fitted
We was told we don’t have adjust anything like on the old one this does it all
Great video Dan. I have been thinking of fitting a 100w solar panel to my van but would my lead acid 115ah battery need replacing ?
Great vlog and very worthwhile upgrade.Agree with comments regarding an isolator.Did you consider increasing the size of your cables between mppt and battery or were they adequate for the distance?
Hi Dan I have been following your video on the MPPT charger and I have been looking at some, but the MPPT controllers that I have looked at state, 40, 50, 60 or 100 amp What should I order?
I have a Sargent controller with sealed wiring ends going into it. Any tips?
Wen the mains switch is off does the controller still charge or does the mains switch need be on
A Victron controller imho is much better and has BT to a mobile to log charging info. But without fitting a Life04 (LFP) battery, changing only the controller the gain will be very small. A lead acid battery is good for 25% discharge, go to 50% and its life span will decrease quickly. Which means at 25% discharge the battery voltage will go below 12v. A LFP battery can discharge to 90% and still maintain 12v output. But on a site hook the cvan charger (13.8v) is set to charge a lead acid battery only and wont charge an LFP battery fully.Charging an LFP battery at 13.8v will result in a 50-75% total charge. So you will need a new cvan charger if going LFP.😢
Love the vids and as always well made a informative, one question How do you/me set it up to charge a second battery i have now fitted. i have just connected the second battery + to + & - to - with an old set of jump leads and fitted it into a plastic battery box with a lid on it screwed to the floor. Many Regards Peter.
Hi Peter, ok if you’re wiring these in parallel, you may need to connect the solar controller to + of one battery and - of the next, in order to balance the charge. Alternatively if they are separate, use the 2nd battery terminal on the controller. It will charge one, then the next. 👍
@@TheTrudgians Hi Dan, Thank you for reply, i see what you mean, they are in parallel so i will give it a go. Just for info when i double checked the controller unit in my new Bailey Evora it is the upgraded unit already. Win/Win 🙂
Hi Dan. Just looked. It is an sdc12. 😂
What about the 2 batteries?... Chris
a question.. may be im being an idiot??? Does the caravan need to be switched on when parked in storage for the battery to be continually charged from the panels
Hi Paul - good question, and the answer is no. The controller has a direct connection to the battery, so always sending charge regardless of caravan master switch. 👍
@@TheTrudgians I thought so... thanks for replying..
@@PAULOathamBut - if you leave the master on and anything is drawing a little power, antenna?, fridge? the battery could slowly discharge over really cloudy short winter days with low solar light onto panel. An MPPT will help stop serious discharge. 👍
Hi Dan I have a mppt controller on my Campervan I also use the mt 50 remote meter have you looked into one ?
Just a second question Dan, stable door fly screen can not be used if bottom half of door is shut due to bin on back of door, apart from leave the whole thing open any idea's 🙂
The biggest crime I see is the controller location. I never understand the factory location, it is incredibly inefficient.
Actually no. The BIGGEST crime is you wired up the new controller in the incorrect order. Battery connection first yes, but the controller HAS to be powered by the battery before connecting the panel. You run the risk of frying your controller by doing it the way you did it.
Wired as per instructions. And with no battery connected, no current produced by panel, explain how it could have been fried?
Also, how does the physical location of the controller make it inefficient?