Battery charger setup. Solar, 240v and alternator

[BarneyMaroon]

My camper is in the back yard so hopefully no one will be that stupid

I'm still trying to finalize my set up but so far I'm thinking
2 x 120A agm batteries
200 watts of Solar panels
Redarc Bcdc1225
600 watt inverter
And like you 240 volt charger for park stays

My ideal set up needs to do all the above with out taking up too much space but I'm not aware of any other configuration or products that would accomplish this more economically space wise with out requiring a kidney to be sold

Is there a reason you prefer the Redarc to the Ctek 250s dual ($100-$120 cheaper). I have not purchased yet but could not find a reason to justify the extra.
I decided on 160W to cover a Waeco fridge (about 30Ah or 80W panel) and a similar amount for two ipads, a laptop and camper lighting with some slack for cloudy SEQ days.
I prefer smaller for space and weight reasons: the 200W panels were 23 kilos as opposed to 19 kilos and bigger.

I also want to run a line for fridge to the back of my car as the Prado cigarette lighter may not be up to the job. I will therefore have to add an isolator and either run lines to the fridge or tap into the big power cable.

I also have decided to do the install myself to save money - I got a 6 hour time estimate at $120/hour + hardware, because I think it will be fun and I will have a greater chance of fixing something if it goes wrong.

[robcaz]

Because a deep cycle battery will hold its state of charge longer than say a starter battery, there is no need to leave a solar panel or a 240volt multi stage charger on permanently. Just put your solar panel out for the day once a month especially if the solar regulator is an MPPT with its multi stage charging properties.

You cannot over charge your battery using a proper multi stage charger as the voltage will back off to a float charge when charging is complete.

An article by Collyn Rivers on how multi stage charging works can be found here http://www.caravanandmotorhomebooks.com ... rgers.html

[robcaz]

Hi Barney,

The rule of thumb for sizing a multi stage battery charger is 10% to 15% of the battery capacity for best battery life.

[TinkCT]

Whilst the " all in one" Ctek and Redarc are attractive from a size perspective, don't forget that you are putting all your eggs in the one basket. If one part fails, you have a problem.

KB

[Ovaworked]

Is there a reason you prefer the Redarc to the Ctek 250s dual ($100-$120 cheaper). I have not purchased yet but could not find a reason to justify the extra.
I decided on 160W to cover a Waeco fridge (about 30Ah or 80W panel) and a similar amount for two ipads, a laptop and camper lighting with some slack for cloudy SEQ days.
I prefer smaller for space and weight reasons: the 200W panels were 23 kilos as opposed to 19 kilos and bigger.

I also want to run a line for fridge to the back of my car as the Prado cigarette lighter may not be up to the job. I will therefore have to add an isolator and either run lines to the fridge or tap into the big power cable.

I also have decided to do the install myself to save money - I got a 6 hour time estimate at $120/hour + hardware, because I think it will be fun and I will have a greater chance of fixing something if it goes wrong.

Hey Barney it sounds like we've got a few things in common.

The battery that exploded was being charged by a ctek charger so that is my only reason.
Chances are it was the battery that was faulty but as the old saying goes once bitten twice shy.

In regards to the Prado socket in the back I've used it several times to run my 80L waeco with no issue.

As for the install without knowing you're auto electrical ability I'd say if you're half way competent with decent tooling then go for it worse case scenario get an auto sparky to check it over before the final hook up.

And TinkCT It's also a good point about the all in one chargers hmmmmm thinking thinking

[robcaz]

The type of camping you do will govern the 12volt setup & battery charging you need.

If you are mainly doing weekend camping trips then you will find you only need a portable solar panel with a MPPT solar regulator on the back of the panel. You can place your solar panel out for the day between weekend trips to maintain the battery.

A DC to DC charger can be added at a later stage to charge the camper trailer battery when driving if you are doing a touring holiday mostly driving from day to day between bush campsites. If mainly using caravan parks you could use a 240volt battery charger overnight.

When we bought our solar panels a few years ago with a PWM regulator on the back, it was standard practice to have a 240volt multi stage charger at home to maintain the battery between trips. With the advancement in battery charging technology I think a MPPT solar regulator does the same job as the 240volt charger does.

We usually camp for a couple of weeks or more at a time & have found the Redarc BCDC1225 DC to DC charger with inbuilt MPPT solar rerulator is the right choice for us charging the camper battery between bush campsites & also in camp to maximum capacity. We still carry the 240volt multi stage charger in case we do need to drop into a caravan park to recharge the battery if there is no solar input.

[BarneyMaroon]

The type of camping you do will govern the 12volt setup & battery charging you need.

If you are mainly doing weekend camping trips then you will find you only need a portable solar panel with a MPPT solar regulator on the back of the panel. You can place your solar panel out for the day between weekend trips to maintain the battery.

A DC to DC charger can be added at a later stage to charge the camper trailer battery when driving if you are doing a touring holiday mostly driving from day to day between bush campsites. If mainly using caravan parks you could use a 240volt battery charger overnight.

When we bought our solar panels a few years ago with a PWM regulator on the back, it was standard practice to have a 240volt multi stage charger at home to maintain the battery between trips. With the advancement in battery charging technology I think a MPPT solar regulator does the same job as the 240volt charger does.

We usually camp for a couple of weeks or more at a time & have found the Redarc BCDC1225 DC to DC charger with inbuilt MPPT solar rerulator is the right choice for us charging the camper battery between bush campsites & also in camp to maximum capacity. We still carry the 240volt multi stage charger in case we do need to drop into a caravan park to recharge the battery if there is no solar input.

Agree Rob, we are doing a 90 day tour through NT tropics, Northern WA and back across NT red centre, so while I think we could survive on solar alone, having a heavy boost every four or five days will be very useful.

[robcaz]

Hi Barney,

We are very pleased at how efficient the Redarc BCDC1225 charges the batteries in the camper while driving between bush campsites after several days camping in the one spot with not enough sun to fully charge the batteries via the MPPT solar regulator. The DC to DC side of the Redarc really pumps some amps back in & makes short work bringing the batteries back to full capacity during a days drive http://www.campertrailers.org/bcdc1225_feedback.htm

While the Redarc BCDC1225 puts out 25amps, it only does this if the battery is down & only then until it brings the capacity up to 80% where it goes into absorption mode & reduces the charge to suit.