This website is no longer actively updated.
It has been left as a reference point only.

Installing a Solar System on your A'van

 

  Graphic courtesy of Solar Panel Xpress  

 

The above graphic comes courtesy of Solar Panel Xpress and we like the way it really shows you how simple solar is to implement. Put simply the sun shines on your solar panel, electricity is generated, it is then regulated by your controller and then gets stored in your battery. You can then use 12 volts in 12 volt devices on use 240 volts via an inverter.

 

       

 

This is NOT a technical article on solar or batteries as there is loads of info in the A-Clinic section and if you need more just read the books mentioned at the bottom of this page. The whole idea is to show you how easy it is to fit to your A'van, how simple the circuit is and a few suggested suppliers to save you money. So far as we can gather every A'van made so far has had a battery installed. This is charged by the built in "converter" which also doubles as a charger. The system works well as long as you have access to 240 volt power. If not, when bush camping, you have about three days of battery for lights etc. You can extend this to unlimited days simply by adding a small solar panel. A'van in their brochures don't give you a clue on sizes/wattages. They have the "large" and the "small" solar panel! Similar descriptions apply to the batteries! Let's hope this changes in the future. Interestingly compared to other RV's the A'van is fantastically well suited to solar due to the beautifully angled roof. So if you roughly try to face north you will get a good dose of sunshine each day. Don't forget that those in the Southern States get far less sunshine in the winter. Those in the north suffer in other ways though as the efficiency of some panels decreases in hotter climes. Lots of very detailed info including "sunlight hours" maps in books by Collyn Rivers - links at the bottom of this page. Well worth reading.

So in summing up, all you need to put solar into your A'van is a solar panel, a regulator and a wee bit of wiring with a couple of fuses. You already have the battery which will only need upgrading if you wish to fit an inverter to run loads around 200 watts.

We have had a lot of experience fitting solar to various RV's and the best advice we can give is to install the largest panel that will fit and you can afford at the time. If you look at the photo above, this is what A'van call the "large" solar panel 500mm X 1050mm. These vary from 40 to 50 watts. Notice that there is a lot more space above the panel to fit a longer one. Also notice that above the vents you could easily fit another panel cross wise as per the photo on the left below.

 

     

 

The photo on the left above gives another view of the space available above the existing panel. The photo above right, shows a solar panel fitted horizontally as the window dome is much further up. Usually where domed windows are fitted you have an ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM of 500mm wide. Height wise though you can almost go to 2 metres. Think about this before installing more vents in this area. A good mate of ours put an automatic solar vent in that area (it worked fantastically well!) and was then in big trouble when he needed to fit another solar panel.

 

     

 

You can of course just have your panels "loose" - known as "suitcase panels" - photo left above. This doesn't appeal to us at all simply because of the theft aspect and yet another piece of gear to pack up. Would you leave a wallet containing $600 to $1000.00 laying on the grass? On the other hand if you use a 4WD and need solar to work a fridge etc. away from the A'van, then this is obviously the way to go. The photo on the right shows the trouble you have to go to if you don't own an A'van as you lose around 10% if the panels aren't at an angle! This Coaster bus had an ingenious raising and lowering system, but it is not as easy as owning an A'van now is it?

 

   

 

A'van on the whole do a first class job with solar when installed at the factory, so we will simply use their methods here. First up measure the distance between your two front windows/domes. Armed with this info you can go shopping for a panel. A bit of a warning here if you are a little hesitant to do this work yourself. Be very wary of auto electricians as very few have the faintest idea of what is required in a solar system. We use either Battery World  (branches everywhere but we go to Slacks Creek - dreadful web presence) or Solar Panel Express (1800-800-846 - web info at www.qldwide.net.au/~solarpxp/). Best to stick with top brands such as Kyocera, BP, Solarex or our favourite Unisol. We prefer Unisol (Canon - Japan) because they are almost hail proof (no glass), aluminium frame, they can be mounted directly on the roof (all other panels require an air gap for cooling) and they are very shade tolerant. The downside is they are always the dearest and always the largest. This means to fit a 64 watt panel (3.88 amps) you MUST fit it horizontally above the windows. They are the only panels using the new triple junction technology. Expect to pay around upwards of $665.00. (1366 X 742). If you like the Unisol idea you can fit a 32 watt unit between the domed windows - 383 X 1366 - around $395.00 at Solar Xpress. You need to think ahead as to what you might be doing later on down the track though as this height severely eliminates what you can expand too, as it encroaches onto the spare space above the domes. For the record we swear by Unisol (Uni-Solar) and seriously doubt if we would ever buy any other brand - we need the shade tolerance as we are heavy users. By far the smallest panels are Kyocera at 80 watts for 652 X 976 and 120 watts for 652 X 1425 ($1194.00 at Solar Panel Xpress). The spunky looking BP units that will fit between the domes, cost $455.00 and are 40 watts for 433 X 958. A huge advantage with Solar Panel Xpress is they will exchange within 14 days if you make a boob boo. We know of no other solar supplier offering this kind of service.

If you feel you may need an inverter (converts 12 volt DC to to run a 240 volt computer, sewing machine etc. then save yourself heaps by spending the money now on getting large enough panels (also called PV's). Solar Panel Xpress have a wonderful 12 page booklet on solar and it lists all the sizes and prices which include freight. Kyocera, our second choice are 40 watt, 526 X 652, $464.00; 60 watt 751 X 652, $685.00.

A'van use 4mm automotive cable. We disagree with this as 6 mm would be better - Collyn Rivers also suggests using larger cables and he truly is an expert and has 32 panels on his roof to prove it!  The photo above shows the very neat method A'van use to avoid drilling holes in the roof. A'van attach the panel with adhesive only. It is raised up using a laminated rubber insertion. Simply gluing a piece of 12 X 12 aluminium square section under the panel would achieve the same end. If you like the A'van rubber idea just pop down to your nearest Clark Rubber store. To keep the silicone neat it is best to use masking tape. We have received several emails from concerned A'vanners who feel that gluing is not enough! All we can suggest is you glue a scrap piece of aluminium on another piece and try and lift it off after curing. We have yet to hear of anyone having a vent or solar panel "blow" off. Interestingly A'van lead the way with this technology. Getting a dealer to install your solar panel will not necessarily give you the same system as some seem to have their own ideas. Most motorhomers attach solar panels using small pieces of aluminium angle. You can buy these from Solar Xpress ($5) on get them cut at Capral Aluminium - mention you don't mind them cutting "scrap" and you will be amazed at the price! Unbelievable in Brisbane at least!

On the actual wiring, A'van sensibly use different colour coding for solar than the rest of the van. RED for POSITIVE and BLACK for NEGATIVE. Even though a largest panel only puts out only 7 amps we use 6mm cable to avoid any voltage drop. This may well be overkill, but we are heavy users! (Chrissy is that is!!) This adds about $22.00 more to the job.

 

   

 

The photo above shows the cable entry point just below the front internal light. This system works well. The black loom material is available from any auto electrician or just use PVC tubing - funnily enough both methods are found on A'vans! Seal the hole with silicone or any caulk. Route your cables back to the battery box. Taking the covers off the fridge vents makes this a lot easier. Use lots of P clamps to anchor the cables.

 

The first class job as done by the A'van factory in Melbourne - dealer fitting may not always be as neat as the factory has a fantastic tool for doing this - $800.00!

 

The photo above shows the small gap between the back of the panel and the roof. A'van wisely use NO screws. They rely on Sikaflex or similar adhesives. On normal caravans and motorhomes we use a slightly different method (more conventional, as it is a little risky just gluing onto rubber roofs on some RVs). We use small pieces of aluminium angle and glue these to the roof. We then pop rivet the panel on. This is good security as to remove it a thief has to drill out the pop rivets. Remember there is very little load on the panel as it travels flat so you really only need two brackets a side. With the A'van though try to avoid using pop rivets into the roof itself.  If you must do this please cover the heads with top quality sealant placing a little in the hole as well before closing the rivet. Trust us though - Sikaflex really sticks! Ask anyone who has had to remove some! The idea of the pop rivets into the panel edges is to discourage would be thieves. Interestingly though, no one has ever written in about having a solar panel stolen.

 

       

 

Next you need to buy a solar regulator. A'van use a variety of brands but the most common is the Arlec ($80.00 - shown above). This is a very simple regulator and works well. It is NOT a smart regulator (controller) so it wont fully charge your battery. The regulator's job is to prevent the solar panel from over charging the battery. When the battery is fully charged it disconnects. Eighteen months ago we swallowed hard and forked out $215.00 for a Kyocera "smart" regulator FM16 and fitted it to our mobile office (photo below - not the A'van). What this gadget does is charge initially at flat chat then gradually ease off (taper) as the battery becomes charged and then it trickle charges in bursts. (pulse width modulated) It has a digital read out, so you can monitor battery health/condition very easily. The red button when pressed displays the amperage charge rate. The row of coloured LED's tells you if you have the polarity wrong, if the battery is full, if it is charging and if the battery has fallen to below 11.4 volts. It is "future" proof as it will take up to 16 amps. This is handy if you intend to augment your system with external "suitcase" panels or add more panels later on. We did boo boo badly on this purchase (as usual!!) For a few dollars more we could have got the FM16D. When the A'van battery is full it then switches automatically to trickle charge your vehicle battery. (wiring mods needed to do this) Handy for extended stays in the bush. There are lots of models by many manufacturers in between ideal for an A'van system and again we suggest getting the Solar Xpress booklet (free). They ONLY sell "controllers". This means that they are more intelligent that a normal regulator. Prices start at $129.00 for 6 amps. Our FM16 came from Battery World - Slacks Creek Brisbane - ask for Bob Eldred. We must mention that both these companies are true specialists and their advice can be trusted. Unfortunately neither have very useful websites! Interestingly the warranty on Australian units is 12 months yet the American ones give you 5 years.

 

   

 

Now if you have unlimited disposable income you just can't go past the Plasmatronics PL20! - around $350.00. This unit has a microprocessor onboard and can tell you what went into the battery over the last 30 days and also what went out. If you have a laptop you can download a free program to display all this info onscreen. You need an interface and a cable to do this (under $80.00). We found these people wonderful to deal with support wise with answers to queries coming back the same day. Excellent website at www.plasmatronics.com.au. A great feature is being able to download a more technical manual than the one originally supplied with the unit at purchase. We liked how all RRPs are listed - except computer bits.

 

       

 

You MUST protect the panel/controller/wiring by placing fuses in the wiring. A'van very sensibly place blade type fuses (see the photo below) in the wires from the panel and to the battery. A'van don't put a fuse in the positive and negative lines. It is BEST practice to do this with RVs not using a common ground return. Best to keep the battery fuse as close to the battery as possible. A'van strangely don't do this so if a wire shorted between the fuse and the battery there is a small chance of it catching fire. A'van use industry standard, 15 amp blade type fuses. The fuse holders come from any auto electrician. Autobarn have the Narva brand. Expect to pay around $3.50. We have also bought these at Camec.

 

       

 

The picture below shows how A'van mount the regulator on the water tank. To us at least this is far from ideal as you can't get any visual feedback from the LED's mounted on the unit. It is very handy to know the the solar panel is actually charging. A much better spot is on the right side of the sink or if you get the FM16 or similar, in front of the sink in that "wasted" area.

 

       

 

Looking at the wiring it is virtually the same no matter which brands of gear you buy. Take care with Plasmatronics that you don't get the load connections wrong and make CERTAIN that the battery does not go to frame otherwise you will get incorrect consumption readings. Follow the wiring diagram below. It couldn't be simpler as you will find that most connections are screw type! Anything marked + has a red cable and anything marked - has a black wire. If you have a terminal crimping tool use this to make the battery connections or simply twist and pop under the battery  terminals. If you have a soldering iron by all means "tin" the wire before fitting. If you haven't had the battery lid off before it is fiddly! Leave all fuses out whilst doing anything. Remember that in daylight the solar panel is ALWAYS producing voltage. Remember this if you get a "tickle" whilst perched up a ladder! An easy way to stop this is to cover the panel with a blanket etc. or work indoors. If you can please add a fuse to both negative lines as well.

 

   

 

NOTE:
If you are using more than one panel you MUST put a blocking diode in the line joining the extra panels otherwise during darkness you could get reverse flow. These do cause a slight voltage loss, (0.5/0.6 volt per diode) but it is not worth worrying about. Multiple Unisols theoretically shouldn't need them, as many tiny diodes are inbuilt to give the shade tolerance, but we still insert a diode between panels. If you are an inquisitive person and have a volt meter you will find the voltage produced by the solar panel can be well over 20 volts! After leaving the controller it should not exceed 14.5 volts. Investigate further if it does, particularly if you have sealed batteries as these have virtually zero tolerance to over voltage and there is also a safety issue.

You can get more very detailed background info on solar and batteries in Collyn Rivers book Motorhome Electrics and Caravans Too!. We absolutely recommend this book.  See the review on this page. Collyn is releasing a book just on RV solar very shortly - watch for a review on this page.

If you take your time, most DIY enthusiasts, will be able to handle this project. We suggest you take care with routing cables and avoid all sharp edges that could cut or chaff cables. If you are inexperienced please read some of the other DIY simple projects in this same section, as they show you how to make connections and use the crimping tool. If you add another battery of any type it MUST have a vented to atmosphere enclosure and it should be IDENTICAL to avoid charging problems. Attention to detail with regard to venting by A'van is absolutely first class. Just copy them!  When justifying costs remember this. If you plan to go round Australia one day and just use UNPOWERED instead of powered sites you will save $3.50 a night on average. Now you don't need a degree in math's to work out that this project is EXTREMELY cost effective and remember most panels have a 20 year warranty and USA controllers 5 years. We have NEVER had a solar failure or even replaced a fuse. They truly are a set and forget gadget and only require weekly cleaning.

Bob Eustace

 

 

 

 

Copyright 2001/2003 - all rights reserved - Around Oz       www.around-oz.com and www.aroundoz.com
For problems, suggestions or questions regarding this web contact webmaster@around-oz.com
Last updated: 24-Jan-03