Victron energy mppt 75/15 solar regulator $123 .00 Just finished my solar panel mods 160 watt portable unit,this thing seems great value.
PeterD said
03:58 PM Nov 15, 2017
I am not a lover of those regulators but a lot on the forum are. It should be OK. I am not a lover of portable panels either. I recommend installing them on the van roof so they will work at all times when the sun is shining.
Ron-D said
04:37 PM Nov 15, 2017
Yeah Peter should have had panels put on the roof when we ordered the Van but we did not my mistake,now to get it wired through the roof and haveing to take it to a work shop forking out bucket loads of cash ,probably haveing to take it back again for teething problems,no From where I stand just give me the portables,they even can have an advantage of being able to chase the the sun at 45 degrees.but no where near as convenient as fixed that's for sure.
as for the mppt regs everything I have read on them they are far more advanced and do a lot better job then the older tec regs..
madaboutled said
09:17 AM Dec 3, 2017
Ron-D wrote:
Yeah Peter should have had panels put on the roof when we ordered the Van but we did not my mistake,now to get it wired through the roof and haveing to take it to a work shop forking out bucket loads of cash ,probably haveing to take it back again for teething problems,no From where I stand just give me the portables,they even can have an advantage of being able to chase the the sun at 45 degrees.but no where near as convenient as fixed that's for sure.
as for the mppt regs everything I have read on them they are far more advanced and do a lot better job then the older tec regs..
Ron-D, just a thought... if you do change your mind in the future about mounting the panels on top and if you're worried about punching holes to run the cables which can cause leaks, another option is to run low profile rectangular cable duct down the side of the van, nearest to where the batteries are housed. The duct can be attached using outdoor grade double sided foam tape, again to avoid holes/leaks. This way the only hole required is where the cables will come up through the floor which can be easily and permanently sealed. You can get this type of duct from the big green shed or even nicer looking profiles from some specialist suppliers. Again just a thought.
Regards Steve.
PS I've done this myself on a couple of caravans for solar panels and I've also used some on the back of our motorhome to run the AV cables for a reversing camera.
Victron energy mppt 75/15 solar regulator $123 .00 Just finished my solar panel mods 160 watt portable unit,this thing seems great value.
Yeah Peter should have had panels put on the roof when we ordered the Van but we did not my mistake,now to get it wired through the roof and haveing to take it to a work shop forking out bucket loads of cash ,probably haveing to take it back again for teething problems,no From where I stand just give me the portables,they even can have an advantage of being able to chase the the sun at 45 degrees.but no where near as convenient as fixed that's for sure.
as for the mppt regs everything I have read on them they are far more advanced and do a lot better job then the older tec regs..
Ron-D, just a thought... if you do change your mind in the future about mounting the panels on top and if you're worried about punching holes to run the cables which can cause leaks, another option is to run low profile rectangular cable duct down the side of the van, nearest to where the batteries are housed. The duct can be attached using outdoor grade double sided foam tape, again to avoid holes/leaks. This way the only hole required is where the cables will come up through the floor which can be easily and permanently sealed. You can get this type of duct from the big green shed or even nicer looking profiles from some specialist suppliers. Again just a thought.
Regards Steve.
PS I've done this myself on a couple of caravans for solar panels and I've also used some on the back of our motorhome to run the AV cables for a reversing camera.
Good idea Steve I will see how I go with what I have,but it may come down to that in the future thanks ...