Not once I get to my destination Gasy. I'll be spending a week in the Bongo on the way out, via Belgium, Nuremberg Christmas markets and Czech republic.
Then I've got a month or more in an apartment in Liptovsky Mikulas. After that I plan on heading east into the Ukraine and then south (not sure of the route yet) and back through Croatia and Slovenia. Checked out the farthest goal I could make it to could be Istanbul but that's a long shot.
I had researched solar systems but decided I didn't have time to fit one. I was fed up of having my Propex cut out each time the battery dropped to 10v. This also indicated that the battery was shot after several winters and extreme temperatures over four years or so.
I bought my last 2 batteries from
http://www.alpha-batteries.co.uk/ . Although I had bought online they were near me (about 20 miles away in Rochdale) and said to drop in and they would test the batteries. The drive battery was still strong after four years, however the leisure battery wouldn't hold a charge. I use a cig lighter LED voltage indicator to watch the battery Vs and you could see the numbers ticking down.
They offered me a 135 ah battery but it wouldn't fit so I altered the battery tray and it fits well now. Cost £90, not sure of the make.
Whilst at Alpha I looked at their solar systems and decided to go for it. I got a 100w panel which fits on the roof nicely (although not the one from their website). It was supplied with a PV controller, brackets (that I did not use) and connections into the panel.
It was straight forward to fit (technically) the main hassle being removing panels to get the wiring to the battery. A friend made me two aluminium brackets to fit onto the roof bar screw point on the Bongo, which are also stuck to the roof with a tacky 'gunge' adhesive/sealant.
Cost of solar kit £160
Cost of battery £90
Discount for buying both £15 (he said this was off the battery but I suspect they make more money on the solar!)
Additional cost of cable from controller to battery £11 (I got 5m red 6a and 5m black 6a) and didn't have so much left over.
I can ask my friend how much he would charge to supply a pair of brackets. We also added some 1" deep spacers for my rear roof bar to increase the clearance over the solar panel.
- I expect I will get a more advanced controller 'MPPT' which is more intelligent, increases efficiency by between 10 & 30%, particularly in winter) and one that has a better analysis of the solar generated and current solar generation figures. This will cost around £20, but for now (time and delivery limitations) I will try the stock controller first.
-you can definitely get solar kits cheaper by buying parts separately and waiting 2 to 3 weeks for delivery.
I'll hopefully get chance on one lonely dark winter evening to upload a step by step for the installation and bracket design.
Total time for fitting the solar (once brackets made) was around 4-6 hours although it could be done in much less. I had to do it in the rain which was so cold my hands felt frozen!!!
I'll hopefully get a good idea on the success of the solar as I wild camp all the time (and I absolutely love it!) so if I stay put somewhere for a few days will be able to monitor how well it keeps the battery topped up. This is my main thought about getting solar, to keep the battery as topped up as possible and therefore less likely to wear out as quick.
I am happy to help where I can with info for the selection and fitting of the solar, just write here (then everyone can benefit).
