If we get 5 or 6 hours of sunlight, then we can put 80 amp-hours or so back into our battery system. In good conditions, this provides 16 amps or so into our batteries. We had good luck in other RVs with the Bogart solar charge controller, a PWM type, so we moved that to our camper van. We used connectors to merge the three panels and brought one set of wires into the van from the roof. Installing them in parallel would allow one or two panels to charge our batteries if one or two panels were shaded and not able to output energy. We installed three 100 watt solar panels in parallel. We decided that 300 watts of solar power with an option to charge from the van alternator would be a good compromise. However, we already had one 100 watt panel, and our desire to install a roof air conditioner and power vent would make this a very tight fit. Since we had 430 amp-hours of batteries, we were hoping to install 400 watts of solar panels on the van roof. A general rule is to have 1 watt of solar power for each amp-hour of battery power. Camper van battery box and lid under our bench seatįor battery charging, we opted to primarily use solar power for this task. It is important to try to secure these heavy batteries well in case of an accident. We tied it all down with a hefty ratchet strap. We installed anchor points that were bolted through the van floor, and then installed a seal and cover, vent hoses, and battery box lid. This box was custom sized to fit under our small bench sofa seat behind the driver seat. We built a battery box out of baltic birch plywood using wood screws and wood glue. 4 x 6 volt golf batteries for our camper van project We would expect this setup to give us at least 2 days of power with our design. This would provide 215 x 2 or 430 amp-hours of power at 12 volts for the camper van. We would connect two batteries in series, the other two batteries in series, and then those two 12 volt pairs in parallel. For these reasons, we opted to purchase 4 of the 6 volt golf batteries. We wanted to be able to camp for 2 days with no charging in order to still have power if we did not drive the van or have sunny days for solar charging. After looking at our intended loads (parking heater, refrigerator, inverter, lighting, fans, etc.) we decided that amount of power would last just over 1 day with no extra charging. This could be using 1 amp for 100 hours, or 4 amps for 25 hours. Two 6 volt batteries like these would provide just over 100 amp-hours of power in our camper van project. It is possible to go below 50% SOC, but this results in a lower voltage that might be an issue for some appliances. The rule of thumb is to not use the batteries below a 50% state of charge (SOC) in order to prolong battery life and the number of usable cycles. The 6 volt batteries we chose from one of the wholesale clubs were 215 amp-hour rated batteries, in series, two batteries would be 12 volts at 215 amp-hours. We would need multiples of 2, since two batteries in series would be need to make 12 volts. We chose to use the tried and true 6 volt golf car batteries. Some opt for lithium batteries, but we did not want that higher cost and complexity. True deep cycle batteries are preferred in order to maximize life and capacity. Electrical power is typically referred to in amp-hours at 12 volts. We had some previous RV experience, so that was helpful as we planned our van design and systems. The electrical system is unique to each van, since everyone uses their van differently and has different goals and preferences. The electrical system in our van required the most planning and thought of any aspect of the camper van project.
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