Thread: how to charge the caravan batteries

Ok,, first up the car will charge all your batts on a trip,,(given good cable),


second.. Think Solar

For a couple of hundred bucks the van is totally self contained.

It is funny you should mention solar. I was thinking that would be good way to go. I do not know much about it. Would it be better to have the panels fixed to the caravan roof so it charges while on the road? or have them independent so the caravan can be parked in the shade but the panels can be in the sun?

Our trips in our caravan are fairly fixed. We dive to our block of land by Grafton and stay off grid for 3-4 weeks before driving home. On the trip up and back we stay at powered sites.

the more I write this down the more sense solar makes.

OK, how do I make an independent solar set up that I can plug into my caravan and unplug from my caravan to plug into other batteries (like the ones in the shed). And how many solar cells do I need to keep the batteries happy while running a 12v fridge?

Originally Posted by Gullible

Would it be better to have the panels fixed to the caravan roof so it charges while on the road?

That is what your alternator is for.

Surely you only need the solar for the times when the vehicle isn't running.

Originally Posted by vnx205

That is what your alternator is for.

Surely you only need the solar for the times when the vehicle isn't running.

Yes, but that brings me back to the issue of setting up a duel battery system which would only be used on the way up and down.

Ideally I'd have both but thats not financially possible.

Just run cable from the starter battery to the Anderson plug at the rear, fused of course.
On the van if you think you might want to run a fridge whilst moving fit a fridgeswitch which only allows current when in motion.

Hi Gullible and there are a number of different ways to set up your tug and your van, but you need to know how you intend to use your setup before deciding on a DBS to suit your specific needs.

For instance, are you likely to drive for an hour or more when you do your day trips?

Do you have a small inverter and small battery charger?

Solar is the best setup but it is the most expensive and is weather dependant.

There are other setups that can give better results for less money.

We have a set routine. We take 2 days to drive from Canberra to Grafton stopping at a powered site on the way. We park the caravan in a field with a shed and leave it there while we plant trees and take day trips to the beach.

The day trips are usually less than 45 min driving each way.

We try to stay on the land for 3-4 weeks at a time.

We have a generator that we run if we need the air-con on.

We do not have a dual battery set up in the car and do not run any auxiliary equipment in the car.

Originally Posted by vnx205

That is what your alternator is for.

Surely you only need the solar for the times when the vehicle isn't running.

not really,, you'll find a properly set up system is totally independent of the vehicle.
one less plug, one less worry.

of course for you people that live where the sun dont shine---

I'd be interested in your ideas Tim