Member Since: 23 Feb 2006
Location: Gold Coast, Australia
Posts: 867
Hi Robbie, it would depend both on the type of battery you chose as your auxiliary battery and whether you do some long driving trips before you leave the vehicle unused for long periods.
I’m not sure of the suns capacity in Britain but I would recommend you fit a solar trickle charger before you bothered with a dual battery system.
This would be of more advantage to your as it would keep the battery from going flat and depending on the size of the solar panel, it may even manage to charge the battery.
Either way, it would be a lot cheaper than a dual battery system.
Cheers2008 TDV8 RR Lux + 2009 D4 2.7
27th Apr 2006 10:25 am
christyler
Member Since: 31 Dec 2005
Location: Cork, Ireland
Posts: 1168
I agree with drivesafe, a solar trickel charger would be a better choice, i know the sun hardley splits the stones in the UK but with the right choice of solar panel you would keep the battery from going flat just with daylight alone.
27th Apr 2006 10:23 pm
RichardK
Member Since: 18 Jan 2006
Location: Western Australia
Posts: 295
Just for anyones interest here are pics of my 2nd battery installation which includes Drivesafes SC80-12 charging unit until the new charger unit becomes available.
30th Apr 2006 1:52 pm
Robbie
Member Since: 05 Feb 2006
Location: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Posts: 17932
drivesafe wrote:
...and whether you do some long driving trips before you leave the vehicle unused for long periods.
I’m not sure of the suns capacity in Britain but I would recommend you fit a solar trickle charger before you bothered with a dual battery system.
Either way, it would be a lot cheaper than a dual battery system.
Hi,
Yes I do make some long driving trips before leaving the vehicle unused. It just tends to get a bit of a work-out before being parked-up.
I'm not sure about the sun's capacity. I gather we share the same one, but you may get a little more juice from it than in Britain!
Regarding the solar trickly charger, I presumed that this would not work via the 12V sockets on the D3, as they are not powered when the ignition is off. Or is it the case that they would let power through in one direction only?
I like the idea of plugging in a solar panel and leaving it on the dash - if it worked.
30th Apr 2006 2:27 pm
drivesafe
Member Since: 23 Feb 2006
Location: Gold Coast, Australia
Posts: 867
Hi Robbie, I am quite sure you could get a solar panel to keep your battery charged.
It’s just that you would need a bigger panel for use in Britain than we do over here but have a snoop on the net and see if you can find a solar specialist in your area.
Next, as you know, the power sockets do NOT work once the ignition is turned off, so to get the panel to work from inside the cab, you will need to run some twin cable from the battery, into the cab.
This is not a very hard or time consuming chore thanks to the kind people who designed the D3 and put a plastic grommet in the fire wall, on the driver’s side, that makes getting cable into the cab a snack.
Next, all you will have to do then is put a plug and socket on the cable to allow you to connect the solar panel when ever you need it.
There are small solar panels set up to trickle charge vehicle batteries and they usually have some electronics built-in to allow for automatic control of the panel.
Cheers and hope this is of some help.2008 TDV8 RR Lux + 2009 D4 2.7
30th Apr 2006 2:45 pm
Robbie
Member Since: 05 Feb 2006
Location: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Posts: 17932
Thank-you.
30th Apr 2006 3:39 pm
Tony
Member Since: 20 Apr 2006
Location: Adelaide Hills
Posts: 183
Has anyone measured the discharge current from the battery when the vehicle is 'sleeping'?Ex Defender 110 200Tdi owner.
30th Apr 2006 11:14 pm
drivesafe
Member Since: 23 Feb 2006
Location: Gold Coast, Australia
Posts: 867
Tony wrote:
Has anyone measured the discharge current from the battery when the vehicle is 'sleeping'?
Hi Tony, mine pulls between 100 and 200 ma ( 12 hours after turning the motor off ) and around 25 amps when idling.
Cheers2008 TDV8 RR Lux + 2009 D4 2.7
30th Apr 2006 11:51 pm
Tony
Member Since: 20 Apr 2006
Location: Adelaide Hills
Posts: 183
Thanks drivesafe.
Thats 2.4 watt 'sleeping' power and allowing for losses, low sun energy, etc., probably a 10 watt solar panel at least would be needed. Add the cost of a regulator and it would be cheaper by far to use a smart battery charger plugged into the mains (one which went to trickle when the battery was charged), assuming of course that the car is parked up somewhere near a power outlet!
I'm presently battling with a high capacity solar system on Kangaroo Island and have found through bitter experience that the makers of solar panels rate their products outputs at high noon on the equator - the output of 85 watt panels falls to less than 15 watt on KI in weak sunshine.
Just another thought to confuse the issue!Ex Defender 110 200Tdi owner.
1st May 2006 12:10 am
drivesafe
Member Since: 23 Feb 2006
Location: Gold Coast, Australia
Posts: 867
Hi again Tony, I personally would go with the charger but it’s surprising how many people do not have readily available power near their vehicles, so trickle charging off a solar panel is their only option.
Here is a little trick I tell all my customers, who are fitting a solar panel on a garage roof or what ever, to keep their battery charged.
You can wire a small plug on a length of wire, which is connected to the battery.
Have the plug sit near the front grill and plug the solar panel into the plug ever time you pull into the garage.
This saves you having to open the bonnet all the time.
Now for one more IMPORTANT trick. If you set up this way, make sure you have enough wire running from the solar panel so you can plug in the socket at the bonnet and then lay the wire coming from the solar panel over the driver’s side mirror.
This way, you won’t forget and drive off without disconnecting the panel.
Cheers2008 TDV8 RR Lux + 2009 D4 2.7
1st May 2006 12:44 am
Tony
Member Since: 20 Apr 2006
Location: Adelaide Hills
Posts: 183
Good trick, drivesafe!
Many years ago, when you all were in short pants, batteries did not hold their charge for long, and at least one rural fire service had plugs fitted to the rear of fire trucks so that when the crew charged out to battle the blaze, the plug would hopefully detach when it reached the end of the cord. Sometimes it worked....Ex Defender 110 200Tdi owner.
1st May 2006 12:54 am
Robbie
Member Since: 05 Feb 2006
Location: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Posts: 17932
So a solar panel in darkest UK, in a car park miles away from a plug socket, that would require a wire through the bulkhead anyway, suddenly does not sound so good.
So about this second battery then...
1st May 2006 10:48 am
Tony
Member Since: 20 Apr 2006
Location: Adelaide Hills
Posts: 183
Would using one of those portable battery/power packs be an option? It seems overkill to fit a second battery just to ensure occasional starts. And of course, over really long periods, the second battery will go flat also....Ex Defender 110 200Tdi owner.
1st May 2006 12:06 pm
Robbie
Member Since: 05 Feb 2006
Location: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Posts: 17932
True, all depends on cost, I'm more than open for advice. Given that I would also like to power a fridge at times, a second battery was my initial thought.
Not sure what to do now.
1st May 2006 12:16 pm
drivesafe
Member Since: 23 Feb 2006
Location: Gold Coast, Australia
Posts: 867
Robbie wrote:
So a solar panel in darkest UK, in a car park miles away from a plug socket, that would require a wire through the bulkhead anyway, suddenly does not sound so good.
So about this second battery then...
Hi Robbie, there is an additional problem that needs to be addressed in your case and thats that the more times you come back to a flat battery, the greater effect this is going to have on the operating life of the battery and as much as I am only to happy to sell you a dual battery control system, this would not be giving you a solution to your problem because as pointed out by Tony, you are still going to end up with flat batteries.
The Calcium / Lead Calcium batteries used in the D3s and RRSs do hold their charge better than many other types of batteries.
So if you are having problems already, a second battery is not going to resolve the existing problem.
You need to keep the battery charged up, in the first place.
Not much help but you do have a unique problem
BTW, the cable needed to connect the solar panel to the battery is not going to be very thick and getting it through the firewall ( bulkhead ) is not a hard job.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
