Asa subscriber,I humblyaskforyour
advice.Mybushcaravanis kittedout
withthefollowing:
Powersupply:
tLeadaciddeepcyclebattery
tAC/DCcharger(campingwith 220 V
powerpoint)
tA 155Wattsolarpanel(camping
withoutpowerpoint)
Powerusagewhencamping:
tNationalLuna 50 L TwinWeekender
fridge/freezerWinning
letter
CANMYOFF-ROADCARAVAN
HANDLEANOTHER FRIDGE?Godfrey:I askedNationalLuna
manufacturerfora reply,theyreplied:“We
normallyrecommend 85 Wormoresolar
powerto runa singlefridgeindefinitely.
"I preferto recommend 120 Wto 150
Winorderto accountforoccasionalpoor
weatherortheadditionof moredevices.
"Thisshouldbecombinedwitha decent
regulatorwitha ratingof about15-20A
anda batteryof 100Ahormore.
“Thereadershouldbefinewithhis
155 Wpanelsolongashehasa decent
regulatorandbattery,andtheinstallationis
doneproperly.“Addinga secondfridgewill
pushthesystema bitovertherecommended
amount,butif thefridgeis usedefficiently,
it'spossibleunderidealconditions.
“Theproblemis,if youhavea bitof poor
weatherorthepanelsaredirtythebattery
willstruggleto chargefullyduringtheday.
I woulddefinitelyrecommendaddingmore
solarintheformof a secondpanel.”
Myownsolarexperienceis thatjustone
cloudyday,a branchcastinga shadow
thesizeof a handprintora solarpanelnot
facingtherightdirectionandthesystemis
rendereduselessuntilfullsunreappears.
Forthisreasonthehigherthegeneration
of powerthebetter– a 1 000Whairdryer
flattensa
causea 1
inverterto
whenthe
is activate
Biggeri
it comestot 12 V LEDstriplighting
Questions:- Willthesystembeabletohandle
theextradrawfroma secondfridge
(NationalLuna 52 L Weekender,used
forfreezing)? - Willthesystembeabletoincorporate
aninverter(forinstance,toruna
hairdryer)?
Shouldupgradesberequired,what
wouldyourecommend?
RehanneLambrechts
64 |^ Caravan & Outdoor Life Magazine July 2019batteryquickly, andmayeven
500 W
otrip out
hairdryer
ed.
is bestwhen
osolar!Caravan CLINIC
OUR EXPERT ANSWERS YOUR TECHNICAL QUESTIONS & GIVES CAMPING ADVICE
THE GOOD OLD DAYS
A friend lent me an ‘old car book’ and I came
across this picture apparently taken on a sunny day
in 1933. The caravans are hitched behind a Hillman Minx and a
slightly larger Hillman Wizard for a trip to the countryside.
Looks like men went caravanning in suits in those days and
had a choice. In this case he is obviously more interested in the
lady wearing hot pants and high heels than the one wearing
slacks! The good old days?
Hans Matter