Forum Discussion

tommymsw's avatar
tommymsw
Explorer
Jul 21, 2017

Solar JUST to recharging house battery?

I have an old 84 Class C and I am 99% sure the engine alternator does NOT charge the house battery.

So I was thinking of just getting ONE solar panel that will JUST charge the house battery while I am driving (or sitting obviously).

My question is, that usually you need MORE than just a panel, to make sure the battery charges correctly... BUT... Is there not a way to run the panel through my existing converter/inverter system I have already?

For example... I can plug into shore power and my smart charging system takes care of the battery... Can't I hook the panel up as if it were just power coming in from shore? And allow my system to take care of the smart charging?

Or do I NEED an entire second charging system?
  • FLY_4_FUN's avatar
    FLY_4_FUN
    Explorer
    Jul 21, 2017
    I would fix the vehicle issue as one overcast day driving where solar is nil and your dead in the water.
  • Lwiddis's avatar
    Lwiddis
    Explorer II
    Jul 21, 2017
    Fix the engine alternator. Learn more about solar before you buy anything. As stated above you also need a solar charge controller not just a panel.
  • time2roll's avatar
    time2roll
    Nomad
    Jul 21, 2017
    You will need a controller for the panel. Get at least 100 watts for the effort.
  • MrWizard's avatar
    MrWizard
    Moderator
    Jul 21, 2017
    an 84
    came from the builder with either a solid state diode 'battery isolator'



    or a battery combiner relay

    one or the other will be mounted on the firewall in the engine compartment and visible when you open the hood
    most of the time they seem to be located on the drivers side

    alternator connects to center post, chassis and house batteries to the other (2) large posts, small post is a control post, depends on the vehicle involved, commonly used with chevy/gm
  • KD4UPL's avatar
    KD4UPL
    Explorer
    Jul 21, 2017
    First, I would fix whatever is wrong with the MH so that the engine does charge the house battery. It's supposed too. Even if not designed that way originally for some strange reason it's not hard to hook it up that way.
    A solar panel of any useful size will need a charge controller. Your converter is not part of a solar charging system. The solar panel puts out DC at 12 to 36 volts depending on the exact model of panel. Your shore connection is 120v AC; these are not compatible as inputs to the same device.
    I would consider a 100 watt panel a bare minimum, usually something between 100 and 200 is better. You can't go too big; the charge controller will take care of regulating the charge.

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