Covering van but leaving a cut out for solar panel?

Asgard

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Hi friends, we are parked with very high trees from next door over our van. We will put the cover on as don’t see much travel prospect in the coming months. We have a roof mounted flat solar panel and wife & I have been considering cutting an area around the panel to allow charging. We have considered putting a clear plastic infill ( velcroed -0n to the aperture) or just leaving the panel exposed but putting van on low ramps under front wheels causing a slope to rear. Then raising the cover all the way from the panel to the back of roof to allow water to run off the rear. It is a breathable cover,
This is all theory of course , so would be grateful for any pros and or cons all you thinkers might come up with please.
Many thanks in hope of inspiration. Barry
 
Shame to cut a hole in a cover letting rain and worse wind to get in can't you just use ehu every so often to keep battery's topped up
 
Thanks Witzend good point, just testing out ideas, we can plug in of course but
being a really mean Irishman living in Devon always trying to save a bit,
Did you take your van out much in Cornwall during the summer.
 
mr brown said:

Solar Panel Kit 20W 12V Monocrystalline with 10A Solar Charge Controller + Extension Cable with Battery Clips for RV Marine Boat Off Grid 12V Battery: Amazon.co.uk: Business, Industry & Science

Solar Panel Kit 20W 12V Monocrystalline with 10A Solar Charge Controller + Extension Cable with Battery Clips for RV Marine Boat Off Grid 12V Battery: Amazon.co.uk: Business, Industry & Science
www.amazon.co.uk
Click to expand...
Thank you Mr.Brown, good one , still using solar, leaves cover intact .very good price especially from Amazon.
Much appreciated.
Barry
 
Asgard said:
Did you take your van out much in Cornwall during the summer.
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No vans not been out since we came back from Portugal early Dec except for repairs to electrical system in Feb. Although in 11 yrs we've never been anywhere in this country preferring to do 3 trips = 8mths approx a year in Europe
 
witzend said:
No vans not been out since we came back from Portugal early Dec except for repairs to electrical system in Feb. Although in 11 yrs we've never been anywhere in this country preferring to do 3 trips = 8mths approx a year in Europe
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We have been the same as you for years, but not being able to travel abroad this year (next door neighbour came back from Spain) In March with Covid ( really bad case) . Didn’t dare go out locally in case we were mistaken for up country folk!
We sorned van and DVLA wrote to us after 3 months in sept to ask if we had used it on the road!! Which we hadn’t.
But then we realised that our car tax had expired about 2 months previously. They must have thought we were using the van in the summer as our car wasn’t taxed, so I think they might find it hard to believe that we weren’t driving something!
Hope we can all get back to a more relaxed life next year and I think we would soon learn to appreciate what we have always enjoyed.
 
mistericeman said:
IF you are parked under trees in winter I doubt you'd be getting much of anything from the solar anyway.
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Sorry for delay in replying, and than you. The trees are on much higher ground to the east of us and the Leaves and falling
branches are the problem as our place is south facing and the tree crowns are about 60 ft above the sun rises and as it moves through south to west it gives v good soar ( Devon).
 
Molly 3 said:
My van is now parked completely in the shade from house . Solar output strudels to keep up battery drain .Time to get the lead out
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Hi Molly, we have good sun ( when it is out) in Devon, but again you don’t need full sunshine to get a trickle charge to top up 12 volt battery. The panel may produce about half its sunshine charge in shade.
Put your test meter on the panels leads and check what you are getting. If you are not running anything other than topping up it may well do the job. As long as it is a reasonable size panel.
 
Putting covers on will wear the paint surface with the wind moving it around, best to use a wax.
Can you not use a float charger to keep batterys up or remove them to do so, if you cover or pull the fuse on solar charger.
 
trevskoda said:
Putting covers on will wear the paint surface with the wind moving it around, best to use a wax.
Can you not use a float charger to keep batterys up or remove them to do so, if you cover or pull the fuse on solar charger.
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Thanks Trevskoda, another good point,thank you.
My wife’s just told me that I used to worry about this years ago .i think the main cause of our worry is a not so large tree branch speared the roof of our caravan 30 years ago and it wasn’t visible from the ground and it was probably holed for a week in the rain.The water ingress caused the scrapping of the Van.
Back then insurers argued that if you don’t warn neighbours that their trees are a potential threat to your property they are not liable. Unfortunately for us the neighbouring trees have Tree Preservation orders and despite the damage our caravan suffered at the time the County council Tree officer ruled that they couldn’t be trimmed. The motorhome is worth a great deal more than the caravan hence the anxiety about protecting it. In times of heavy winds we have to move it .
Thank you and all who have given us the benefit of your thoughts.
 
Asgard said:
Thanks Trevskoda, another good point,thank you.
My wife’s just told me that I used to worry about this years ago .i think the main cause of our worry is a not so large tree branch speared the roof of our caravan 30 years ago and it wasn’t visible from the ground and it was probably holed for a week in the rain.The water ingress caused the scrapping of the Van.
Back then insurers argued that if you don’t warn neighbours that their trees are a potential threat to your property they are not liable. Unfortunately for us the neighbouring trees have Tree Preservation orders and despite the damage our caravan suffered at the time the County council Tree officer ruled that they couldn’t be trimmed. The motorhome is worth a great deal more than the caravan hence the anxiety about protecting it. In times of heavy winds we have to move it .
Thank you and all who have given us the benefit of your thoughts.
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Best thing is a carport,im going to build one asap.
Chap i know bought steel lamp posts of council and cemented them in and and crossed with wood and steel roof sheets,add a fiber glass clear one where the panel is.
 
If you were to put a clear panel in to allow the solar panel to work you would need to leave some clearance just in case you did get a very sunny day and it got hot.
Personally I'd go for full cover and a small remote panel in a good position angled to get best from the sun.
You could probably go down to 20-30w or so a d still get a decent trickle.
 
Markd said:
If you were to put a clear panel in to allow the solar panel to work you would need to leave some clearance just in case you did get a very sunny day and it got hot.
Personally I'd go for full cover and a small remote panel in a good position angled to get best from the sun.
You could probably go down to 20-30w or so a d still get a decent trickle.
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They rub through the paintwork big time, carport every time.
 
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