Many of our customers, especially those with converted panel vans and motorhomes like to go “wild camping” and will want power without plugging into a site hookup.
Advances in technology in the last few years allow us to offer some really great solutions to get the best from your 12V power system, and happily stay “off grid” for many days.
Often we receive calls from customers to help out with power problems, and often this is a direct result of different components being installed on a piecemeal basis. We take an holistic view and consider how the solar panel, mains controller and charger, engine charging, and appliances all interact.
We can provide a rigid solar panel, which is designed for vans with a flat roof, and flexi panels that will suit a panel van conversion. More than one panel can be fitted, assuming that there is space on the roof of course, to increase charging capacity. A solar charging regulator is needed to transfer the solar panels charge into usable energy that can go into the battery.
Many folk worry about drilling holes in the roof to fit these panels. Only one hole is needed, and we use a gland and block that is designed for this purpose and will not leak or compromise the roof.
Solar panels create a charge in almost all weather, and are not just for the camping trips in the Mediterranean. As you will see from the solar potential maps in the South of England the amount of power that can be harvested from the sun is substantial. The solar panel will maintain your leisure battery in a charged state whilst your van is in storage, prolonging the useful life.
Regulators can be upgraded to include a bluetooth app which tells you exactly how much charge is being delivered.
Pricing
| Installation of single 100W rigid panel with PWM regulator and LCD display, including spoiler and fixings | £520 |
| Upgrade to 100W flexible panel (for a curved roof) | £60 |
| Upgrade to 120W rigid panel | £20 |
| Upgrade to MPPT regulator | £30 |
| Upgrade to MPPT regulator that charges both leisure and vehicle battery | £160 |
Found a cheaper quote?
Our pricing is based on the use of good quality components from reputable manufacturers. We use the appropriate grade of cable to reach your battery, and ensure that the fuses needed to make the installation safe are included. The time needed to properly clean the roof and ensure good adhesion with quality adhesives is allowed within the price.
We see many cheap installations where the cables are under-rated causing voltage drop and weak charging, and cheap regulators that cause over-voltage problems. It is also quite common for cheap brackets/adhesives to fail and detach from the roof.
Larger installations are available, please call us for pricing. We can also fit high-quality Victron equipment with bluetooth management apps.
Prices listed assume that we are fitting to a mainstream panel van conversion or motorhome of conventional layout.
Up until fairly recently the only option for charging your leisure battery from the alternator of the car or base vehicle was a “split charging relay”. This would supply just a few amps to the leisure battery, less if the fridge is switched on whilst travelling.
Now we can offer a boosted charging solution, which can deliver up to 30Ah. Just a few hours of driving will deliver a significant charge to the leisure battery. Coupled with a solar panel this solution has a really good chance of fully replenishing a leisure battery that was heavily used the previous evening.
A bluetooth app add-on is available so that you see how much charge is being delivered.
Tourercare price to supply and fit from £400
An inverter will produce mains voltage (230V) from the 12V leisure battery in your van. In simple installations, you simply plug your low power mains appliance (e.g. a laptop charger) directly into the socket in the inverter. More complex installations will link the inverter into the mains sockets already in your van, with a relay to switch between the inverter and site hookup.
Tourercare can supply and fit inverters from £145
If you have just one leisure battery in your van, then extra capacity can be added with a second battery.
We will supply a second “like for like” battery, and add it to your van’s electrical system (assuming that there is room of course!)
A second battery solution is available from £230
Lithium batteries represent the best solution currently available in terms of battery lifetime, and the amount of power that can be stored and delivered.
A lithium battery is smaller and lighter than existing lead-acid and AGM batteries. Typically lithium weighs 50% less – that’s a considerable benefit if you have a van that is tight on payload and currently has two batteries installed.
The life span of a lithium battery is typically 5 times that of AGM. It’s ability to discharge and recharge repeatedly (i.e. the number of cycles) is significantly greater.
So, although a premium solution, it is fit and forget. You won’t be changing a lithium battery every three or four years.
Lithium battery pricing is very volatile and tends to be dropping – call us for the latest pricing.
We source many of our off grid solutions from Falcon Technology, an established UK company that has been well known in the camping and caravanning market for many years. The products are UK designed, and the majority are UK assembled. Tourercare is an approved Falcon installer, and knows that the products are innovative and well-made.
We also supply from a range of other suppliers, choosing what we believe to be the best product for the situation.
We will discount all Falcon products whether we fit them or not.
See the Falcon website for more info, and if contacting Falcon directly please quote MCEA081 to obtain your discount.
