Hi - New Zealander seeking advice. Have 1991 Ace Globetrotter to which I have recently fitted a solar panel. When on a powered campsite the battery is being charged from both the solar panel and the on-bard charger so probably over-charging which causes regulator to cut out. Where is the on-board charger located so I can fit a switch into that circuit? Thanks. Graeme (angra at xtra.co.nz)
Hi from the UK. No replies yet, so I'll venture a quick suggestion... when on electric hook up, couldn't you just disconnect the solar panel?
Like you say, you don't need both charging at the same time, so one or the other has to be disconnected somehow. I hope someone comes along later with an Ace who can help.
-------------
Discounted Insurance Quotes for UKCampsite.co.uk visitors! Up to 12.5% off!
Over charging is most unlikely as both chargers should monitor the voltage and act accordingly. The charge rate could be a bit high if you had a very large solar cell and were charging a quite discharged battery. As a guide figure the maximum charge rate should be about 10% of the batteries AH rating, so for a 110 Ah battery a charge current up to 11 Amps would be fine.
Unless you have some low quality chargers then they should work happily in parallel, each looking after its own thing. It is very common that solar cells are permanently wired up to the battery vis a charge controller, so not disconnected whilst on EHU.