EPEVER solar charge controller

Why Do You Need a Solar Charge Controller?

by Solar PanelsVan Life
EPEVER solar charge controller

A Solar Charge Controller is a regulator for your batteries used to prevent overcharging and discharging. Solar panels are connected to the solar charge controller, as are the batteries. The Charge controller sits in the middle – it’s the link between batteries and solar panels.

You need a solar charge controller to ensure your batteries aren’t overcharged. The voltage on your solar panels can range from 16 to 32 volts or more. For example, a “12 volt solar panel” will actually produce around 18 volts, and without a load, closer to 21 volts. A “24 volt panel” will be producing around 32 volts, and without a load, close to 45 volts.

Your solar charge controller takes care of the higher voltage and ensures that your batteries are receiving the correct voltage. A 12 volt battery is fully charged at 12.6 volts. But to actually charge that battery, the input voltage needs to be over 14 volts usually, and the exact number will depend on the type of battery you have. Some people have their electrics set up as a 24 volt system. If they only had a “12 volt solar panel” – where the maximum voltage would be around 17 volts, it’s not going to have enough voltage to get the batteries charging.

A solar charge controller also prevents power from leaking back, from the battery to the solar panels at night time. Depending on the type of solar charge controller you have, it may have many other useful features, such as allowing you to stop the battery from being over discharged.

With batteries such as AGM or GEL, the amount of power they need from the solar panels changes. If they’re low on charge, they’ll absorb a lot more power. As they get closer to fully charged, they need to soak up less power – slow down the rate of charge, and this again is where the solar charge controller comes in.

PWM vs MPPT Solar Charge Controller

There are two different types of solar charge controller you can install. PWM stands for Pulse Width Modulation and MPPT is short for Maximum Power Point Tracking.

PWM controllers are an older technology and not as efficient as the newer technology MPPT solar charge controller. A PWM solar charge controller, being an older technology are generally cheaper than an MPPT solar charge controller.

A PWM solar charge controller probably still has it’s place in the scheme of things. If you’re only using it in a really small power system, perhaps an 80 watt solar panel to keep keep a battery for some shed lights used occasionally charged up.

However, MPPT controllers are so cheap these days that for most situations I’d recommend using an MPPT controller. At the time of writing, a 30 amp EPEVER Tracer MPPT Solar charge controller comes in at around $209 from Sunny Tech Solar. That would allow you to have up to a 390W solar panel at 12 volts, or 780 watts of solar at 24 volts.  

My Solar Charge Controllers

I’ve got four solar charge controllers. An EPEVER 30 amp charge controller in the van. The motorhome, because there are three different electrical systems has 3 charge controllers. A 30 amp Fangpusun PWM charge controller, a 10 amp EPEVER MPPT controller and a 40 amp EPEVER MPPT controller.

I like the Fangpusun PWM charge controller, it’s easy to use and has served me well. I bought it back when MPPT technology was a little out of my budget.

See more about my electrical set up here.

The EPEVER Solar Charge Controller

I’ve used EPEVER solar charge controllers for a number of years now without any problems. They’re easy to use, the terminals are easy to connect your wires to, and there are a couple of good accessories – the MT50 and EPEVER Solar Station Monitor.

The MT50 is connected to your charge controller and allows you more control of functions, settings and display. It gives more functionality than what you can access from the basic charge controller unit. They’re available at most RV or Motorhome stores such as RV Supercentre. People that have them say they’re worth having, but I don’t have one. I may get one, or two, in the future, but at the moment I’m using the EPEVER Solar Station Monitor.

The EPEVER Solar Station Monitor

Downloading and Installing the EPEVER Solar Station Monitor

The EPEVER Solar Station Monitor is software that you can download from EPEVER and install on your computer. I’ve got it running on an old Windows 7 laptop as well as a newer laptop. It works successfully on both.

All the files you need should come zipped in your download. Unzip the folder and install. It pays to read the instructions! The RS485 cable plugs into the communications port on the charge controller and into the USB port of your computer. I spent a little while searching on the internet for drivers for the RS485 cable, when they were actually included in the download.

You’ll need to purchase the RS485 cable. I bought my cable from Sunny Tech Solar.

The EPEVER Solar Station Monitor Interface

It’s nothing flash, seems like it was coded in the 1990’s (it probably was), probably in C# with Windows Forms, but does what it says on the tin.

You’ll need to set up your ‘solar station’ with the add station button top left. At first it can seem a bit confusing or complicated, but most people will be able to figure it out or at least know someone who can help.

I decided to use the Solar Station Monitor because I had bought ‘drop in’ Lithium batteries, that weren’t really ‘drop in’ batteries. They needed the charge settings to be changed otherwise I was getting high voltage spikes.

The Solar Station Monitor has given me the ability to input the exact settings I want. By clicking on Parameters (P) I can access the following panel which gives you the option to select your desired settings.

You can monitor in real time your load – the blue line, the input from your solar panels – the red line, and the charge going into your batteries, the green line.

The following screenshots relate to the Lithium batteries in my motorhome. Two 100 amp hour Lithium Valley batteries in series giving 100 amp hours at 24V. The Solar panels are two 370 watt panels.

The image below shows the load (blue line). That includes the Samsung 255L fridge, but in it’s off cycle, the Laptop being used plugged in and charging – just over 2 amps of draw (fridge and laptop), mobile phone plugged in charging – jumps up to just over 3 amps, the Samsung 255L fridge kicks into it’s cooling cycle, the large brief jump is the water pump being used momentarily.

The image below – Load is only the Samsung 255L fridge. The fridge cycles on and off as needed, and this is when it is in an off cycle.

Image below – fridge is cooling

Image below – fridge cycles – off, on, off, on. The one blue spike is the water pump.

Image below – fridge cycle on – every so often, perhaps twice a day it seems to do a cycle where it draws a lot higher amps.

Overall I find the EPEVER solar charge controllers to be great. And the Solar Station software gives me the option to see what’s going on if I need or want to, as well as tweak the settings for the charging inputs etc.

In the near future I plan to take some screenshots of the usage in my small van. Using the same batteries set up in parallel as 200 amp hours at 12 volts, running a 40 litre Waeco fridge, 1100 watt Nomad Pure Sign Wave Inverter with laptop, phones, and lights, a much smaller system, but also only one 270 watt solar panel.

In the meantime, be sure to check out Lake Aniwhenua – one of my favourite freedom camping spots!

Chinese Diesel Heater

Installing a Chinese Diesel Heater

by Van Life
Chinese Diesel Heater
Diesel Heaters, aka Space Heaters or Parking Heaters

Installing a Chinese diesel heater in your motorhome, van, or RV is a great way to keep warm in the winter. They’re efficient, provide a warm, dry heat, and are relatively easy to install yourself. I’ve got two diesel heaters installed. In this article I’ve put together my thoughts on the Chinese diesel heater.

Based off the Eberspächer and similar heaters originally, the Chinese ‘copy’ of this parking heater has become extremely popular. They cost a fraction of the price. People who own them can often be heard stating that they could buy a Chinese diesel heater and six spares for the cost of one Eberspächer heater. I’m not sure anyone has ever needed to though as the Chinese copy seems to be reliable if installed and operated correctly.

Cost of Chinese Diesel Heaters

The cost of these heaters has dropped dramatically over the last few years, and spare parts for them have increased in availability. My first Chinese diesel heater cost $650 second hand 5 years ago, and I’ve recently bought another one for $250 from Trade Me. They can be purchased direct from overseas for a similar, if not cheaper price.

My Diesel Heaters I’ve Installed

I’ve found the Chinese diesel heaters to be generally reliable and good. I have one in my van, one in my motorhome, and I’ve just purchased a second one so as to have two in the motorhome. I’ve done this as a back up, they’re cheap enough and while reliability seems good, you just don’t want it to break down on a cold night and have no heating. So I figured since they’re so cheap I’d throw a second one in.

The heaters I have are 5KW. The van, being small heats up in ten minutes. The motorhome at 9 metres is the perfect size for the 5KW heater, and often I only run it on it’s lowest setting. It’ll warm the entire motorhome up easily. Although I’ve never timed it, my estimate is that from 8 degrees inside the motorhome, it will be up to 20 degrees in 15 minutes. On a cold day outside it’ll keep you plenty warm enough.

Chinese Diesel Heater
Chinese Diesel Heater

How Many Amps Do Chinese Diesel Heaters Draw?

Chinese diesel heaters need power as well as diesel to run. They use the most power on start up while the glow plug does its thing. It’ll draw about 8 to 10 amps while it starts up – around 5 minutes or so. Once running, depending on your heating needs it’ll use roughly one amp an hour. Your existing power supply should be adequate to run the diesel heater. Running my diesel heater has very little impact on my power supply. It’s running off a couple of AGM batteries and 300W of solar. See more about my electrical set up here.

How Much Diesel Does a Chinese Diesel Heater Use?

Diesel use is minimal. The actual amount you use will depend on the heat setting. On a low setting you’re probably looking at around 0.2 of a litre per hour, and if you turn it up to a high setting you’ll be using closer to half a litre of diesel per hour. Realistically, diesel usage is not an issue – I find that I run my heater on it’s lowest or second lowest setting. So allowing 0.2 liters of diesel per hour I’m getting 5 hours of heating for a litre of diesel. Although diesel prices have gone up somewhat, it’s still pretty reasonable considering I wouldn’t have the heater going all day. Even on the lowest setting in the day time, it’ll get too warm inside with it constantly on.

Install a Carbon Monoxide Alarm

Diesel heaters exhaust fumes contain carbon monoxide which can kill quickly and silently. Although the exhaust exits outside the vehicle, I’d never install or use a diesel heater in a location without a good carbon monoxide alarm. I’ve got two in my motorhome. It’s just not worth the risk.

Can You Install a Chinese Diesel Heater Yourself?

The short answer is yes. The longer answer is that it depends how handy you are at wielding a few tools. You’ll need to cut a hole in the floor of your vehicle, and wire up the electrics to the battery.

Depending on your vehicles floor you may need to cut or drill through wood or metal. My motorhome has a wooden floor and the van has a typical metal van floor.

You’ll need to carefully plan and consider where you’ll install the heater. It needs to sit upright. On the bottom of the heater is an air intake which the heater uses to bring in air from outside for the combustion process. Next to this is the exhaust outlet, and this again must be vented to the outside of your vehicle. The exhaust gets very hot! As does the outer casing of the heater. This really means you need to use common sense when installing. You’re dealing with something that if installed incorrectly, is dangerous. With that said, I’d say give it a go yourself. Plenty of people have installed them, there’s even Facebook groups dedicated to Chinese diesel heaters.

Diesel Heater Components

What’s in the box? All this apart from the kitten

The diesel heater arrives neatly packed in a box with all the components you need. At first you’ll probably wonder if you’ll ever work out how to put it all together. For my first install, I had a pretty good idea of how it went together, but I decided to ask someone to confirm a couple of questions I had.

It’s a little bit like a jigsaw. Most components will only go in one place. For example in the picture below I’ve attached the air intake pipe (black) and put the round filter on the end. And the silver pipe is the exhaust with the muffler still in the bag. The silver pipe and black pipe are slightly different sizes. Therefore you can’t put them on the wrong part of the heater – they won’t fit – like a jigsaw. All this minus the clamps that are provided to tighten and hold it all firmly together.

Heater showing air intake pip and exhaust pipe connected

The photo below shows the fuel pump and filter with the fuel line provided. If you haven’t yet bought your diesel heater, I’d recommend getting one that has this coloured fuel line. It’s what I’ve always got, and I’ve read in a number of places that it’s better than using the green fuel line that some of the Chinese diesel heaters come with.

Chinese diesel heater fuel pump
Fuel line, fuel filter, and fuel pump

The photo below shows the fuel filter and the fuel pump. Fuel flows from the tank, to the fuel filter, and then to the fuel pump. The fuel filter ideally should be facing the other way as any sediment in the fuel can then catch on the outside of the little mesh basket inside the filter as opposed to filling up the small mesh basket. There’s no arrow on the fuel filter, whereas the fuel pump has an arrow on it that shows the direction of fuel flow / install.

Fuel filter (installed around the wrong way!) and fuel pump

You can install your heater using the 10 litre plastic fuel tank supplied, or you can T off into the vehicles fuel supply if your vehicle is diesel powered. The photo below shows the supplied pipe to connect to a vehicles fuel tank. The connections along the fuel line are made using the supplied rubber hose which you cut to small sections, push the white pipe into, and clamp with the supplied fittings.

Fuel line for vehicles fuel tank
Short black rubber hose

Install an Additional Power On/Off Switch

I recommend adding another power switch. When you connect the heater to your battery, with most of these heaters the LCD screen will stay on. I’d rather have control of what items are on in my van, RV, or motorhome, especially when it comes to a device that can give off carbon monoxide fumes and creates heat. Although generally very reliable and good heaters, I’ve walked into my motorhome and found the heater ON, albeit only the fan blowing cold air, but some fault has caused it to switch itself on. I’ve read of similar things on Chinese diesel heater Facebook groups.

Some people will suggest that you don’t add another power switch. Their reasoning is that someone may accidentally turn the heater off using this switch. Indeed, it’s important that the heater is not switched off by an external switch. The heater must be switched off using the off button on the controller provided. The heater then goes through it’s own cool down cycle. This must be allowed to happen. Once it’s done this, you can use your additional switch to completely cut power to the heater.

All things considered, I’d rather have control over when the heater has power supply to it. If you’re worried about someone ‘accidentally’ turning the heater off by your additional power switch, mount the switch in an out-of-the-way place.

Other Tips I’ve Learned Along My Diesel Heater Journey

Install the fuel tank outside rather than inside the vehicle. It makes it easier to fill up and it’s not going to make the vehicle smell of diesel if you inadvertently spill diesel while filling.

Make sure the fuel pump is installed on the correct angle. Check your instruction booklet that comes with it. Although perhaps a bit hard to follow, the pump needs to be installed on about a 45 degree angle.

There’s a correct way to install the muffler on the exhaust too. Have a close look and you’ll see a small hole on one edge. This is to let any moisture drain out of it. It needs to be installed so that moisture can drip out this hole.

You can draw in air from outside the vehicle, or recirculate the air inside the vehicle. I’d recommend recirculating the inside air. That way you’re not ‘heating up’ cold outside air. It also prevents drawing in outside air which may smell of diesel exhaust.

Point the exhaust away from your vehicle. You don’t want the exhaust smell hanging around or exhaust fumes with carbon monoxide building up under your vehicle.

Note the angle of the fuel pump

Please note that none of the above is intended as a “how to guide”.

I’d recommend the Chinese diesel heater. For $250 NZD you can’t go wrong. Have a go at installing it yourself. Use common sense, talk to people who have installed them, there’s plenty of information on YouTube and Google, and join the Facebook groups.

So go ahead, get yourself one of these heaters and get out there over the winter months! Here’s a recommendation of one of my favorite places to stay – The Three Sisters, Tongaporutu!