Forum Discussion

beckid's avatar
beckid
Explorer
May 14, 2013

5Watt solar panel - what else is it good for?

I purchased a 5 watt solar trickle charge panel with the 12V plug-in connector and also the alligator clip connectors. It worked great for the 2 months I needed it. But now I don't need it for charging my battery as I no longer have a vehicle that might sit unused for a length of time.

So my question is - can this 5 watt panel be used for anything else? I'm told it can't be used to charge the coach battery because "the wires are too big" (on the coach) and there isn't enough power for it to work efficiently.

Any ideas? (other than using it as a frisbee)...

Becki
Class A

8 Replies

  • crasster's avatar
    crasster
    Explorer II
    May 16, 2013
    If it is 12V and produces power, it can be used to preserve the life of most 12V batteries. It's an incredibly low powered trickle charger, but works none the less. It can greatly preserve battery life. Things will barely charge even in the at 400ma so long as it is 12V.

    Look at Harbor Freight, and they sell a 12V float charger with 500ma that plugs into the wall. Very thin wires, but will keep a battery going and shuts off when not needed.
  • ThorResidencyNe's avatar
    ThorResidencyNe
    Explorer
    May 16, 2013
    I replaced the broken 5W solar panel that was on my RV when I bought it with a 10W panel I had been using for some automatic gates at my house. The solar panel seems to be doing a good job keeping everything charged. I know another poster said you need 1.5 amps for the chassis batteries, and I think this only puts out 1 amp. However, it seems to be keeping the batteries charged.
  • DSchmidt_2000's avatar
    DSchmidt_2000
    Explorer
    May 15, 2013
    I use a 5W panel on a couple of my vehicles that rarely get driven - a Ranger and a Toyota MR2 Spyder. Works great except the discharge on the Spyder is such that the panel cannot be on the dashboard unlike the Ranger. Sitting on the trunk lit in the open however works fine.


    Meanwhile I found this 5W mono-crystalline panel from Amazon for $15, shipped free with Amazon prime so I had to order one as it was the cheapest I've seen. Got it today - very nice quality. The only downside is the frame is a bit thick - like it's meant for a medium/full sized panel at just under an inch tall. Isc matches the label at 0.32A, Voc is 21V, Imp is 0.3A, Vmp is 16.6V

    It's the rightmost panel in this photo (45W - 20W - 5W)
  • path1's avatar
    path1
    Explorer
    May 15, 2013
    My 5 watt solar panel is zip tied to my a/c cover so it protects some of my a/c cover. Don't want to take off; a/c cover has farmer tan:)
  • aslakson's avatar
    aslakson
    Explorer
    May 14, 2013
    Glue it to the top of your refrigerator vent and power a 12v fan to keep the air moving behind the refer. Works for me.

    al
  • Jim's avatar
    Jim
    Explorer
    May 14, 2013
    A 5W solar panel is only 0.4 amp in direct sunlight. You need at least 1.5Amp to trickle charge an RV battery. And for many hours, not just during the day.

    Many RV manufacturers offer an optional 8W roof mounted solar panel to charge the chassis battery. Those are useless too.

    Perhaps you could use it to charge a cell phone.
  • Altern's avatar
    Altern
    Explorer
    May 14, 2013
    I might be interested in buying it. Will you take a dollar & pay shipping? :)

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