12thgenusa wrote:
What are the implications of this for a solar charging system? When not in use, my trailer sits day after day with the solar controller in float. The batteries discharge a small amount overnight due to parasitic loads then recharge the next day--probably 1% or less. Is this more harmful than disconnecting the batteries for several weeks or a month and then top charging? Another option is to leave the batteries connected to the solar charger, but disconnect power to the trailer. Or is this not what the article is about and it doesn't really matter at all?
I don't know the answer.
I do leave my banks on solar year round. The 79AH has 130W solar and the 110AH has 170W solar. Every day the controllers repeat their daily charging cycle, whether camping or in storage. I vote you do the same.
If you look at life cycle charts, you see a geometric gain in cycles at the lower discharge %s. And yes, a cycle in this sense means discharge/recharge. If you wait 5 days to recharge, that is one cycle.
HTH;
John
