Forum Discussion
Could use an auto battery maintainer that shuts off when fully charged.
Ebay
I have several of those $5 ones and they work well, except the plastic power cord tends to crack in temps below zero F.
I have a vehicle that is seldom used and then only for a few minutes at a time. The battery is chronically undercharged even with a 12 watt solar panel maintainer. I think this is due to the panel being ineffective without a battery charge controller.
I also am a light user of electricity. The fridge is old with no fan or auto defrost. No TV. The microwave is our breadbox. With a 100 watt solar panel the batteries have not gone below 97% charge all summer (3 trips of 4 days each). I never plug in to shore power or generator.
I agree that the multimeter is an essential tool, great for seeing if the battery is being charged. But not so good for telling how charged it is.
Ebay
I have several of those $5 ones and they work well, except the plastic power cord tends to crack in temps below zero F.
I have a vehicle that is seldom used and then only for a few minutes at a time. The battery is chronically undercharged even with a 12 watt solar panel maintainer. I think this is due to the panel being ineffective without a battery charge controller.
I also am a light user of electricity. The fridge is old with no fan or auto defrost. No TV. The microwave is our breadbox. With a 100 watt solar panel the batteries have not gone below 97% charge all summer (3 trips of 4 days each). I never plug in to shore power or generator.
I agree that the multimeter is an essential tool, great for seeing if the battery is being charged. But not so good for telling how charged it is.
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