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Colo_Native's avatar
Colo_Native
Explorer
Jul 29, 2016

Battery cutoff with solar

Do you use the battery cutoff if you have solar. I just installed my solar and was wonder if I still need to cutoff the batteries because the solar will keep them charged and the little drain might help. Just wondering.

EDIT: I am talking about the disconnect for the FW not the solar to batteries

44 Replies

  • Ductape wrote:
    ... Hard to see any downside to leaving the solar on and batteries connected.
    I ran my solar controller directly to the batteries so I can disconnect them so there is no draw, but still have the solar keeping them topped up. However, I installed a switch in the solar feed for the times when someone was going to service the RV, so if a tech pulls off the cables from the battery they are not hot from the solar.

    Dave
  • In storage for how long? All batteries self discharge to some degree.

    If you do disconnect batts then first disconnect the array.

    I leave ours always on. But we don't store it either. Hard to see any downside to leaving the solar on and batteries connected.
  • Hi,

    If I'm putting the rv in storage I turn off the battery bank.

    The solar goes directly to the bank bypassing the disconnect switch.

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