Solar Battery Charger ??
We store our unit under a covered storage spot. The factory installed solar panel ( for what it's worth) is thus not exposed to the sun. I was thinking about getting a solar charger that I could moun...
Forum Discussion
I have a 12 volt, 12 watt panel from an auto store that I use to help maintain the battery on a little used van. The problem is the van is often used only once a week and gets about two starts and 15 minutes of engine run time. The solar panel isn't able to recharge the battery. I doubt it can even cover the 0.5 amp parasytic draw.
Someone gave me a very nice looking 7.5 watt solar panel in a nice case. It would fit nicely on a dashboard. I tried it on a lawnmower battery which had 12.47 volts, no load. The panel was 16.1 volts no load. When the panel was connected to the battery the Voltage remained at 12.47. A current of 6 mA flowed into the battery. Would that be enough to maintain its charge? It is a bright but cloudy day; no doubt the panel would do better on a sunny day. But could it push 7.5 watts into a 12 volt battery?
The 100 watt Renogy panel and Renogy controller do a great job on the house batteries in our motorhome. The panel has a no load voltage over 20.
I think the panel would have to have a charge controller to prevent overcharging a battery.
Someone gave me a very nice looking 7.5 watt solar panel in a nice case. It would fit nicely on a dashboard. I tried it on a lawnmower battery which had 12.47 volts, no load. The panel was 16.1 volts no load. When the panel was connected to the battery the Voltage remained at 12.47. A current of 6 mA flowed into the battery. Would that be enough to maintain its charge? It is a bright but cloudy day; no doubt the panel would do better on a sunny day. But could it push 7.5 watts into a 12 volt battery?
The 100 watt Renogy panel and Renogy controller do a great job on the house batteries in our motorhome. The panel has a no load voltage over 20.
I think the panel would have to have a charge controller to prevent overcharging a battery.
