Solar or Generator for Boondocking
This is for a truck camper, no a/c. This would be to keep batteries charged. I was putting together a solar kit (on paper, for purchase at a later date) and started thinking about a generator and wh...
Forum Discussion
pnichols wrote:
I'm not sure what type of batteries you have, but our AGM ("dry cell") RV batteries will not accept any more current when they're full - regardless of the value of the charge voltage still on their terminals. I call it a "hard stop" to their charging. I've verified this time and time again with an ammeter in the charging cable for the batteries.
Wet cell RV batteries may not act this way, so perhaps a solar system and it's controller that continue to apply charging voltage to wet cell RV batteries may boil away the battery liquid hour after hour because of current flow through the liquid in their cells that never completely stops.
I'm not sure what would happen with any size solar system sitting in the sun when/if the RV batteries become fully charged and stop accepting any more - or only a very small - current. I assume the solar controller is designed to protect itself under all current flow conditions. I don't know what the solar panels themselves do sitting in the bright sun do when current is shut off by a controller (or by AGM batteries) from being able to flow out of them ... I don't think that they burn themselves up.
This hard stop is certainly what I am observing with my AGM Telecom battery also. There comes a point where it just acts like a sealed container, once it's full, it's full, can't put any more amps into it, so don't force it.
