Do solar panels burn thru batteries?

When stored I have shore power connected and use my disconnect switch. I turn it on Saturday morning and off Sunday evening. I just have the battery charging over the weekend. My six year old group 27 marine battery is still going strong.

barngal wrote:
... Do well maintained batteries last as long as car batteries?

If properly maintained, my experience is they last longer. If properly installed, having solar will help with battery life. All you will have to do is check the battery water level. If you change to AGM batteries, with solar, there is no maintenance. This is assuming you store your TC outside.

Wayne

By the way, your charging system has two modes, "charge" and "tend." When the charger reads that the battery is at full charge, it switches to tending mode. I don't know the frequency, but it regularly checks the battery charge and only tops-off when the battery goes below a certain level.

We still disconnect our camper per my above "disconnect" post when the camper and/or vehicle is going to sit more than a week or so.

Your camper will have a disconnect switch. When the camper is going to sit for any length of time, you "disconnect" and all connections to the battery are disconnected. Nothing will drain or overcharge the system.

People don't realize that any vehicle that is going to sit should have a battery disconnect. It's a simple in-line device you put on the negative terminal of the vehicle's battery, usually with a big screw top that you loosen/tighten by hand. Your battery will be fresh the next time you want to start up.

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction! I'll check on the controller. Its a 2005 Arctic Fox 990 (immaculate condition)
I can ask the old owners how often they replaced them too, since they were the original owners.

Do well maintained batteries last as long as car batteries?

Your experienced friend should take up another subject.

"My experienced friend recommended that solars tend to overcharge the batteries"

The solar panels only make electricity. The charge controller is responsible for battery charging and maintaining. What charge controller comes with your TC? Three stage? Known brand?

With any wet cell battery the water needs to be checked regularly. Depending on what solar you get its really perfectly regulated.

The solar panel most likely will have a built in charge controller. Ideally you want one you can adjust the voltages.

Set the voltages to your batterys specs for charging and there should be minamal boiling off of water.

All wet cells lose and boil off period. Its part of charging.

Case in point, I had my batts out during winter and used a very low amp wall wart trickle charger. Inspection last week showed water loss. The two deep cycle batterys took almost two dixie cups worth of distilled water.