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clg82's avatar
clg82
Explorer
Nov 24, 2014

Help with solar power.....

Hello everyone well if you're been following my threads lately you'd know that I just installed two new 12v deep cell batteries and a progressive dynamics converter into our TT....after our last boon docking trip, turns out the old converter from 1989 wasn't charging efficiently and I wasn't charging my batteries like I had expected....well now I have another question I have a small(ish) solar panel that I would like to use when i'm out on the trail in our jeep...so which one of the batteries that I have connected in a series should I connect the solar panel to, to help the batteries stay topped off...thanks for any help!~Chris
  • time2roll's avatar
    time2roll
    Nomad
    Nov 24, 2014
    I would not bother with a panel less than 100 watts for in use or 50 watts for storage.
    That panel is probably 5w or less and not worth the effort.
  • teejaywhy's avatar
    teejaywhy
    Explorer
    Nov 24, 2014
    clg82 wrote:
    Hello everyone well if you're been following my threads lately you'd know that I just installed two new 12v deep cell batteries and a progressive dynamics converter into our TT....after our last boon docking trip, turns out the old converter from 1989 wasn't charging efficiently and I wasn't charging my batteries like I had expected....well now I have another question I have a small(ish) solar panel that I would like to use when i'm out on the trail in our jeep...so which one of the batteries that I have connected in a series should I connect the solar panel to, to help the batteries stay topped off...thanks for any help!~Chris


    You post is not real clear.

    Hopefully, you do not have two 12V batteries connected in series, that would give you 24V.

    If your two batteries are connected in PARALLEL as normal, they appear to your system as one big battery. You just connect your panel to the plus of one and the neg of the other and it will charge them both. Be advised, a small panel as you described (perhaps 10 or 20W?) will not really be able to put any significant charge back into your battery bank.
  • 2oldman's avatar
    2oldman
    Explorer II
    Nov 24, 2014
    clg82 wrote:
    .not sure what you mean by what series?
    Read your OP.
  • clg82's avatar
    clg82
    Explorer
    Nov 24, 2014
    2oldman wrote:
    clg82 wrote:
    I have a small(ish) solar panel that I would like to use when i'm out on the trail in our jeep...so which one of the batteries that I have connected in a series should I connect the solar panel to,
    How small, and what series batteries are we talking about?


    the size of the solar power panel is about twice the size of a sheet of paper...maybe a little smaller....not sure what you mean by what series?
  • 2oldman's avatar
    2oldman
    Explorer II
    Nov 24, 2014
    clg82 wrote:
    I have a small(ish) solar panel that I would like to use when i'm out on the trail in our jeep...so which one of the batteries that I have connected in a series should I connect the solar panel to,
    How small, and what series batteries are we talking about?

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