Solar Battery Charger

[TonyC]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( My point is that someplace like Brownsville, Texas must have well over four times that amount and, hence, would be able to benefit from solar chargers for more than I would.)</font>

Gary, you will probably be surprised to find out that Brownsville, Tx gets about the same amount of sunshine as Fort Wayne, In.! If you go to the government site here you will see what I mean. This site tracks the "Sunshine Days" for areas throughout the country. You get an annual average of 59 days, Texas gets 60. I'm sure the days in Texas are much hotter but the frequency is the same. Your point is still well taken...it beats living in Seattle! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[TonyC]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( The charging panel sits on the roof )</font>

The problem I encountered, Jim, is that the cheaper units don't appear to be made to be left outdoors. Is yours waterproof or do you just leave it out anyway and it does fine? For twenty bucks if it lasts a couple of years I guess thats okay.

I am installing a fuel tank with a 12 volt pump and thought the solar panel will help keep it charged.

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

Man... Would I have ever lost a bet on that.`

 

[MossRoad]

Well, I went out and attempted to start my truck. The battery was still in the same state that I left it 5 days ago and it failed to turn over the engine. So, I reseated the clamps on the battery and will let it ride for a few more days and report back.

 

[BobReeves]

If the battery has been left discharged for any length of time it may not charge no matter what charger you put on it.

 

[MossRoad]

I'm pretty sure if I put my normal battery charger on it, it'll charge and hold. I'll let it run another couple of days, as it is cloudy today. If it doesn't charge, I'll put the normal charger on it and see if it holds a charge. To be fair, you could be completely correct and the battery could be no good. We'll find out in a few days. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

To put some details to the problem;
I have a 1/2 ton Chevy with 350(no the problem is not I should have bought a Ford). It sits for long periods of time. When I go to start it, I have always had to crank it for 10 seconds, wait a minute or two, pump the gas a few times, then crank it again for about 5 seconds before it takes off. Been like that for 10 years. This time I cranked it for 10 seconds, waited a minute, cranked, waited, cranked, waited. Repeated about 5 times before the battery wouldn't crank the engine as fast as normal. Rather than running it down to nothing, I decided to try the solar charge to bring it back up before continuing. So the battery had enough power to crank the engine several times before it started gettng weak. I've checked the connections, etc... I just wanted to bring the battery up to peak before cranking the engine again. I'm in no hurry, so we'll see what happens.

 

[BobReeves]

Sounds familiar, I have a 71 Chevy with 350 that I only use when I need to haul something that won't fit in my Caravan, It gets started maybe twice a year. Before I bought the Solar charger I was having to replace the battery about every other year because it would self discharge and oxidize between starts/charges. The Solar panel has been on the truck for the last 4 years, my battery problems went away and it always starts when I need it to. Keep the gas tank full and use a fuel stabilizer.

 

[TonyC]

Since we seem to have some success stories out here can anyone recommend a particular make by model or part number that I can look into?

Thanks.

 

[JRP]

I did add a bead of clear silicone around the glass. So far it is good. Prices on these will continue to go down no that they are made in China.

The solar cell on the fuel tank battery is a great idea. If I ever get a rolling tank I'll be sure to do that. You also gave me an idea to locate my diesel barrel near the shed and then I can wire a plug in (trolling motor plug?) for the pump. The FEL makes opening the hood more difficult. Thanks
/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[JRP]

MossRoad:

I work with large industrial stationary battery systems.

A 12 volt battery will fully charged at 13.6 volts. This is called a "float voltage" and it won't hurt the battery to charge it at that voltage <font color="green"> </font>. If the voltage is held constant at 13.6 the current will drop off to a small tricklel. After the charger is removed the battery voltage will drop below 13.6, however. This is OK.

You can "equalize" the battery by charging it a about 14.5 volts for about 8 hours. This will actually cause electrolosis and boil off a small amount of the battery water, but this also conditions the plates and is good maintenance to do every six months or so.

If you have a digital volt meter you cvan measure the battery voltage when the solar cell is connected. You know the battery is topped off if it measures 13.6 volts. The solar cell is a good maintainer, but probably will take a very long time to bring back a discharged battery.