Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 07-12-2016, 06:51 PM   #1
Platinum Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: VA
Posts: 991
Default Vehicle Battery Solar Charger

I got a 1.5w solar charger from Northern to keep my vehicles' starting battery charged when the vehicle sits. It puts out 22.3 volts when not connected to the battery. Will this voltage harm the battery?
peteco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2016, 08:29 PM   #2
Bronze Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 47
Default

Probably not since it's only 1.5W. Once you connect it to the battery the voltage will drop quite a bit. I wouldn't trust it without knowing more though. Is it just a solar panel and it gets directly connected or is there some charge controller included?
papab is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2016, 09:34 PM   #3
Platinum Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: VA
Posts: 991
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by papab View Post
Probably not since it's only 1.5W. Once you connect it to the battery the voltage will drop quite a bit. I wouldn't trust it without knowing more though. Is it just a solar panel and it gets directly connected or is there some charge controller included?
Packaging says it has overcharge/discharge protection. It looks like the Northern house brand (Ironton) of the Coleman 58215 on their site. Reviews are pretty good. Years ago I had one that killed a battery so yeah I am a bit wary. I am testing it on an extra battery before putting in my Roadtrek. It brought the battery up to 12.57 volts from 12.43 over the course of 5 hours.
peteco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2016, 10:20 PM   #4
Platinum Member
 
Bruceper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Manitoba
Posts: 677
Default

Without a charge controller, you risk over charging and killing the battery.
Bruceper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-13-2016, 04:44 PM   #5
Platinum Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: VA
Posts: 991
Default

I left the solar charger hooked up last night. The voltage dropped to 12.47. So there is some "leakage" through the diode. I will keep testing it on my spare battery for a few days. It will be interesting to see how high the voltage goes. I should be able to catch it.

Any thoughts on what would be the max voltage before the battery is overcharged and could be damaged?
peteco is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-13-2016, 05:15 PM   #6
Site Team
 
avanti's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 5,321
Default

I tried several of these cheap battery-maintenance chargers (from Harbor Freight) on several vehicles. I was never able to convince myself that they produced a net gain in charge.
__________________
Now: 2022 Fully-custom buildout (Ford Transit EcoBoost AWD)
Formerly: 2005 Airstream Interstate (Sprinter 2500 T1N)
2014 Great West Vans Legend SE (Sprinter 3500 NCV3 I4)
avanti is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-13-2016, 05:47 PM   #7
Platinum Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: VA
Posts: 991
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by avanti View Post
I tried several of these cheap battery-maintenance chargers (from Harbor Freight) on several vehicles. I was never able to convince myself that they produced a net gain in charge.
That may be the case here, but most reviews are positive. I paid $8 for it as it was a closeout. Northern is closing out their Ironton line and replacing with Klutch named items. I wonder where they come up with these goofy names.
peteco is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3

All times are GMT. The time now is 07:10 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.