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Author Topic:   Solar battery chargers?

flawton posted 12-02-2004 06:54 PM ET (US)
I am looking for a relatively easy way to way to maintain my battery. I use my boat (17' newport, 90 2s yamaha) on a regualr basis from april to october and much less during the rest of the year (but I still use it). I would like to keep the battery fresh year round.
Has anyone had any success with the solar chargers that are on the market? Can they be used without disconnecting the battery from the components (a real pain in the neck to crawl under the dash to disconnect/reconnect)?
Thoughts/comments
thanks
wwknapp posted 12-02-2004 07:46 PM ET (US)
I've used solar panels for a number of years. There are some really nice solutions for battery maintenence, and they definitely improve battery life.
Here's what I use:
http://www.uni-solar.com/cons_products_marine.html
I have a FLX-5 on my pontoon boat that's been maintaining it's battery anytime I'm not using it since 2001. The panel comes with a connection cable with a quick connect in the middle so you can remove it without having to dig out the connection. I have that quick connect stub connected to the battery directly and just plug the solar panel in and toss it on the deck when not using the boat. You do not have to disconnect any of your electronics or wiring.
I had a larger FLX panel I was using on my Montauk. But I've moved it into a enclosure where there is not enough sun. For the moment until I sort it out I'm using a quality battery charger every week or two. And that panel is currently keeping the battery on my utility trailer happy.
There are other brands of panels, there are variations in the durability of solar cells and so on. The cheapest is probably the VW panels that are frequently auctioned off on ebay. But, I don't know just how weatherproof they are, and they are a smaller panel than even the FLX-5.
Walt
wwknapp posted 12-02-2004 07:48 PM ET (US)
A working link:
http://www.uni-solar.com/cons_products_marine.html
Sorry about that
Walt
JohnJ80 posted 12-02-2004 08:03 PM ET (US)
I use a solar panel to keep the battery in my racing sailboat charged. There is a cable that connects to the battery and leads to a connector that allows the panel to be easily connected and disconnected.
West Marine had a great solar panel battery advisor sidebar in one of their catalogs (probably availalbe on line) that tells you when you need a regulator. Basically, though if you have a panel that puts out an amp or so and into a typical battery (105Ah or so) you don't need a regulator.
You can leave all your accessories attached, just make sure none of them have a low current draw that would negate your solar panel.
Anyhow, works great. My sailboat has all its instruments and lights run off the battery. I have never had a dead battery and I have never charged my battery any other way during the summer.
J

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Author	Topic: Solar battery chargers?
flawton	posted 12-02-2004 06:54 PM ET (US) I am looking for a relatively easy way to way to maintain my battery. I use my boat (17' newport, 90 2s yamaha) on a regualr basis from april to october and much less during the rest of the year (but I still use it). I would like to keep the battery fresh year round. Has anyone had any success with the solar chargers that are on the market? Can they be used without disconnecting the battery from the components (a real pain in the neck to crawl under the dash to disconnect/reconnect)? Thoughts/comments thanks
wwknapp	posted 12-02-2004 07:46 PM ET (US) I've used solar panels for a number of years. There are some really nice solutions for battery maintenence, and they definitely improve battery life. Here's what I use: http://www.uni-solar.com/cons_products_marine.html I have a FLX-5 on my pontoon boat that's been maintaining it's battery anytime I'm not using it since 2001. The panel comes with a connection cable with a quick connect in the middle so you can remove it without having to dig out the connection. I have that quick connect stub connected to the battery directly and just plug the solar panel in and toss it on the deck when not using the boat. You do not have to disconnect any of your electronics or wiring. I had a larger FLX panel I was using on my Montauk. But I've moved it into a enclosure where there is not enough sun. For the moment until I sort it out I'm using a quality battery charger every week or two. And that panel is currently keeping the battery on my utility trailer happy. There are other brands of panels, there are variations in the durability of solar cells and so on. The cheapest is probably the VW panels that are frequently auctioned off on ebay. But, I don't know just how weatherproof they are, and they are a smaller panel than even the FLX-5. Walt
wwknapp	posted 12-02-2004 07:48 PM ET (US) A working link: http://www.uni-solar.com/cons_products_marine.html Sorry about that Walt
JohnJ80	posted 12-02-2004 08:03 PM ET (US) I use a solar panel to keep the battery in my racing sailboat charged. There is a cable that connects to the battery and leads to a connector that allows the panel to be easily connected and disconnected. West Marine had a great solar panel battery advisor sidebar in one of their catalogs (probably availalbe on line) that tells you when you need a regulator. Basically, though if you have a panel that puts out an amp or so and into a typical battery (105Ah or so) you don't need a regulator. You can leave all your accessories attached, just make sure none of them have a low current draw that would negate your solar panel. Anyhow, works great. My sailboat has all its instruments and lights run off the battery. I have never had a dead battery and I have never charged my battery any other way during the summer. J