Car battery charging kit

[Marilyn]

Hi
I am looking to buy a small solar panel to put on the windscreen of my motorhome to help charge the vehicle battery when not in use as it keeps going flat. I want one that will turn off once the battery is fully charged so it does not overcharge and damage the vehicle battery. Hope this makes sense. Any ideas or recommendations.

Many thanks

 

[Jim]

Hi Marilyn, I've seen quite a few of those small panels in use over the years, I don't know how good they are or what they cost. Many people use a battery Master to do that job, but for it to be effective, you'll need too be on hook up or have a panel on the roof already. Some details here http://shop.motorhomefun.co.uk/product/battery-master/

 

[pappajohn]

A 'small' panel will be as much good as a box of weetabix sat on your dash at this time of year.
To stand any chance at all it needs to be at least 50watts.
A 50watt panel won't produce enough to damage your battery and may even struggle to keep up with demand due to sunless days. No sun, no power.

 

[autorouter]

If the battery is going flat over a period of weeks rather than days, then a small panel, maybe 20 or 30watts, stuck on the inside of the windscreen with suckers, will probably do the job. I have had some success with a small panel, less than 5 watts, but it was south-facing, angled to the sun, and unshaded. A panel of 30 watts or less doesn't need a controller, especially when it's not summer.