Solar power battery maintainer

[KelandDale]

Good evening people. I am not too sure if this has been asked before but cannot find the thread. I have our MH in outside storage. Last week after about 2.5 months, the battery was flat. Thought about a solar power battery maintenance charger. Has anyone got experience in this area? Obviously it will not charge the leisure battery OR is there a way to do both? What are peoples thoughts. We do have a alarm, so need power. TIA

 

[Stealaway]

There's not been much sun recently so you could struggle depending on the solar panel size.
You can buy a dual battery solar charge controller.

 

[Lenny HB]

You need to fit a 100 watt panel and dual regulator or single regulator with a solar split charge relay.
The small solar battery maintainers are useless.

 

[Funnymunny]

You need a solar panel to charge your leisure batteries and then fit a battery master to keep your engine battery topped up from the leisure side.
Vanblitz at Taunton supply and will also fit. I had the same problem 8 years ago and fitted a battery master and had no problems since

 

[TheBig1]

the toys sold on the high street are totally useless at keeping a battery topped up over winter

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[autorouter]

I used a small 2.5 watt panel, connected directly to the battery with no controller. It was quite successful in keeping the starter battery topped up. It was in ideal conditions, attached on the inside of the windscreen, facing south, with no shading.

A second panel to keep the pair of leisure batteries topped up was not really up to it - but they went down at a slower rate than without the panel. In the same situation I would go for 10 watt panels - I'm sure they would be suitable.

 

[Richard n Ann]

Consider the output to be half if you're putting a panel in the windscreen. The windscreen filters out the uv light. Got a 5w one in the car when we go away, works ok.

 

[chrisinplymouth]

VanBitz fitted our system 4 years ago, 150w panel, victron solar controller and battery master. Keeps both engine and hab batts charged .... never had a problem.

 

[autorouter]

Consider the output to be half if you're putting a panel in the windscreen. The windscreen filters out the uv light. Got a 5w one in the car when we go away, works ok.

This is a myth. UV contributes almost zero to the panel output. I'd be more bothered about Infra-Red, which contributes some energy. Maybe those glass films that reduce heat will have an effect, though.

 

[Richard n Ann]

This is a myth. UV contributes almost zero to the panel output. I'd be more bothered about Infra-Red, which contributes some energy. Maybe those glass films that reduce heat will have an effect, though.

Yes something does anyway, measured it ?

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