Solar Powered Trickle Charge and Charge Controller Setup

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
Nate in FL

Nate in FL

Active member
Joined
Apr 1, 2018
Posts
41
Location
Palm Harbor, FL
I store my TT in a storage lot without power access... typically will be left 3-5 weeks at a time. I would like to have the ability to use my power jack and open my slides at the storage lot. In looking for a solution to not have a dead battery upon my arrival, I am leaning toward purchasing a solar powered trickle charger.

Has anyone had success with such a setup?
Is anyone aware of any models that have a charge controller built in? Is a charge controller necessary?
Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced charge controller and/or solar charger setup?

Thanks!

Nate
 
A 50 watt panel could be used without a controller to keep a single house battery topped off, if the battery has no loads on it. (Like when the RV is in storage.) Under ideal conditions, 50 watt panels only put out about 2.5 to 3 amps, so there's little chance of it overcharging a single battery, but it's about enough power to keep up with a battery's self discharge. The larger your battery bank, or the cloudier the sky, the more solar you'll need. Don't count on a 50 watt panel doing you much good while boondocking though.

Kev
 
Our WS31 has been at the shop for 2 weeks now and I have been watching the batteries getting lower & lower.I am wondering if a little unit like this would keep them topped up while sitting.
p.s. I'm thinking 100 watts because I have 4-6 volt batteries to charge.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071JQQL84/?coliid=I1AREX6SP5XQQV&colid=1E8BU09LC29V8&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
 
Yeah I am just looking to keep charge on one 12volt Deep Cycle battery during storage... definitely not looking for a solar system to power my battery during use. Keep in mind I also have a battery disconnect, which I believe would lessen the amount of power needed to keep it topped off. I guess I am more concerned about too much charge damaging the battery than no enough  :-\
 
I bought a 30W solar panel from Amazon for around $90. It comes with a voltage regulator, but I opted to purchase what I though was a better controller for around $10. It kept about 1.5 amps going to the battery. Worked well for me.
 
Hello all,

In an effort to follow up with an outcome, I wanted to let you all know that I ended up settling on what I feel was the best setup. I ended up purchasing a "Battery Tender" brand 5 watt solar charger with a built-in charge controller. Got it on sale for $57 on Amazon. I figured this would give me plenty of a "trickle" charge along with no worries of overcharging. I also felt that Battery Tender was a reputable brand. I set it up wth no issues so hopefully it works as it should!

I have attached a photo of the setup. Thanks everyone for your advice!
 

Attachments

  • IMG_2136.jpg
    IMG_2136.jpg
    148.3 KB · Views: 23
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 889 (members: 27, guests: 862)

Forum statistics

Threads
131,915
Posts
1,387,345
Members
137,667
Latest member
awiltzius
Back
Top Bottom