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dribj

New member
Joined
Jul 31, 2010
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3
I purchased a 20 watt solar panel to maintain the deep cycle marine battery when we are out away from hookups.
Up to 4 nights while using the fridge, water pump and lights only. Using sparingly.

Is this solar panel watt small enough that I can hook it up directly to the battery without fear of over charging?
or do I need a control regulator?
 
Should be ok as is. 20 watts @ 14v (charging voltage) is less than 1.5 amps and that is only when the sun is direct overhead. Some of these panels may run as high as 18v, though, and that's not healthy for a battery, even for an hour or so. Check the panel output voltage when the sun is high, just to be sure.

Is your fridge 12v or propane? 20 watts isn't going to help much if the fridge is running exclusively on 12v power. Use the propane mode, if available.
 
Thanks for the information. Very helpful.
My solar panel is putting out 18V easy (cloudy day).
I will hook it up to the regulator that came with the kit.
 
It is best to use a charge regulator to keep the voltage around 14v or less. Deep cycle are very sturdy batteries as the plates are thicker than the standard car starter battery. When using multiple batteries to run larger loads with you can hit them with 16-18 v to top off and do a balance charge that makes all the cells work better together, but over 15v and I would worry about boiling the battery if left unattended. You can get one for under $75.00
here is some info on regulators
http://ludens.cl/Electron/solarreg/Solarr~1.htm
 
dribj said:
Thanks for the information. Very helpful.
My solar panel is putting out 18V easy (cloudy day). I will hook it up to the regulator that came with the kit.
If you mean without the load of the battery, I would say that was normal, even  on a cloudy day. If you mean after it's connected to the battery, then there's a problem somewhere.



-Don- Reno, NV​
 
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