Solar Battery chargers?

[disney4dan]

We used to have a generator that we got cheap for topping off our batteries while dry camping; but it is gone for good. It was not loud, but I still did not like running it and have considered what it would take to set up a decent solar charge system?

Anyone gone through this? We tend to choose state parks for camping when they have larger, more private sites near where we want to go. Do you think it's possible to get a decent solar charge system for roughly the same price as a generator? I seem to recall that someone (maybe Jim?) was looking into this also.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

Coleman makes one that you can pick up for under 70 dollars on line which I am considering. It has gotten some very good reviews.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

Here is a link to it, but you can pick it up cheaper off Amazon.

http://www.solarcharger.com/Coleman...eSbNmTb3mTe34Pa38Ta38Rc3b0?sc=8&category=-108

 

[disney4dan]

Sounds like a plan. I started trying to read up on how much we would need, and whether I want to permanently attach to the trailer.

Got me in the mood for camping so much that I went out and cleared a path to the trailer with the snow blower and brought the trailer closer to the driveway!

I noticed they had a multi-panel system for just under 4-bills with a charge controller. That would by just about the price of what we paid for the generator, and no more gas to carry around.

I wonder if the single panel would be enough to "Top off" the batteries each day while we go sightseeing? I guess it depends on how much we use the lights at night.

 

[homebrew2]

Sounds like a plan. I started trying to read up on how much we would need, and whether I want to permanently attach to the trailer.

Got me in the mood for camping so much that I went out and cleared a path to the trailer with the snow blower and brought the trailer closer to the driveway!

I noticed they had a multi-panel system for just under 4-bills with a charge controller. That would by just about the price of what we paid for the generator, and no more gas to carry around.

I wonder if the single panel would be enough to "Top off" the batteries each day while we go sightseeing? I guess it depends on how much we use the lights at night.

Dan that small panel is rated at 9 watt output. That will be assuming
100% output. The average automotive bulb draws about 25 watts.

If you use one lamp for one hour it will take that panel about three
hours to replace the draw on the battery.

If you are gonna go solar you're gonna have to go with the bigger
ones to have any luck. And remember that output depends on
full sun.

The bigger unit puts out about what the low side of a $25 electric
battery charger will do.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

It's pretty much a trickle charger, meant to recharge an RV battery during the day when there would be no power draw. If you're looking into solar panels which would replace shore power to operate more than lights, etc, then you are looking into a much larger, and more expensive, system. Personally, all I am interested in is something to keep the RV battery up on short trips or in the driveway.

 

[disney4dan]

We would mainly be using lights in the trailer at night, water pump and the DSI for the water heater if we use the hot water. Using the showers at the campground comfort stations will help a lot, and boiling water on the stove to do the dishes will help as well.

So, with our plans to keep the new trailer for a while, it makes sense to add some LED reading lights and replace some of the main incandescent lights with LED to reduce power consumption, and then look to the solar panels to bring some life back to the batteries while we are gone during the day.

We have been able to get about 4 days out of our two 6-volt batteries in the past, but that was using just a few of the lights and we were probably draining the batteries down a fair amount. The batteries would be fully charged by the time we get to the site, then charge again on the way home. But they also take a long time to get charged back up.

One of the other den leaders in the local cub scout pack has a three panel solar system on his trailer and I will ask him some more details about them. They tend to dry camp. Not sure if I trust his judgement though, 'cause he towed his trailer all the way to Orlando to go to WDW and did not stay at the Fort!

 

[2goofycampers]

Here is a link to it, but you can pick it up cheaper off Amazon.

http://www.solarcharger.com/Coleman...eSbNmTb3mTe34Pa38Ta38Rc3b0?sc=8&category=-108

A couple questions.
1. Is this all you need?

2. Will this keep the battery from going bad in the winter temperatures even if you leave it outside and hooked up?

 

[ftwildernessguy]

A couple questions.
1. Is this all you need?

2. Will this keep the battery from going bad in the winter temperatures even if you leave it outside and hooked up?

1. For my purposes, this should do the trick.

2. I always pull my battery in the winter, and will use a regular charger to bump it up prior to storage and after storage.

As I said, my main interest is in using it as a "trickle charger" in the driveway during the season, and for the little I will use the inside lights during the season just to bump the battery back up during the day. There is no way this panel alone will take the place of shore power. If you are interested in this, you will need larger panels and more equipment.

 

[disney4dan]

A couple questions.
1. Is this all you need?

2. Will this keep the battery from going bad in the winter temperatures even if you leave it outside and hooked up?

I think that the winter temps are pretty tough on RV batteries, and I always take mine in. We had a vehicle for my son that had a brand new, heavy duty battery in it that was only a few months old. He did not have his license yet, so it sat for quite a while without being started. Being the typical Dad, I just kept reminding him of his responsibility to run the engine once in a while. Eventually, I went out to see if he had been doing this, and the battery was frozen after two months of inactivity in cold weather. Fortunately, they took it back at Carquest, but it was destroyed. Putting it in the warmth to thaw out and then try to charge it did not work.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

I've lost a couple scooter batteries leaving them out for the winter. I now keep my Battery Tender hooked up for the winter. Those little batteries are expensive.

 

[disney4dan]

In order to get the batteries to last longer while dry camping I am looking into some replacement LED lights that use about 1/3 the power and just plug into the existing fixtures.

I'm hoping that they'll have them at the Springfield Camping and RV show so I can try two different brands and compare them before buying more. Has anyone seen people selling LED lights at the RV shows they've been going to?

 

[disney4dan]

So I've done my research and am beginning to think that the whole solar battery array option is worthwhile if I lose the house and have to go on the road and hide.

Some of these set-ups are in the $1500 to $2000 range and everyone is talking about how spending $300 to $400 is not going to do much but kill the batteries with a cheap controller.

I may be a simpleton when it comes to math , but it's starting to sound like $100 to $200 on a second set of batteries and a storage box with a charger would be a lot cheaper, simpler and could be done with one beer in hand. Speaking of beer ; $2000 minus lets say $300 = $1,700 and that equals at least 170 six packs of really good brew.

Or, $1,700 can go a really long way toward fishin and a road trip to where ever the fishin is good.

 

[Born 2 Fish]

So I've done my research and am beginning to think that the whole solar battery array option is worthwhile if I lose the house and have to go on the road and hide.

Some of these set-ups are in the $1500 to $2000 range and everyone is talking about how spending $300 to $400 is not going to do much but kill the batteries with a cheap controller.

I may be a simpleton when it comes to math , but it's starting to sound like $100 to $200 on a second set of batteries and a storage box with a charger would be a lot cheaper, simpler and could be done with one beer in hand. Speaking of beer ; $2000 minus lets say $300 = $1,700 and that equals at least 170 six packs of really good brew.

Or, $1,700 can go a really long way toward fishin and a road trip to where ever the fishin is good.

My God man,,I like the way you think !
I'm all for the one beer in hand, "get'er done" approach and then fishin !! And all that xtra beer money,,well,, it just sends shivers up & down my spine.

 

[homebrew2]

So I've done my research and am beginning to think that the whole solar battery array option is worthwhile if I lose the house and have to go on the road and hide.

Some of these set-ups are in the $1500 to $2000 range and everyone is talking about how spending $300 to $400 is not going to do much but kill the batteries with a cheap controller.

I may be a simpleton when it comes to math , but it's starting to sound like $100 to $200 on a second set of batteries and a storage box with a charger would be a lot cheaper, simpler and could be done with one beer in hand. Speaking of beer ; $2000 minus lets say $300 = $1,700 and that equals at least 170 six packs of really good brew.

Or, $1,700 can go a really long way toward fishin and a road trip to where ever the fishin is good.

Dan....I had faith you'd get your priorities right eventually.

Now Jim??? Not so sure.

 

[solarnrgy]

Solar battery chargers are a great option for powering your devices at home or on the go. These solar panels have been reviewed and tested time and time again as one of the best portable solar battery chargers on the market.

 

[reilly12]

Generating power from the sun is considered to be one of the best alternatives we have today. Aside from the fact that it can produce clean power, it is virtually limitless and available almost anywhere especially in tropical areas. The power is stored in cells where you will tap your electric needs. Of course, there is a downside during prolonged rainy days. So aside from the solar source, you must also be connected to the usual power grid