Useing solar panels as a trickle charger?

[Hans3T]

Hey all,

Has anybody here used a solar panel as a trickle charger for your battery? I am still having issues with my battery dying because I don't drive the 3T much. Now that I've got the GOBI, I was thinking that attaching a solar panel up there to use as a trickle charger might help combat the dead battery all the time.

This is the product I'm looking at here, Solarforce 50033.

The other option I've investigated is a "Battery Brain" that can be used to sever the electrical connection after voltage drops too low...but that always causes presets to be deleted, clock to reset, etc...so that is not ideal.

What ideas can anyone offer? Thanks in advance.

Edit: I realize I misspelled "using" in the thread title...d'oh!

 

[abearden]

The other problem with the disconnect method is it leaves the battery discharged and doesn't stop it from self-discharging even further. I can't speak for the quality of the solar charger you're looking at, but if you get a decent amount of sun they work great. Just may have to worry about snow covering the panel in winter.

 

[3Hummers]

Our horse trailer has a solar charger for the battery. It is a 12" x 12" and only does a decent job. I think a slightly bigger panel would work better. I have a battery kill switch in the 92. It has worked very well for me.

 

[Steve #1]

I used basic one on my K5 until it warped in the Texas heat and shorted the charger out

 

[rsc]

15W sounds pretty low, will that even cover self-discharge and parasitic drain?

 

[chaos254]

Any reason you dont want to use a wired one? I have a battery tender jr for my mustang and it works great

 

[ReconH3]

Any reason you dont want to use a wired one? I have a battery tender jr for my mustang and it works great

X2 I always travel and leave for long periods at a time and I use the battery tenders all the time.

 

[3Hummers]

I use the battery tenders when I will be away for a long time but usually don't leave the trucks unattended long enough to need to do that. They do work great though.

 

[Hans3T]

The reason for not using a wired battery tender (which I agree would be ideal) is that my current living situation does not facilitate running an extension cord into the parking lot...would just invite unwanted attention I presume.

Not much snow in winter here in NC, so a solar panel may be the best bet as I would like to avoid the hassle of losing all of my settings every week.

I'm not sure what the parasitic draw is, so I'm unsure if 15w would be too little to be of any help. I'm afraid I may just have to be the guinea pig.

 

[Steve #1]

Rule of thumb is that anything over 2A is unacceptable and will kill your battery in two days. I've tested my H3 with accessories that get constant power and it was under .7A so 7A should be plenty.

 

[abearden]

The reason for not using a wired battery tender (which I agree would be ideal) is that my current living situation does not facilitate running an extension cord into the parking lot...would just invite unwanted attention I presume.

Not much snow in winter here in NC, so a solar panel may be the best bet as I would like to avoid the hassle of losing all of my settings every week.

I'm not sure what the parasitic draw is, so I'm unsure if 15w would be too little to be of any help. I'm afraid I may just have to be the guinea pig.

Parasitic draw is the residual draw needed to keep the settings saved on the radio, and any other always on circuits (alarms, ECU, etc). 15W is a little over an amp at 12V which should cover parasitic draws.

Steve, there are intelligent float chargers that will run as much amperage as needed but reduce power once the battery is charged.

 

[Hans3T]

Great info guys. I appreciate it. I'll probably order the panel tonight.

Posted via Integrated Brain Wave Chip

 

[Hans3T]

Panel is ordered and hopefully weather will allow fir an install this weekend.

Posted via Integrated Brain Wave Chip

 

[4speedfunk]

Sounds like a band-aide to me. Seems like you've had these charging issues for a long time. Have you thought of directing your efforts to finding the voltage leak rather than adding a dohinky to keep up with the current draw?

Electrical problems suck and they can be difficult to track down but, my H3 has been sitting since July 4th (6 weeks) and it will fire up without hesitation. If your T goes dead inside a month....something is wrong.

 

[ReconH3]

Sounds like a band-aide to me. Seems like you've had these charging issues for a long time. Have you thought of directing your efforts to finding the voltage leak rather than adding a dohinky to keep up with the current draw?

Electrical problems suck and they can be difficult to track down but, my H3 has been sitting since July 4th (6 weeks) and it will fire up without hesitation. If your T goes dead inside a month....something is wrong.

X2. I would still get a trickle charger but would solve this issue ASAP.


"Ex Umbris Venimus"

 

[Big2dabank]

I installed some OEM head rest DVD players from a 2008 H2 a couple years ago. I was lazy and cheated and just tapped into the hot I used for my front locker. Turns out the DVD players draw a fairly large amount of current even when they are not on. It was so much draw that it affected my remote door lock/unlocks. So I rerouted the DVD players to one of the retained accessory power leads and that fixed my issues.

 

[Hans3T]

Sounds like a band-aide to me. Seems like you've had these charging issues for a long time. Have you thought of directing your efforts to finding the voltage leak rather than adding a dohinky to keep up with the current draw?

Electrical problems suck and they can be difficult to track down but, my H3 has been sitting since July 4th (6 weeks) and it will fire up without hesitation. If your T goes dead inside a month....something is wrong.

Oh it absolutely is a bandaid. Yes, I've had the problem for some time now. I have tried everything within my knowledge, I've pulled every fuse I've got, I've disconnected accessories in an attempt to pinpoint the culprit, but all to no avail.
I'm at a loss with it, really. And I never even swamped my truck in an excavation pit. :roll:

Posted via Integrated Brain Wave Chip

 

[4speedfunk]

Hmmm...got to be a bare wire somewhere? Maybe something rubbed thru the insulation after a mod? Could be anywhere.

You should rewind your memory and see if you can recall when it first started happening. After your lift? After your BA bumper install? After some lights were added? That might point you in the right direction.

 

[Hans3T]

I'll go through and check the wires. I hadn't thought of that.

Posted via Integrated Brain Wave Chip

 

[CaseyS]

You need a charge controller too. Here is one example

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Sunforce-7-Amp-Solar-Charge-Controller-60012/202218721

Edit: Never mind, noticed the kit in your link has one included. This is done all the time to maintian batteries on remote data aquisition sites.

 

[rascole]

Do you have a multi-meter? Pull each fuse and check for amp draw on each circuit. You might be surprised at what you find. I just did that on my brother-in-laws 95 suburban and found the horn relay had an internal short and drawing 2.5 amps and killing his battery every few days.

 

[Hans3T]

I hooked the panel up today and so far, so good. I had a nice bit of sunshine and I put the meter on it -- 15 watts just as advertised. This should keep the battery happy in between weekend driving.

I wrapped the exposed bit of wire on the roof in loom. I removed the driver's a-pillar and "breather" cap to run the remaining cable to the battery.

While reading instructions, I saw that the resistor had to be mounted in a dry area...so I ghetto rigged a Tupperware to keep the unit water resistant. If anyone has a better suggestion for this I would greatly appreciate it. I did a 100 mile trip today and, while hot, the Tupperware did not melt (which was my concern).

Not the prettiest, but functional...I think.

Posted via Integrated Brain Wave Chip

 

[IISPEEDYII]

I hooked the panel up today and so far, so good. I had a nice bit of sunshine and I put the meter on it -- 15 watts just as advertised. This should keep the battery happy in between weekend driving.

I wrapped the exposed bit of wire on the roof in loom. I removed the driver's a-pillar and "breather" cap to run the remaining cable to the battery.

While reading instructions, I saw that the resistor had to be mounted in a dry area...so I ghetto rigged a Tupperware to keep the unit water resistant. If anyone has a better suggestion for this I would greatly appreciate it. I did a 100 mile trip today and, while hot, the Tupperware did not melt (which was my concern).

Not the prettiest, but functional...I think.

Posted via Integrated Brain Wave Chip

That looks pretty cool up there!

 

[evldave]

This is a great idea, and one I have been looking into. I run a couple android tablets in the truck, and it sits for days at a time. Rather than turn them off + unplug all the other various electronical bits in the truck, I'm planning to set up a solar panel setup. I already have an 80W setup for camping, but will go with the following (About the same $$, but separate parts not in a kit). I have a dual battery setup, so the solar panel will charge the deep cycle battery, not the truck battery.

20 W Solar Panel from SolarBlvd. I got all the parts for my trailer solar setup here, and have been more than happy (it's many years old). I may not get this exact panel since I don't really have room on the roof, but something similar will work...

http://www.solarblvd.com/Solar-Pane...20-Watt-12-Volt-Solar-Panel/product_info.html

With that panel, you need a charge controller. I am going with the old standby (same as I have for my 80W setup, so I know it's reliable). 10A, so allows you to upgrade your panel later if you want (fridge?).

http://www.amazon.com/Morningstar-S...09761135&sr=8-1&keywords=morningstar+sunsaver

That + some wiring and connectors is all you need.


One suggestion for anyone reading this thread...if you are concerned about security for your panel, and aren't comfortable leaving it attached to the roof, instead of using battery clamps, hardwired, or a quick-connect on the output of the panel, use a 12V accessory plug (lighter plug). It can handle the current (10A), and can be easily plugged into any outlet in your truck to charge the main battery. This makes it easily removable, or movable if you want to use it on more than one vehicle or trailer. I've used that setup for years on multiple vehicles, both my own and others, and it works fantastic and is portable (and secure since you put it in your house/truck each night). Not great for this particular situation, but a viable alternative if you are in a worrisome area.

 

[DaveK]

I'm arriving a little late to this thread, but I wanted to suggest a few thoughts regarding battery charging. Whether the battery is discharging due to non use or because of all the accessories that we have added, there really are only two ways to keep things topped off, (without losing presets) - using a battery tender or solar. Solar is relatively inexpensive, reliable, and flexible enough to meet almost any needs.

With the addition of a 12V Fridge Freeze cooler, the radios, and my collection of accessories that all have a parasitic draw on the battery, the only way to keep things charged was solar, especially when we are in remote areas. These pictures show how a 100 watt panel was mounted on the H2. It is fully automatic, completely out of the way, takes up no space that would otherwise be used for storage and produces enough energy to power all of my accessories when we are on the trail.