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Im thinking of solar to maintain the battery in my generator. It's on the correct side of the house - south and west so even in winter will get 5 hours or so of sun a day. What else do I need besides a solar panel, and what capacity do I need on the panel? The battery is a 12v. Is something like this going to do it?
http://www.amazon.com/MicroSolar-Contoll...tery+maintainerYes, I knwo there are probably cheaper options I'm just trying to figure out what parts I need and what wattage the solar panel needs to be.
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crokett™ said:
Im thinking of solar to maintain the battery in my generator. It's on the correct side of the house - south and west so even in winter will get 5 hours or so of sun a day. What else do I need besides a solar panel, and what capacity do I need on the panel? The battery is a 12v. Is something like this going to do it?
http://www.amazon.com/MicroSolar-Contoll...tery+maintainer
Yes, I knwo there are probably cheaper options I'm just trying to figure out what parts I need and what wattage the solar panel needs to be.
At $50, you're below the threshold for spending much time worrying about cost. As long as that thing has a controller in it (which it apparently does), I'd just be done.
I'd prefer a more robust connection to the battery though and might look around for something not cigarette and clamp connected. Ring terminals direct to battery would be better.
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That's a good suggestion. Most of these are designed with the cigarette lighter end so that you can plug them into a car to keep it charged. I think I will leave that and just replace the alligator clips with rings.
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How about this one plus a Battery Tender ring terminal adapter.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006JO...TPSXQJTEMVGQ6CBThe adapter should show up below the charger as an add-on.
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Of course, you could just go with a traditional Battery Tender also if power is nearby.
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Further research...
It appears that the cheap panels might not include a proper charge controller. Just cells hooked up to battery, which can lead to overcharging.
Deltran has a solar charger that does include a charge controller, but its double to triple the cost.
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"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government." -- Patrick Henry
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Mr_Mike said:
Of course, you could just go with a traditional Battery Tender also if power is nearby.
Power isn't but it could be. I have to pull from the panel to the disconnect for the generator anyway. I'm debating this if only as an excuse to put an outside outlet on the back of the garage. I haven't decided if there's room inside the generator housing for a charger or not, although I suppose it could sit in the garage and I just pull the leads to the battery.
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I have the Cyntur battery booster. It has enough juice to start 30 cars in a row with no other battery to help. It re-started my neighbor's car when she left the lights on overnight.
It is small, light and easy to carry and very handy if your car battery ever dies. I'm fairly certain it will start your generator.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00U2CD...ailpages00There are several video reviews on line and all seem positive. It holds a charge for a full year. Mine is just 6 months old and I just re-charged it. The meter said it had a full charge but it continued to charge for a little over an hour so it did lose something.
This video shows 44 starts. But I'm pretty sure that these were not "cold" starts. But impressive nonetheless.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW5eH5htiWA
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Size of solar panel needed depends on the battery amperage.
Starting with a charged battery, that doesn't get used, I would get a cheap, low amp panel and wire it, without a controller. I don't think a low amp panel would over charge the battery.
I've seen 12 volt 1.5 amp panels for $5 delivered. Actual voltage output is the important part. If a panel puts out 12 volts, it's not going to charge a 12 volt battery.
I might just try one for a garden tractor battery.
I was going to use a left over panel and controller, from my last boat, but might give the 1.5 amp panel a try. It's easy to check battery voltage for a few weeks, to be sure we don't fry a battery.
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Somebody else suggested something like that. However I think I want a trickle charge on it. I found one that will fit inside the generator housing and is only 20 bucks. I figure Iwill pull an outlet out behind the garage and then extend that to a box inside the generator housing.
