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14th January 2019, 18:41 | #1 |
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MG ZT,MG ZT-T Join Date: May 2008
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Solar battery "charger"
Hi Peeps,
Having two ZT/TT`S (greedy) and only using one at a time I have just bought a solar charger from Halfords (6.0 W) to keep the redundant car ready for action. I have put it under the sunroof and would like to know how to check that it is keeping the the battery sufficiently charged, tips please folks. Neil |
14th January 2019, 18:54 | #2 |
This is my second home
Rover 75CDT, Jaguar XF-S 3.0V6, V'xhall Omega V6 Estate, Twintop 1.8VVT, Astra Estate and Corsa 1.2 Join Date: Dec 2007
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Check the battery voltage every week and see if there is any droop over a month, two months etc.
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14th January 2019, 19:49 | #3 |
This is my second home
Rover less ! Join Date: Jun 2011
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I purchased a Lucas solar charger which plugs into the OBD port
I’ve been using it for my Wedgewood which is sitting idle at the moment but it still needs a proper charge using the Cetek after a few weeks. To be fair it’s winter time do not much sunshine. Solar panel sits of rear shelf and facing to the south. |
14th January 2019, 19:51 | #4 | |
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Rover 75 saloon Join Date: Dec 2018
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Quote:
What the amps have to be to successfully trickle charge a 12v car battery is a mystery to me so far so research continues. |
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14th January 2019, 20:07 | #5 |
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R75 Saloon. Join Date: Feb 2009
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I've been using one for years. What it does is supply just enough power to offset the losses through the ECU and also the slight natural losses of the battery itself.
It won't charge up a partially discharged battery. It will however hold a fully charged battery in a fully charged state. I have monitored my battery over several seasons now and it does work.- |
14th January 2019, 20:25 | #6 | |
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Rover 75 saloon Join Date: Dec 2018
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Quote:
Cheers. |
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14th January 2019, 20:30 | #7 | |
This is my second home
R75 Saloon. Join Date: Feb 2009
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Quote:
If not, I know there are quite a few for sale on the market. You need one with a reasonable output that will give some kind of a charge even on dull days. |
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14th January 2019, 21:16 | #8 | |
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Rover 75 saloon Join Date: Dec 2018
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Quote:
There's literally squillions out there it's a job to know which one to go for, if you could post up the specs of the unit you have (when ready) I may be able to find something similar if not the same. Cheers. |
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14th January 2019, 21:29 | #9 |
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1979 Capri 1.6L, 1982 Capri 1.6L, 2016 Dacia Stepway Join Date: Jun 2009
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A lot of these solar panel chargers can become faulty very quickly, they in fact drain the battery instead of charging it.
My large one I bought from Maplin killed my battery, the built in reverse blocking diode failed which then reversed the energy flow back through to the solar panel, its quite common. |
14th January 2019, 21:34 | #10 | |
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Rover 75 saloon Join Date: Dec 2018
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Quote:
Surely there must be a decent item out there that does what it says on the tin? |
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