Solar battery maintainer

[marcortez]

I want to be able to connect a small solar panel to trailer batteries, while in storage for weeks/months on end, to keep the batteries ready to roll and always charged.

Can someone recommend a small solar unit that does not require a charge controller.....2 amp......5 amp....??
Brand names?.....

Batteries to be kept charged are 2 Trojan T-105.

On other batteries, I have used a 1 1/2 amp float charge battery maintainer but that required 110V outlets.

[chuckster57]

I have this one. Use it for my truck that has a pair of GP65 batteries. My truck can sit for a few weeks between starts, and I just put it on the dash when I'm not using the truck.

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...2567&ppt=C0005

[marcortez]

Originally Posted by chuckster57

I have this one. Use it for my truck that has a pair of GP65 batteries. My truck can sit for a few weeks between starts, and I just put it on the dash when I'm not using the truck.

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...2567&ppt=C0005

That looks like exactly what I was looking for.
The 110V battery maintainer I have now is the same manufacturer......no problems whatsoever.


I am a bit concerned with the need for a charge controller?...
What do you think?

[chuckster57]

If it needed one it's probably built in. NOT trying to be smart alex, but sometimes I think people can over think things.

[marcortez]

Originally Posted by chuckster57

If it needed one it's probably built in. NOT trying to be smart alex, but sometimes I think people can over think things.

Ha ha.....color me an overthinker.....

I want to avoid, if at all possible, from frying two brand new Trojans by boiling the water out of them by using a charging device that has no control over the juice going in.

If you say that solar charger did not boil your truck batts dry, that's good enough for me.

[the sodfather]

I've got a small Coleman solar panel that I bought. It works very well. I installed a quick connect/disconnect between the panel and the battery. Amazingly nobody has stolen it. I keep it on my camper when stored at the storage building...

[CaptnJohn]

Originally Posted by chuckster57

I have this one. Use it for my truck that has a pair of GP65 batteries. My truck can sit for a few weeks between starts, and I just put it on the dash when I'm not using the truck.

http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/de...2567&ppt=C0005

That looks to work well. Thinking of getting one for when I close up the 5er June/July/August. Should be fine in the storage facility.

[bartbill]

Do you hook it up to "both" batteries?

[chuckster57]

With a pair of 12V batteries, the positive posts are connected together and the negative posts are connected together. The power leads to the trailer should be hooked up to the ends, meaning positive to one battery positive and the negative to the OTHER battey negative. You can connect the solar panel to the same posts as the trailer feed or the opposite posts on the batteries as long as the solar positive is on a positive battery post and the solar negative is on the OTHER battery negative.

In the case of two 6V batteries, they are connected in series (positive of one battery to negative of other battery) and the solar leads need to match the trailer leads.