# solar power charger



## daveil (Mar 14, 2010)

just ordered a (cheap) solar powered battery charger,in the hope that it will keep the leisure battery topped up :?: question is, do you plug it in using cigarette socket,or connect direct to leisure battery terminals :? and can i leave it connected permanently :?: or just connect when van is laid up :?: :?


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## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

Hi.

The lighter socket would only charge the engine battery, to charge the leisure batteries you will have to connect to them, a bit more info on the solar panel would be needed to evaluate if you needed a regulator on to stop overcharging the batteries. 
If you have only got a twee solar panel it probably will not be any good at keeping them topped up as the sunlight in the UK is at a premium and the output will be too small to make a difference..


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## tonka (Apr 24, 2006)

If it's one of those very cheap ones like about 2watts.. Your going to be real dissapointed, they just dont generate anywhere near enough.. 
Whats size you ordered ????? in watts...


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## daveil (Mar 14, 2010)

1.8w  but will it keep the leisure battery going if i am away for 3 weeks :?:


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## tonka (Apr 24, 2006)

errr... NO....
I would not even waste the time on connecting it..
Are you trying to maintain the leisure battery while in storage or while you are actually using the van ??

When I first had solar it was one of those briefcase one's from Maplins. They are about 13 watts at £50-60, better than nothing and useable in summer when at a rally for a few days.. Generally 80w and upwards should be considered, depending on your power useage in the van..


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## spatz1 (May 19, 2011)

if its any consolation ..

i bought one of those 7 years ago, plugged it in the lotus and was well naffed off to find it flat and the battery had to be replaced..

I plugged it into a flat jump start battery pack that wouldnt charge off the mains and the last time i saw it some months on it was still flatish ...heavy on the ish !!

I dont have it or the battery pack anymore as
I was burgled and amongst other things they took it...

Was the only thing that afforded me a smile that day....


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## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

Hi.

1.8w  but will it keep the leisure battery going if i am away for 3 weeks .


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## daveil (Mar 14, 2010)

will it help the leisure battery from dying while the van is laid up for 3weeks while i am out of the country :!:


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

daveil said:


> will it help the leisure battery from dying while the van is laid up for 3weeks while i am out of the country :!:


If you're laying up for weeks I would take it out and put it on a charger optimizer at home continuously.

Such as
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ctek-CTE-XS3600-Battery-Charger-Function/dp/B000RHWCNY


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## tokkalosh (May 25, 2006)

Hi daveil

I personally think that if your leisure battery is in good condition and there is nothing draining it, three weeks is an ok length of time to leave it.


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

tokkalosh said:


> Hi daveil
> 
> I personally think that if your leisure battery is in good condition and there is nothing draining it, three weeks is an ok length of time to leave it.


Yes indeed


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## daveil (Mar 14, 2010)

the brand new one that came with the motorhome didnt last 4 weeks  .just bought another and dont want to be caught out again :!: thats why i hoped this solar thing might help, if i have to leave van unattended in a hurry :!:


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## tokkalosh (May 25, 2006)

If you think about it, why are you worried about the leisure battery and not the vehicle battery?

Go for it, connect the charger and away you go


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## safariboy (May 1, 2005)

I would check the base current by putting an ammeter in the earth line. On my van it is effectively zero for the leisure battery and it stays up for several months.
It is the starter battery which causes the problem because the base load is over 100mA.
I now have a solar panel (for other reasons). This tends to overcharge the batteries and I have to keep adding distilled water. The mains charger provided by Swift never caused gassing but kept the batteries well up.


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## j20ands10 (Sep 16, 2010)

Techno100 said:


> daveil said:
> 
> 
> > will it help the leisure battery from dying while the van is laid up for 3weeks while i am out of the country :!:
> ...


everyone keeps mentioning these charges yet

Maximum battery current rating (charging) - 75Ah. ?Maximum battery current rating (maintainance) - 120Ah

OK if you have one battery but it would appear most have 2 which would mean this charger is not suitable.

I have just discovered after contacting the manufacture my clever motorbike charger is only rater for 50ah

_Thank you for your enquiry. The OptiMate 4 is not suitable for charging
batteries over 50Ah as it has a 48 hour limit on the main charge cycles.
During this time the charger will only be able to deliver approximately 35Ah
to the battery. This feature prevents continuous charging of defective
batteries. The charger best suited for your application is the OptiMate 6.
This charger also features the 48 hour main charge timer however during this
time is able to return up to 240Ah of charge.
_


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## Techno100 (May 8, 2010)

Good observation :wink:
However I would not imagine that a dual battery set up will cause the same problem of going flat so quickly in the first place.


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