Solar battery?

[Nthernlgts]

Do any of you use a solar charger for your battery? My pop up has a 12v 750mca Deep Cycle battery. I'm thinking of getting one as we will likely be doing a fair amount of camping without hook ups. What are you currently using and are you happy with it? Suggestions?

[Mustang65]

Originally Posted by Nthernlgts

Do any of you use a solar charger for your battery? My pop up has a 12v 750mca Deep Cycle battery. I'm thinking of getting one as we will likely be doing a fair amount of camping without hook ups. What are you currently using and are you happy with it? Suggestions?

First off, WELCOME to the forum. You have a couple things to think about here.

You indicate that you are looking at doing a FAIR amount of dry-camping. If that is going to be more than a 2 days in a row, you will probably want to change out that battery to a true deep cycle battery. One thing to remember is that a TRUE deep cycle battery(s) does not have either a CCA or MCA rating. Those batteries are designed to be both a starting battery and almost a deep cycle battery. True deep cycle batteries are only rated in Ah. There are 6VOLT options (2 in series = 12VDC), 12VDC options, Sealed vs flooded, larger Ah ratings..... There are MANY choices for you to research. Don't rule out a small generator.

You also mentioned you are looking at SOLAR, which in a lot of cases is a good investment, can be $$$, but will they be able to keep your batteries charged based on your battery usage? You will need to do some calculating to see how much solar power you will need to meet your usage needs. There are a lot of members that use 100 watt systems and add another panel to make it easier to charge your batteries. Use the search tool and enter solar.

Below the RVing with SOLAR link will give you a little information regarding SOLAR charge controller types, deep cycle battery info, how to hook up more than one battery properly.


One thing I will suggest is that you go on to Amazon and order a digital display voltage meter that you can keep in the camper to monitor your batteries voltage. You do not want to let your battery voltage drop below the 12.0VDC level. If you do not keep a charger on your battery it is also recommended to pull the campers main fuse by the battery so that the battery will not be drained by the CO alarm, or radio...

Good Luck,

RVing with SOLAR

One of the favorite SOLAR information sites for RVing is
https://handybobsolar.wordpress.com/


Don