Continuous charging bad?

[DaveT]

Is it a bad idea to leave my solar system charging the batteries all the time? Is there a risk of "over charging" and shortening battery life? I have a Renogy system.


D

[TWP723]

You can buy solar panel controllers to manage it. But yeah, you can overcharge a battery without one.

[SmokerBill]

I have Renogy panels and a Renogy MPPT charge controller. When the batteries are fully charged the controller goes into "float mode" charging, which basically provides just enough charging current/voltage to maintain the full charge of the batteries, just like the converter in your RV will. It's not a problem at all if the solar charge controller is functioning properly.

[DaveT]

Yeah Renogy "system" = Renogy panels and controller. Sounds like I'm OK. Thanks.

[Bob K]

Originally Posted by DaveT

Yeah Renogy "system" = Renogy panels and controller. Sounds like I'm OK. Thanks.

Agree. If you have a charge controller integrated with the panel, you can leave it hooked up to the batteries indefinitely. This'll allow the charge controller to send a float charge to the batteries and keep them maintained indefinitely (just like a Battery MINDer or a Battery Tender).

[craigav]

Originally Posted by DaveT

Is it a bad idea to leave my solar system charging the batteries all the time? Is there a risk of "over charging" and shortening battery life? I have a Renogy system.


D

The best answer also depends on the battery type you have. For example it is not a great idea to float charge and keep Lifepo4 batteries fully charged when not needed, but keeping lead acid batteries fully charged is a good thing, as long as the float voltage is not too high. ~CA