Battery question???

[Gofishleech]

I was wanting to add solar panels to my fish houses to avoid hauling batteries back and forth for charging or charging with a generator but in researching the set up I see there are flammable gases given off from charging regular open cell batteries. My batteries are located in the same cabinet as the cook stoves that are in bedded so I am thinking the continues charge from the solar panels is not a good idea in rental houses? Do any of you use solar power for charging and are my concerns valid? I have already made the switch to led bulbs and my initial test of the bulbs is they will last many more hours than the old style bulbs and with a 2-battery bank maybe I don’t need charge the batteries that often anyway.

[JSK76]

You're battery's need to be sealed and vented outside even if your not charging them in the house. Lot of people do it the way you are including me in the past but in a rental it might get your self into trouble.

All the manufacture houses have to have vented battery compartments to pass code.

[ReggieSelvidge]

I was wanting to add solar panels to my fish houses to avoid hauling batteries back and forth for charging or charging with a generator but in researching the set up I see there are flammable gases given off from charging regular open cell batteries. My batteries are located in the same cabinet as the cook stoves that are in bedded so I am thinking the continues charge from the solar panels is not a good idea in rental houses? Do any of you use solar power for charging and are my concerns valid? I have already made the switch to led bulbs and my initial test of the bulbs is they will last many more hours than the old style bulbs and with a 2-battery bank maybe I don’t need charge the batteries that often anyway.

I am not huge fan of solar power.. I have got additional battery in order to meet my power demands..

[JigginIsLife]

correct me if im wrong, but if you have a regular battery wont the distilled water in them freeze up, and then they are unable to charge unless the house is kept at above freezing. i dont know i guess but just a thought.

[invadersmn]

Tom -

Glad you asked this question. I just order a custom Ice Castle last friday, and have been doing alot of research on this exact topic. This is far more complex then "dd solar panels to my fish houses to avoid hauling batteries back and forth for charging". My thought was to put 3-4 Batteries in the house and drop a solar panel on the roof to charge my batteries. However after doing some "Simple" searches I am finding all kinds of complex results Finding it highly recommended to run multiple 6V Batteries in Series to generate 12V (6V x 2 = 12V) as you get more capacity and better batteries. Then comes the questions on what solar panels and controller do you want/need. There is alot of topic about how critical it is to have the correct controller, to ensure your batteries are getting the correct charge.

So when it is all said and done, it really depends on what kind of draw you will have on the battery bank, the expected life you wish to have per cycle, and when are you OK with kicking on the generator.

If you are really wanting to rack your mind on this.. here is a great HSOforum my Dad (Full Time RV'er that frequently boondocks/dry camps all around the US) told me about. Really comes down to 'Replenish rate + Storage Supply > Demand'

http://www.jackdanmayer.com/rv_electrical_and_solar.htm

[ReggieSelvidge]

I was wanting to add solar panels to my fish houses to avoid hauling batteries back and forth for charging or charging with a generator but in researching the set up I see there are flammable gases given off from charging regular open cell batteries. My batteries are located in the same cabinet as the cook stoves that are in bedded so I am thinking the continues charge from the solar kit is not a good idea in rental houses? Do any of you use solar power for charging and are my concerns valid? I have already made the switch to led bulbs and my initial test of the bulbs is they will last many more hours than the old style bulbs and with a 2-battery bank maybe I don’t need charge the batteries that often anyway.

I am not huge fan of solar power.. I have got additional battery in order to meet my power demands..

Well thanks for sharing your idea guys..

[BobT]

I'm not sure solar technology has progressed far enough to provide the amount of power required to adequately maintain your batteries unless you only use them once a month or something. I personally wouldn't trust them to do the job.

To the question about distilled water freezing. A fully charged wet cell battery has a freezing point well below most anything we might experience here in Minnesota. A less than fully charged battery on the other hand is a different story. This is partially why I posted my opening comments above. To my knowledge, solar chargers don't provide a sufficient power to recharge a battery that has been deep cycled (drawn down to a low charge state) fast enough to prevent freezing.

Just my thoughts.

[Hawg]

Sure makes a generator sound easy and cheap.

[Gofishleech]

I have scratched the solar power idea and will just use a 2 battery set up. Then will go house to house with generator to charge batteries when needed. I tested some LED bulbs and the results were amazing. I know it will be different in the winter but I had 6 LED bulbs last 80 hours on one deep cycle battery. Thanks for all the comments,,they did help me make up my mind on the issue