Solar charger

[Bryce]

Bought a new house last year with a solar charger installed. Doesn't seem to add much power to batteries if any. Am I somehow not using it right? 2 alligator clips tried in both combinations would be pretty fool proof I would think. Is there just not enough juice in a system such as this to be effective? May be this is just a trickle charger that takes days to charge a battery but I would think it would add some time to my battery use. Has anyone used a wind generater? Saw more of these in use on boats in the Carribean this winter than the solar variety. How effective are they? Cost? Who carries them in TC?

[Guest]

I have used these in the winter to keep batteries topped off but, have not had much success as a full charger. One thing to keep in mind you have to have almost a 60 degree angle on the cells since the sun is so low in the sky, the angle is so different from the summer that it won't look right to you but it is!

Good Luck!!!

[Bryce]

Is mounted on the side of the house so the the angle shouldn't be a problem. I have had the thing hooked up for days and seen no real improvement in battery life. Maybe I got a bad one or am expecting to much. Would sure like to hear from someone using a wind generator.
Chiro, have used the air matress, and while comfortable, if you have fold up bunks like I do, you either need a inovative storage solution(mine hang from the ceiling) or design the bunks to fold up with enough room for the matresses behind. The matresses are longer than my house is wide so I have to let out a little air to force them in and then they won't fold up with bunk. Have seen Cabela's has a 3 1/2" sleeping mat that rolls up for convenient storage. $$

[Grabs]

Bryce, you should make three measurements #1 measure the battery voltage only (nothing hooked to it) #2 measure the battery voltage with your charger hooked up and in the sun (nothing else though) #3 hook up and turn on everything you would normally use on a given outting (don't hook up the charger)

Now use these number to do some simple math
BV = Battery Voltage only
BVw/C = Battery Voltage with charger
BVw/L = Battery Voltage with load

BVw/C - BV = Voltage Supplied

BV - BVw/L = Voltage Drawn

Now if you are drawing more than you are suppling than you will never come out ahead.

I personally scrapped the solar charger idea for this vary reason and because the angle of the sun in MN during the winter is not high enough to provide enough voltage to stay ahead of the game. I spent my money on a small 1000W Honda generator, very quiet one! Best thing I could have done, now I run my TV/VCR hooked to my Aqua-Vu all day long, and always have my battery topped off through the AC-DC convertor installed in my house which charges the battery when I am hooked to AC. Serious, the solar charger probably would work well for you.

Good luck with this!

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[This message has been edited by Grabs (edited 08-06-2002).]

[This message has been edited by Grabs (edited 08-07-2002).]

[Guest]

As Grabs says, I think the way to go is a small camping generator. I just picked one up on sale at Menards until 18 Aug. Colman, four cycle, as quiet as they come with two outlets as well as a 15amp charger cable for a battery bank. More than enough juice for the ice for $369. Not bad for my dollar.

[Grabs]

Chiro, I was speaking with Captn'Josh this weekend about generators,..sounds like you might have the same one that he does. He was really upset about the amount of gas that it holds and how fast it goes through it....you might want to talk to him while you might still have the opportunity to take it back...or maybe you can prove to him that there might be something wrong with his.

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[This message has been edited by Grabs (edited 08-13-2002).]

[Capt'nJosh]

I'm not positive on the model number of my generator, but it sounds exactly like the one I purchased last year. The gas tank is so small that it only runs for 45 minutes to an hour on a tank. I also purchased mine at Menards and once you put gas in the tank its yours for good! If you haven't fired it up yet, I would seriously look at how long it will run on a tank of gas. And if you still want that particular model and haven't gased it up yet, I'd be willing to part with mine for less than you paid at Menards!

Capt'nJosh

[Steve Foss]

Or if you're really stuck on that model, you can buy a somewhat larger gas tank or take it off an old dead lawn mower (cheapest alternative) and attach it to the generator. Metal straps work well for that.

[hawkeye43]

i have used a wind generater for the last 4 years it the best way to kept the batterys full, always on the top side of full charge. i got mine at northern in burnsville.

[Bryce]

Hawkeye, what kind of cost am I looking at? Are you using the wind generator to charge the batteries and then inverting to run appliances and lights or can you power directly?

[hawkeye43]

i use it to charge the batteries and that runs all the lights, radio, 2-way and t.v. the cost i think is around 425, that may seem high but if you think about coming to the fishhouse and all the batteries are all full charge and you dont have to drag them around or forget them its a big plus. the charger has a brake build in to lock-up when tha batteries are full and if the wind gets over 30 to 35 mph.

[nunzio]

Hawkeye43,
What is northern in burnsville? -nunzio

[kwkfsh]

After seeing the posts regarding generators I thought I would add my 2 cents. I have used quite a number of smaller generators over the last 10-12 yrs. (1000 to 5000 watts) I use them at a remote Alaska fishing lodge. I have used Coleman,Kubota,Generac,and Honda. Far and away the best of all is the Hondas. They are the quietest, most fuel efficient, and longest lasting of the bunch. They cost a bit more but are worth every penny. They purr like kitten, start first pull every time, and last darn near forever. I you have or have used any other brand once you go to a Honda you will never go back. And as far as I know they all have 12 charging outlets builtin to them.

[vikingtom]

Northern Equipment is a store like the one in Rogers, not northern burnsville, in minnesota

[kwkfsh]

Grabs, just a quick note on your voltage calcs. What you need to be able to do is measure the amperage going in and amperage going out. If you have a 12v batt and 12 volt lights that draw 4 amps even if you charge the batt at 14 or 15v but are only putting 2 amps back in you will end with a dead batt. Batts are rated in amp hrs. for deep cycles (usally 80 or 105 amp hrs.) an 80 amp hr. batt with a 4 amp draw will last approx 20 hrs. If you charge it 2 amps it will take 40 hrs to recharge or 8 hrs. at 10 amp charge rate. Most solar panel are rated in milliwatts, 1000 milliwatts equals 1 amp. Most resonably priced solar panels only put out a small charging current. If you have a solar panel that puts out say 2 amps and gets 4 hrs of good sun a day it will take 8 days to fully charge an 80 amp hr batt.(group 24) And thats if you don't use the lights during that time and there are no cloudy days. Oh well I guess the genny sounds pretty good!!!!!

[Grabs]

Doesn't matter how you look at it, the simplest way to check a 12V charging system, is by voltage rises and drops. You get voltage drops as you add (or turn on) more items in your system. Well if your on items total up to great voltage drops then your supply source voltage (charger) you'll never gain anything.

Your right in what you say, but for a guy with limited electrical experience my orginal post was the simpliest way to describe the system.

By the way you were correct in everything you were saying up until you said that 1000 milliwatts equals 1 one amp. Watts don't equal amps it is a power calcualtion as follows: P = V * I or I = P/V Therefore in a 12V system 1000 milliwatts, or 1 watt, translates to 0.08 Amps or 80mA.

Hope this clarifies things.

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[This message has been edited by Grabs (edited 09-11-2002).]

[kwkfsh]

Grabs, I must have had a brain f**t, I should have said 1000 milliwatts= 1 watt. And that watts divided by volts = amps. I had just eaten a big plate of scampied halibut and I must been fish drunk. (anyway, thats my story and i'm sticking to it)