TRickle charger for Caravan battery??

[JPA-Adventurer]

Hi all,
I'm thinking about buying one of those Solar Powered Trickle Chargers, to leave on my caravan battery whilst it sits in storage.

Any advice or tips??

They come in various power ratings, eg 1.5, 2.4 or even 4.8

All info greatly appreciated

Thanks

Jason

 

[raccoon]

Hi jason, with some solar power panel over a certian size you need a regulator so the battery does not get damaged. I am not sure what size it is. If you have a look around this site you will find some posts that do clarify this.
Hope this helps you.

 

[Parksy]

For under 15 watts no regulator (sometimes called a controller) would be necessary.
There are lots of cheap solar panels on the market, always choose one which is fitted with an integrated Blocking Diode to prevent the charge from the battery being lost during the hours of darkness (voltage flows both ways) and choose a Monocrystalline rather than a Polycrystaline panel for more efficient charging.
Always choose the highest rated (in terms of wattage) panel that you can afford to maximise the charging output on cloudy days.

 

[OmOnWeelz]

Over two years ago I fitted a panel the same style as this one from Maplins to the battery box for a trailler winch,
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=223251
Fully charged the new 110 leisure battery before fitting and connecting and it has never beeen charged off the trailer siince then and still always shows full charge when tested, the battery powers the winch and interior lighting. Fitted to the top of the battery box on the trailer A frame the panel is not in the best position for direct sunlight but still does the job.