Solar Panels Charging Batteries

[Nick1994]

Was wondering about charging batteries with solar panels.

I've been thinking of getting a small Harbor Freight one for my ATV battery and just leaving it hooked on all the time. Would this overcharge the battery? Just a simple solar panel with alligator clips on the end.

Same with my dad's 30' RV. He has a bunch of Harbor Freight large solar panels he wants to mount on the roof. Can he just plug the wires into his batteries and it be ok?

Is some kind of inverter needed or?

Thanks.

 

[Superflop]

They work great and i havent cooked a batt yet. I have quite a few vehicles at work that barely get started once every 6 months.

 

[tcp71]

A small one (100mA) should be fine connected to the battery with a diode in case there is some leakage in the panel. A larger system should have a charge controller:

solar controller

 

[Wheel]

My Dad runs his electronics shop off an inverter powered by deep cycle batteries charged by 2 of HF's bigger solar panel setups. He repurposed his old sattelite dish to hold those and track the sun for the best light. The smaller setups usually have overcharge protection built in.

 

[Greasymechtech]

Never plug a panel directly to a battery.

I prefer desulfator charge controller for typical auto/motorcycle/marine/rv batteries.

http://www.batteryminders.com/12-volt-solar-battery-charger-SCC-180

On a budget, ebay has plenty of 12v battery charger solar charge controllers to pick from.

 

[CT8]

Thye make solar powered battery chargers, thouh I have never used one.

 

[callbay]

Here is what I use on my dock to charge boat batterys and keep them up.

http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-021...#productDetails

I use it with a Harbor Freight solar panel-

http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=solar+pannels

Very easy to install and about $100. They have 20% off coupons at Harborfreight.com