Using Solar Panel To Charge Battery

[peasantgeneral]

Hello there! I'm going on deployment for three months and I don't want to disconnect my car battery. I've heard a solar panel plugged into my battery will do the trick. Problem is, if I plug it into my cigarette lighter, will it actually charge my battery? I know if the car is turned off it will not power any appliances. Input greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[George_Jetson]

Hello there! I'm going on deployment for three months and I don't want to disconnect my car battery. I've heard a solar panel plugged into my battery will do the trick. Problem is, if I plug it into my cigarette lighter, will it actually charge my battery? I know if the car is turned off it will not power any appliances. Input greatly appreciated. Thanks.

You are correct in your assumption. You have to plug into something that is powered all of the time. ie the such as the fuse for the radio mem / clock. If you are parking in a garage, next to a 110 power outlet it would be cheaper to buy a TRICKLE charger. Places such as harbor freight sell a decent one for app $6.00. I have been using one on my truck for over a year with no issue.

[lenore]

I know on my RX the cigarette lighter is not hot when the ignition is off....so wouldnt work. I agree with the trickle charger, or hooking the leads directly to the battery from the solar charger....

[VicES3002002]

Just my $0.002

A Food for thought ............please consider this BEFORE BUYING

A trickle charger, on the other hand, will charge no matter whether the battery is fully charged or not, so it needs to be connected and disconnected periodically.

If left in place too long, it will eventually boil the electrolyte out of the cells or damage the plates. Trickle chargers will work to keep the battery charged, if used once a month or so for a day or two, but the float chargers can be left connected indefinitely without potential harm to the battery.

Vic

I know on my RX the cigarette lighter is not hot when the ignition is off....so wouldnt work. I agree with the trickle charger, or hooking the leads directly to the battery from the solar charger....

[eatingupblacktop]

Just my $0.002

A Food for thought ............please consider this BEFORE BUYING

A trickle charger, on the other hand, will charge no matter whether the battery is fully charged or not, so it needs to be connected and disconnected periodically.

If left in place too long, it will eventually boil the electrolyte out of the cells or damage the plates. Trickle chargers will work to keep the battery charged, if used once a month or so for a day or two, but the float chargers can be left connected indefinitely without potential harm to the battery.

Vic

I know on my RX the cigarette lighter is not hot when the ignition is off....so wouldnt work. I agree with the trickle charger, or hooking the leads directly to the battery from the solar charger....

Agreed. I'd suggest using a batt charger that has a low amp trickle rate with an auto shut off that kicks in once the batt is fully charged. A couple of things to remember - make sure there are no parasitic drains before hooking up a charger, never charge a cold batt at a high current rate, make sure the levels are up in each cell, clean and tighten the terminals, and make sure the auto shut off works.