michaelmorris Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 A recent family crisis has meant that we haven't managed to get out to our motorhome to take it for a run for many weeks (it is kept in storage) . We went over today and found that the vehicle battery had gone flat and we had to call out he AA to start it. I know that to keep the vehicle battery in good condition there is no substitute for just taking the van out for a run every few weeks. However, at the moment this is proving very difficult. Are solar battery chargers such as the one shown below any good at signifcantly extending the interval between having to take the van out for a run? https://shop.theaa.com/store/home/car-battery-solar-charger Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 In a word - Useless! Max output is 2.4 Watts. Have a read of this recent thread... http://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/Trickle-charger-from-Maplin-/46147/ Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michaelmorris Posted February 4, 2017 Author Share Posted February 4, 2017 Thanks. I had read that posting. Unless I have misread it (quite possible), The opinions expressed don't seem to based on actually experience of the product. I only want something that will extend the useful battery life by two or three weeks before I need to take the van out for run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocs Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 I had a very similar one, not branded AA, and it didn't do what it claimed. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 Michael, Output is output irrespective of what make or physical size of panel you have. The Maplin panel was 1.5 W, the panel you linked to is 2.4 W. Not really a lot of difference! Read Allan's post... aandncaravan - 2017-01-24 8:23 PM A Motorhome with an 80w Solar panel that came to us just after Christmas was outputting 0.4amp at 11:00 on a cold bright sunny day to a run down battery. About typical for that size of panel/installation. If that is roughly 60 times the power of the Maplin trickle charger, you can work out how useful it is going to be? I would suggest it won't even tickle the battery let alone Trickle it? He is talking about an 80 W panel being pretty near useless at this time of year, you are looking at 2.4 W. I think Allan's comments apply equally to both. I think your best option would be to take the battery off and take it home and keep charged up with a decent mains charger, like a CTEK. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RogerThat Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 Or, as it's only for a couple of weeks at a time, I'd probably just disconnect the battery and leave it in situ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulmold Posted February 4, 2017 Share Posted February 4, 2017 I used to use 2 similar panels, one for each battery. For the engine I used a 4.8w panel from Maplins and that kept the battery fine. There are a few panels that now come with OBD connection. On my 2006 Boxer the connection is under a flap to the right of steering wheel , low down , about 4" deep x 2" wide. That's to answer your other question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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