12V battery solar charging

[Jigs]

Hello everyone,

 

I'm going up North in a few weeks and I'll be 25kms away from the nearest power source. I would like to find a way to keep my 12V batteries charged that doesn't involve running a portable generator for 6hrs every night.

 

I am looking at the amorphous 20W solar panel they have at Canadian tire and I'm wondering if anyone here has ever had experience using them. (or a similar one). I plan on leaving it connected all day while fishing because I understand they won't charge a dead battery but do more of a maintaining power job.

 

The catch is that I have a 24 volt system for my trolling motor. So 2 12 volts connected to each other. Does that mean I need 2 of these? Or can I charge both batteries simultaneously with 1 of these solar panels? How would I connect them to the system while fishing? Is that doable?

 

 

Just wondering if anyone around here has used these before and whether they have info about the 24volt system problem. As is now, I always disconnect my batteries and charge them all separately with their own smart charger.

 

Many thanks,

 

Jigs.

[Freshtrax]

I have the roll up blanket. Not sure how man W it is but it will charge up a deep cycle pretty good if left in the sun for six or so hours...enough to get my canoe 20 km out from completely dead.

[Jigs]

What brand is that if you don't mind me asking?

[pics]

20 watts wouldn't give you much more than 1 amp of charging during the peak sun period.Princess Auto may have a bigger panel for the same $$. If you plan on leaving the charger hooked up when you're not using it then I would also recommend a charge controller...

[Freshtrax]

I'll check and post back when I get home at 8

[Jigs]

Thanks. I think it might come with a charge controller actually. I also think based on what I've seen that it won't charge 2 12 volt batteries in series but would in parallel. The difference being that the output is 24volts in series but still 12 volts in parallel. So basically I think I might need a 24 volt solar panel. I'll check what Princess Auto has. Thanks again.

[gburdzin]

Have you considered one of the those chargers that charge your trolling motor batteries from the main motor's alternator? Something like this:

 

http://www.basspro.com/Minn-Kota-OnBoard-Alternator-Chargers/product/95618/

 

Obviously this type of charger works best with bigger motors that have higher output alternators, and only if you're running the main motor and driving around alot.

 

Greg

[Old Ironmaker]

Good luck in your search I'm very interested to know what you find. A few years back a manager at CTC told me to save my money on a 20v charger. I appreciated his honesty or maybe he was tired of putting them back into stock. I would need something for 24v as well.

[davey buoy]

The solar panel may work,one battery at a time ?but I would still bring a generator just in case.You may not have to run it every day. At least you could charge it if need be,and not leave you stranded.

[Jigs]

Thanks for the advice guys. Will let you know Ironmaker.

 

Greg, to be honest I didn't even know those existed. Very interesting.... That one is for 12 volt systems. I'll see if I can find one for 24 volts. Sounds to me like that is the way to go if it works.

[Terry]

you need a 60 watt solar panel x2 to charge your battery

 

a 20 watt will only increase your battery by 1.6 amps per hour

 

so if you have a 100 amp battery and it is 3/4 drained, it will take 46 hours to charge it back up

 

a 60 watt will take 15 hours

[Jigs]

Thanks Terry, appreciate it.

 

If I have two 12 volts in series, can I connect the solar panel to them while I'm fishing? If so how exactly?

[Fisherman]

Bring a small genny and your batter charger. The smallest genny will have enough power to run your average 10 amp charger.

[Fisherman]

Jigs you can do that, plug the panel into one battery at a time, but, it's pretty much a waste of time. Unless you are running 60-100watts of solar, it's more hassle than happyness. Solars are meant more for stationary items

[Jigs]

Yeah I was thinking about going the generator route but I'm trying to avoid that because we're camping where there might be other people and I don't want to bother them with the noise in the evenings.

 

Might look at one of those 2 bank on-board alternator chargers. Sounds like maybe my best option.

 

And thanks about the solar panels. Looks like they haven't invented the magic charger I need yet

Edited June 11, 2013 by Jigs

[Fisherman]

Generally you can calculate the output of a solar panel by dividing the stated watts by 12volt to get the amps. 15 watt solar dividied by 12 = about 1.1 amps max under the most ideal conditions. A 60 watt panel divided by 12 would put out a max of 5 amps under the best conditions. If it's the least bit cloudy, forgettaboutdit. And, no charging at night no matter how big your flashlight is.

[Jigs]

lol.

 

Alright, thanks for the all the info.

[gburdzin]

Thanks for the advice guys. Will let you know Ironmaker.

 

Greg, to be honest I didn't even know those existed. Very interesting.... That one is for 12 volt systems. I'll see if I can find one for 24 volts. Sounds to me like that is the way to go if it works.

 

The link I posted has 1, 2, and 3 bank options. You would need the 2 bank charger for a 24v system.

 

Greg

[Jigs]

Yep. Realized that a bit after I posted. I think that's my best bet. Batteries probably won't last me the whole 8 days I'm up there but I can always go for a boat ride to charge them up here and there. Plus it will be useful for those long days on the water back home too.

 

I was hoping it would charge while I'm trolling but I read in one of the comments that you have to run at 2000Rpms for it to charge so...

 

Anyway, great info, learned a bunch. I now know what my options are, which are a few not ideal ones lol. Many thanks. Have to say this is a great forum.

[woodenboater]

I'd be inclined to get a small generator (not sure if 1000w will do) vs the solar panels. Don't forget to take into account cloudy days at which point you're super pooched. Depending on where you're camping (private campground or crown etc), you can take the genny into the back 40 and let it run there. My new to me Honda 2000i is pretty quiet in eco mode from about 25' or so away. Still noticeable but take it further and you'd be golden

 

Will these be complete strangers or friends ?

[Fisherman]

A 1000W genny is more than sufficient. Remember that it's about a 10:1 ratio 120 V AC to 12 V DC. A common 10 amp 12DC charger will only take less than 2 amps at 120 V AC to accomplish this even considering inefficient conversion. A 1000W genny will give you about 8 amps at 120 V AC, far more than enough. If it's in the eco mode, you won't even hear it running.

[Jigs]

I'd be inclined to get a small generator (not sure if 1000w will do) vs the solar panels. Don't forget to take into account cloudy days at which point you're super pooched. Depending on where you're camping (private campground or crown etc), you can take the genny into the back 40 and let it run there. My new to me Honda 2000i is pretty quiet in eco mode from about 25' or so away. Still noticeable but take it further and you'd be golden

 

Will these be complete strangers or friends ?

I hope it's quiet for that price . That's a nice looking unit. I'm going up with 2 buddies. Cabonga Reservoir in Verendrye park. The original plan was to stay on a designated campsite on an island, but they are reserved for canoe camping, so I have to go to a communal campground. I spoke with a few people up there, but it's always hard to get a visual idea of a new place until you've been there. So I'm not sure how far the neighbours will be and even if there will be any neighbours. I asked if I should reserve and they said not to worry about it. But I'm going June 24th to July 1st so might be a bit busier than usual. Anyway, I assumed these portable generators were fairly loud unless you spend the big bucks for a nice quiet one. I've looked into them and my budget is more in the 300-400 dollar range, but I'm worried they'll be loud as hell at that price. They do have some 1000-1500W ones for 250-500 bucks, but I wonder why they're so cheap... Might get lucky and find a used one, but people tend to hang onto these I would think. Knowing my luck though I'll pass on buying one because of the noise and the guy next to me will have one running the whole time lol.

 

A 1000W genny is more than sufficient. Remember that it's about a 10:1 ratio 120 V AC to 12 V DC. A common 10 amp 12DC charger will only take less than 2 amps at 120 V AC to accomplish this even considering inefficient conversion. A 1000W genny will give you about 8 amps at 120 V AC, far more than enough. If it's in the eco mode, you won't even hear it running.

 

 

Thanks, I'll look around and try and find one in my price range. Which is definitely under 500 and ideally under 400$. I assume the cheaper they are the louder they are though...not sure if that's the case.

[Freshtrax]

it is a motomaster not sure of the wattage but its not huge.. rolls up into a pouch. got me kome on the french river after sitting in a blazing hot august sun for 6 hours with my 32pound thrust 12 v on my canoe... now that i think about it it probably wouldent even dent your system

[woodenboater]

There was a used Honda 1000w on Kijiji recently so maybe try there. That's where I found mine after some searching and fruitless emails that were never replied to.

and yeah, I'd imagine the cheaper ones will be quite the racket.

Lots of info on this thread when I began my search, good luck on your trip !

http://ontariofishingcommunity.com/forums/index.php?app=core&module=search&do=search&fromMainBar=1

[Jigs]

Thanks! Lots of great info indeed!