Oh thats bollocks..... An old wives tale. Cold starts and running is some of the most abusive treatment you can inflict on an engine. If the engine is not required to be use then why ever would you subject the engine to repeated cold starts and running?????? Leave it alone. 15 minutes is not enough time to recover a single cold start in the battery in most cases. His original question was about the solar trickle charger and a heap of replies came back about funky "float" chargers which are very good in their own right. Other than the ciggie socket power off issue, they (solar chargers) are an excellent idea that does not require some live extension lead draped over the show with power on all the time. They cost money to run. daylight comes for free. They do tho require a decent source of sunlight to work really effectively and so need to be placed at a shed window if the car is closed in a shed. L8r E
I use a solar panel to keep the battery on my quad bike fresh - works like a charm. I have another one keeping the boat battery up to charge as well. Neither of these two "vehicles" get a lot of use. These panels have circuitry in them that limit the current to a trickle ( around 100mA) once the battery voltage exceeds 13.2V. You really need to do something though. Once a battery decays below 11.6V it cannot usually be revived. However, I have brought a couple of dead ones back to life using the Inox product already mentioned.
Great to hear someone using the solar charger and it being successful. May I ask from where you bought yours, and which brand?
You need a proper regulated battery charger. If you are leaving the battery for extended periods, the battery will discharge & sulphate, causing failure. Forget about the cheaper battery chargers, they will only overcharge your battery. You need a multi stage charger that will adjust the float charge. Check out Durst chargers if you want a good one.
The panels are a Supercheap home brand. I got them on special at about $100 each. They are 10W/17.5V panels, meaning they max out at just under 600mA in full charge mode, and the inbuilt regulator does the switching from charge to maintenance modes as it senses the battery's voltage. Each panel is about 20cm by 30cm. They are very useful when I go to my farm, deep in the bush with no power. I have seen some smaller panels at about $30 or so with the cigarette light connector, but I have no first hand experience. They would probably work OK keeping a fully charged battery topped up, but it might take quite a while to re-charge a flat one.
Good news Thanks a million for that - I have seen the panels there and are worth checking out, The whole solar thing is worth the effort. Appreciate your input. Al
will do... wil take a look at the Durst charger. So many things to be aware of, and appreciate your input. Al
The Ctek's apparently run a maintenance float charge so when voltage drops to 12.9 it starts a controlled charging cycle. Apparently constant trickle charge causes "gassing", what ever that is. The MXS 4003 is about $120 and also works as an intelligent battery charger as well, some how it can help lightly sulphated batteries. The MXS 4003 has just been replaced with the MXS 5.0 same thing but has an extra 1A of charging current, that means it will charge a battery a little faster.
I always assumed that the metal parts that arent under oil would corrode/get that brown gunk build-up they get? Sorry for spreading mis-information
The input so far has all been good, however, what the OP needs to do is research first. A simple google search will give you all the info you need, including why not to use a trickle charger, and why a float charger is better than a trickle charger. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trickle_charging http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Float_voltage http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battery_charger The short version is: Trickle chargers are good for short periods of time. Float chargers are a better version of a trickle charger. Solar chargers (most/some/all depending upon specific brand/model) are basically trickle chargers.
I've got a bush car that only get used occasionally. Got one of the eBay solar panel chargers, clips onto battery (through firewall). Works a charm. Every time I go there now, it starts. Plastic warped a bit from the sun though. I leave it on the dash. Don't know why they offer them with cigarette lighters (so did mine). The lighter is always disconnected when the car is off - which is when you need the solar panel!
started out simple... but the input from other members has been eye opening, and a whole lot of good ideas that help make a decision. Appreciate your input and links, and I realise now that research will give me more direction, but the help has been great
ebay search I actually had a look on ebay, and there are a few there. Good to hear you have success with the solar charger, and I am just going to do a bit of research on a float, as opposed to a trickle charge. I was going to mount a solar panel on the gutter of my garage so will probably suffer similar deforming if it has a plastic case. Will see if there is a heat tolerant casing. Looking over the posts, it looks like a few guys are having success with the solar setup. Thanks .
Just get a mid range ctek unit and forget the rest. You will never be let down or disappointed. There ya go I just saved you hours of research.
