Solar trickle chargers? Worth it?
03-13-2013, 04:06 PM
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Staging Lane
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Solar trickle chargers? Worth it? Hi all,
At the moment I use the car 1-2 twice a week and although I think the battery is very good I wondered if it was worth investing in a solar battery trickle charger for the days between when I don't use the car as it is not my daily driver, just to protect it from going low and reducing the liklihood of future problems.
I could get one for about £10 -$16.
General thoughts?
Thanks
Alex
At the moment I use the car 1-2 twice a week and although I think the battery is very good I wondered if it was worth investing in a solar battery trickle charger for the days between when I don't use the car as it is not my daily driver, just to protect it from going low and reducing the liklihood of future problems.
I could get one for about £10 -$16.
General thoughts?
Thanks
Alex
03-13-2013, 06:27 PM
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I think such an item would be wildly unnecessary based on your frequency of usage (1-2 times per week).
On average, my '98 is driven about once a month during the on-season and the battery always has plenty of power to start the engine (and it sits for 6 months during the off-season, on average losing only about 0.3v every month prior to connecting the smart charger).
If you are seeing any kind of a significant battery voltage drop from leaving the car sit for only a few days, your electrical system needs more help than a trickle charger can provide.
On average, my '98 is driven about once a month during the on-season and the battery always has plenty of power to start the engine (and it sits for 6 months during the off-season, on average losing only about 0.3v every month prior to connecting the smart charger).
If you are seeing any kind of a significant battery voltage drop from leaving the car sit for only a few days, your electrical system needs more help than a trickle charger can provide.
03-14-2013, 11:45 AM
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A regular battery tender would need to be connected to and disconnected from a power source every time you drive the car, which would be a huge hassle and totally unnecessary for a car that is driven 1-2 times per week.
I think the solar ones just sit on the dash and plug into the lighter port. Still a waste for a car that is used so often IMO, but it's less hassle than a normal charger/tender.
I think the solar ones just sit on the dash and plug into the lighter port. Still a waste for a car that is used so often IMO, but it's less hassle than a normal charger/tender.
