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General Solar trickle charger

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General Solar trickle charger

nixbarchetta

nixbarchetta

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Apr 29, 2007
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Hey all

Does anyone use a solar trickle charger? Recently started using one in my b as I hardly ever drive it and i'm sick of buying new batteries! Seemed to be working fine, got in it after about 5 weeks and started like a dream (y) then this time a couple of weeks later it's dead as a dodo (n) not even a click :( Normally after 3 weeks the battery would be flat so i'm pretty sure it was working, can't understand why it would suddenly stop :confused: Anyone got any suggestions please?

Cheers :)
 
These Solar trickle chargers usually work very well.

You don't say how you connect it to the car but I suspect you put the panel on the dash and plug into the cigarette/power socket?

I is possible that although you thought you securely plugged into the socket correctly you did not actually make a decent connection. These plug/socket connections are not the most stable and reliable devices ever made.

It could also be that your solar panel has died. You need to check this with a meter. Check the volts and also check the current with a multimeter. Don't worry about shorting out the panel when using the current mode of the meter. The panels are inherently self current limited.

If panel is OK and plug connection was OK then we are looking at the following possibilities

1) you left something on to draw additional current that the panel could not supply
2) your battery is stuffed again and its sulphation / leakage current is more than the panel can supply

Both of these will mean that over time the battery will discharge.
 
I've used them on parked diesel campers.. work well - but as stated they can have poorly made 12v plugs on them , not generally a great fit in CAR cigarette sockets.

may be worth investing in a gizmo with 2 x croc-clips and a female Ciggy socket,

then it can go straight onto battery terminals..,

Charlie
 
I had it plugged in to the lighter, and hadn't unplugged it as it has some connecter thingies (bear with me i'm blonde lol :p) in the middle of the cable which I have been disconnecting when driving then reconnecting when leaving the car.

It did come with a lead with crocodile clips too, just not sure how i'd be use it like that with it parked up on the street :confused:

I will try and check it out if I can find someone with a meter I can use. The battery is only about 4 months old so will try and charge it up, I suspect it's too flat to charge it driving with it being winter.

Thanks for your thoughts guys :)
 
using an "intelligent" charger off the car would be best,;)

shame you are parked in the street..as the clever chargers can be connected 24/7 ( when you're not driving) even come with leads you can leave connected to battery- having an in-line connector :)

Charlie
 
I was gonna ask the guys at the garage across the road if they'd charge it for me, not sure how ''intelligent'' they are ;)

Once i've sorted it is disconnecting the battery an option to keep it from draining or will that cause other problems?

Cheers

Nikki :)
 
Hi Nikki, try fitting a 'DISCARNECT' it's a simple way of disconnecting the battery if you're not using the car for a while. It fits on the battery neg terminal - simples. I fitted one to mine, 2003 Mk2, five years ago and I've not had any probs. I think you can get them from Amazon, about £10.
Good luck Pete
 
Hiya! I have one of these smart chargers from C TEK.
http://smartercharger.com/

Its a cool little unit that comes with a connection plug that you wire onto your battery and then when needed just plug the charger in. Alternately there are also croc clips supplied.

I generally just leave this unit connected to my B to keep the battery optimized although lately on a couple of occasions since pinching the extension lead for the Xmas lighting the B has struggled to start so thinking of installing a battery kill switch.

Something like this..

http://www.colehersee.com/home/item/cat/208/75920/
 
i used to use one on my astra, worked a dream every time, that said i connected it direct to the battery , NOT via the cigarette lighter socket
 
Hi, I just had a flat battery on my B - clock worked, lights worked but the car wouldn't start and it didn't start when I tried to jump it with cables from another car, so I took the battery out and plugged it into a CTEK charger and hey presto - charged it up and it worked a treat. I didn't leave it plugged in over night but it took one-a-a-half days.
 
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