TOPIC: Battery charging with solar power

Anyone here doing this? I did check these chargers out on Google, but it seems like a can of worms, I am not sure I want to open. Prices and sizes are all over the place. I am wanting to place a solar panel charger for something like my '57 Evinrude 35hp electric start. Then I worry about overcharging the battery and I see there is a controller that is to be used to prevent this. Anyhow, what wattage solar panel would I use? How about the controller? The battery is a deep cycle marine battery.

My dad bought one of those small 5x15 inch panels and plugged it into the cig lighter on the pontoon. It did charge to the point of cooking all the water out of the battery. Now we plug it in about once a month for a day or 2.

Otherwise there is a small charge controller that will keep it from over charging. But, yes, it does work. They also make a 5 LED monitor that shows battery charge level which is a handy way to keep an eye on to much or too little charge. I bought all the charging stuff I needed for a small out building for lights, solar
panel, charge controller and monitor from McMasterCarr supply. That worked very well.

I lived in an off the grid solar powered house for 6 years before I lost it in a divorce, so I do know a thing or 2 about solar power.

Perhaps what you want is a trickel charger. Assuming you have two, 100 Amper Hour batteries & they are charged when you hook the charger up. You just want to prevent lack of use to cause them to lose their charge over time. Something that puts out about 1 Amp should work. It depends on the size of the battery. If you have a single 50 A-H Battery then you want a much smaller trickel charger. The trick is to start with a fully charged battery & just maintain the charge.

The Battery on this rig is a single 12v. 460 CC amp battery. If that helps any.

John, The boat or battery is roughly 1/2 mile from any power source, so a conventional battery charger,unless I want to carry the battery out,it is not something I really look forward to doing. I do though, use them little like battery tenders that Harbor Freight sells during the winter months or any other time that I am near a power source. I have 6 of them hooked up to lawnmower, car and motorcycle batteries and for the past year, they have worked good.

jepstr67, I need to check out McMasterCarr! Any tips I should know about getting this battery solar recharger working on my rig?

Thanks
Dave

This is the controller I used.

laliquidators.net/5077BN.htm

I think it can be found cheaper that that though.

Otherwise, any PV panel will work.

Thanks, that helps.