Opinions on this batteryMINDer solar charger please...

[craze1cars]

Link to product:

http://www.batteryminders.com/batte...troller-Desulfator-12-Volt-with--p-16140.html

I believe this solar panel will mount permanantly to the top of my wakeboard tower if I fabricate some brackets, and will be completely out of my way. Dimensions are almost perfect for it to fit there. I realize with 15 watt/1 amp charging output it is nothing but a small trickle charger/maintainer, but here's my thinking:

On those days where we spend 4 to 5 hours of sitting/floating on the water with my stereo on (normal car/marine receiver rated 22 RMS watts per channel, four 6x9 speakers, operated at sane volumes, wihout any high power amps or subs or anything), I would think a setup like this should extend the length of time we can hang out without fearing a low voltage/no start condition to get us home? Ski boat just has one cranking battery only. And then also when it's parked for extended periods of time between uses, the battery will stay fresh even if the bilge pump runs on occasion for a rainstorm, etc.

Thoughts? Good plan or bad plan? Experiences with the product? This seems a step above the typical Harbor Freight tool garbage that pops up in questions here all the time, since this one comes with maintainer/desulfater circuitry controls, and the features page mentions 5 year warranty and says it's "splash proof, conformal-coated circuitry ensures trouble-free life even in high-moisture marine environments."

BatteryMINDer has a pretty good reputation, no?

Thanks!

 

[craze1cars]

Re: Opinions on this batteryMINDer solar charger please...

Maybe finding answers to some of my questions alone. Very interesting Q & A section about this product here at Northern Tool:
http://answers.northerntool.com/ans...model-scc-015-questions-answers/questions.htm

I'm very intrigued...

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Opinions on this batteryMINDer solar charger please...

Its good to keep the battery topped off when you aren't using it but expecting it to keep up with heavy usage during the day when parked is asking a lot. If you are letting your battery get down enough that you have a low voltage condition, you are killing your battery especially since it is a cranking battery.

 

[NYBo]

Re: Opinions on this batteryMINDer solar charger please...

For that price you could add a second battery and a battery switch, which would provide you a much larger margin of error. Of course, if you don't have room for a second battery, ignore this advice!

 

[craze1cars]

Re: Opinions on this batteryMINDer solar charger please...

Oh I have room for another battery. Have considered that. I would still need to charge it though...

But that link was for info only...it's not the price I'd pay to buy one. I've seen that exact solar charger as low as $115...and I might even beat that if I shop around a bit more.

Seems like a pretty new product. I was mostly wondering if others have experiences with it....probably few here do.

I have a strong understanding of the product's limited current output...and the current draw of my stereo would most certainly exceed what it produces...not sure by how much though.

But methinks it would buy time...and reduce the level of discharge on those long lazy sunny days...to prevent "killng" my battery per BruceB...which incidentally has been treated like this since I purchased it in 2005 LOL. And she ain't dead yet! And yes this year maybe I'll treat myself to a new one, and maybe keep the old one on board as a backup. Of course if we get "stranded" we're surrounded by 30 other boats and we're about 1 mile from dock on this small inland lake we frequent...hardly a life threatening situation...drop anchor and beg for a tow as I have towed many others back over the years LOL!! Or just wave some jumper cables around...

I think I just need to hook up an ammeter to my boat and turn the stereo up to normal volume and see what it pulls...probably would answer my question.

The reviews of the product on other sites sure sound favorable. So I think the quality of the product is good. I just need to decide if it will produce enough juice per dollar for me to invest in trying it out...

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Opinions on this batteryMINDer solar charger please...

I think I just need to hook up an ammeter to my boat and turn the stereo up to normal volume and see what it pulls...probably would answer my question.

That is exactly what I would do. You will discover how little you actually draw. If you have a 70A/hr battery and your stereo draws 2A for 5 hours, you are only dropping the battery 10A hours.

 

[craze1cars]

Re: Opinions on this batteryMINDer solar charger please...

Yes...just went out to the garage and did that, and your number is pretty close.

Just turning the stereo on and listening at low conversational background music volume, it's drawing about 1 to 1.5 amps. Crank it out to jamb to a fun song, about 2 to 2.5 amps. At about 3 to 3.5 amps distortion sets in and it sounds like garbage. I probably should have stuck a disc in it to see how much additional juice it takes to spin a CD...but I forgot to bring one out with me. Next time maybe...I probably should know.

But for radio-only usage I will assume it will usually be drawing 2-ish amps or a bit less, and that's really the only accessory that is on during these times because I am careful to make sure sonar is off, etc...

So maybe I need nothing...cranking battery has always seemed to keep up in years past. But I always just sorta wondered, and now I have all that free wasted space up top of the wakeboard tower. And so I thought maybe the solar charge from up there might give peace of mind...

But to answer my own original question, if I'm drawing 2 amps, and the 15W solar charger is replenishing 1 amp, it seems the product would effectively double the amount of time I could listen to tunes before reaching the critical point of not having enough juice to crank the motor for the trip home.

So I still might want to do something like this...not only to double my radio time, but also for keeping battery topped off during the week to run rainstorm bilge pump on occasion, etc...

I'll probably be keeping my eye out for a steal on one. What good is owning a boat if you can't spend time dreaming up new ways to spend too much money on it?!

I find it interesting so many are hesistant to try out the solar chargers. Nobody hesitates to recommend spending $50 to $80 on a battery maintaining trickle charger...that needs to be plugged into the wall to work. But as soon as price goes up to $120 or $170 for a high quality solar version of the same thing, people think it's too expensive. Despite the fact that it will work EVERYWHERE, without an extension cord, serve the same purpose as the trickle charger, and won't ever cost you one red penny of electricity...

But you gotta be realistic about what a solar charger can do. These are NOT products that would provide any benefit whatsoever to the fishermen trying to replenish their multiple deep discharged trolling motor batteries, unless they only fish once every 2 months....

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Opinions on this batteryMINDer solar charger please...

Trickle chargers are $10. 3 stage chargers that charge 2 batteries at 10A each are a little over $100.

Trickle chargers, solar panels and 3 stage charger all have their different purposes.

I had a solar panel with a controller on top of a horse trailer that kept its deep discharge battery topped off but for my boat, its plugged in so I use s 3 stage charger.

 

[dan244]

Re: Opinions on this batteryMINDer solar charger please...

Hi everyone I'm very new here... but have some experience with solar panels and chargers.

I just built my own panel (18volts at 3.5amps, 63Watts) and got a 10amp charge controller to go along with it. spent around $100 all together, but i spent some time putting the whole thing together.

Its a cheaper option if you have the patience and put the time in to research.

This rig would work well for you, wouldn't even drain the battery in sunny days...