Help with Solar/Battery during camper storage

[shear]

Just spent my first summer with our new solar and dometic set up - amazing!

We’re on our way home after 6wks and I’m trying to figure out what to do with it in storage, outside.

Previously I’d just disconnect the battery and all was fine when we reconnected it for the next trip.

I’ve been told to keep it all connected and the power on to keep the battery charged, but where the camper lives doesn’t see a ton of sun. I was also told to disconnect the panel from the charge controller then disconnect the battery - then recharge it every 2-3mo.

Any suggestions?

 

[Vic Harder]

AGM batteries? If so, then your latter idea sounds good. I'd put it on a trickle charger instead of having to fully recharge it once in a while.

 

[ntsqd]

I'll second going with a smart tickle charger or battery maintainer and leaving it all connected.

 

[shear]

What’s a good trickle charger to use? Never had one before.

 

[Vic Harder]

Best Trickle Charger (Review & Buying Guide) in 2022 | The Drive

I'd go with the NOCO.

 

[ntsqd]

I had mixed results using "Battery Tender" brand and moved to NOCO as well.

 

[PaulT]

I had mixed results using "Battery Tender" brand and moved to NOCO as well.

*2 on Battery Tender & NOCO.

My experience with Battery Tender with 5 or 6 units over the last decade or so for charging my ham radio & camping lead acid batteries has been that they will charge and go to float fine, but after weeks on float, the battery dies.
NOCO & Iota reset after a week or two on float and revert to bulk, then absorb & finally back to float.

If I manually reset the Battery Tender by unplugging the unit & disconnecting it from battery monthly or so, the battery will last for extended time.

Paul

 

[shear]

Just ordered a NOCO.

Do I leave the battery connected in the camper or not when using the charger?

 

[ntsqd]

Our old camper had it's battery trickle charger permanently mounted with a dedicated outlet installed so that all that I had to do was plug in shore power to charge the batteries. Note that this was NOT a "converter" but a multistep smart charger.

Our new to us camper isn't quite to that point, yet but it is the direction that I'm going with it too.

 

[Vic Harder]

Just ordered a NOCO.

Do I leave the battery connected in the camper or not when using the charger?

either, your choice

 

[Wallowa]

Best Trickle Charger (Review & Buying Guide) in 2022 | The Drive

I'd go with the NOCO.


Good reference....it does say "best" is Battery Tender....I use the BT on four cars and two MCs; all with AGMs, have for years, 'smart' chargers.....BB Li in Hawk is charged with Victron when stored [topped off ever month] , solar and DcDc when on road ...