donnw Report post Posted February 17, 2014 I've been shopping for a solar trickle charger to use while my NewMar Ventana is in storage. Anyone have any input as to a brand, size distributor that won't require remortgaging the house. We live in San Diego Ca with lots of sun and our local gov. wants way to much for permits to bring power in. So Solar could be the answer. Thanks donn Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted February 18, 2014 I dont know if HarborFreight is anywhere close to you, but they have an online facility. I have a 45 watt system, thats just a little short of 4 amps. Was pretty reasonable when I purchased mine, and they have sales pretty often. You can use them parallelled for more output. Also you can google solar power, and find many offerings. You need to figure how many amps that is needed to supply the minimum charge to maintain your system over a 24 hour period, then I usually divide by three, this represents an 8 hour period of sunlight per day. Remember that 12 watts at 12 volts converts to 1 amp for conversion purposes. If all you want to do is to maintain your batteries, and not power anything else, then it doesn't require a large charge at all. Solar is very easy to set up, just follow the simple instructions. Ask for help if needed, there plenty of sharp minds on this forum. Also welcome to FMCA. Kay Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dickandlois Report post Posted February 18, 2014 Donn, Welcome to the FMCA forum! The price of solar panels keeps dropping and as Kay mentioned one can find some good prices. From your post it sounds like the coach could be under a roof or totally enclosed. That being the case you will need to consider the power level. Current and voltage requirements, the gauge of the wire, the length of the run and check for any phantom loads on the batteries even with them disconnected using the disconnect circuits. Rich. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
marvnoren Report post Posted September 2, 2016 I would like advice about this topic. I have four 12volts batteries that I just need to be maintained. What sort of amp output would I need to do this? Thanks. Marv Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dickandlois Report post Posted September 4, 2016 On 9/2/2016 at 10:14 PM, marvnoren said: I would like advice about this topic. I have four 12volts batteries that I just need to be maintained. What sort of amp output would I need to do this? Thanks. Marv A small trickle charger in the range of 2 to 5 amps will keep good batteries charged when the coach is just setting. A bad battery can change things though. Rich. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
desertdeals69 Report post Posted September 5, 2016 Be sure to get a smart charger, I have seen batteries boil with 2 amp fixed charge rate. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
