Sealey Jump Starter unit

knightstyle

+1 for a solar charger, Sargent make good ones, we have one on our caravan and it keeps the battery charged with the alarm on.

Norman_Castle

Richard53 wrote: »

What about a solar charger that you can plug into the car's 12v socket and leave on the dash? That might be enough to keep a full and healthy battery topped up.

Anyone used one and care to comment?

I've been using one for the last few months on a car that sometimes only moves once a week for a few week. I'm not sure if its making a difference. It may help but it doesn't keep the battery 100%.

The one I've got can apparently be damaged by leaving it connected when the car is running causing battery drain when its dark. As I was given it I'm not sure if this has happened causing it to drain as much as it puts in. Surely it would be simple to manufacture these with protection against damage!

The idea is perfect but may need a better or larger panel than I'm using. Mines only 1.5 watts.

https://www.maplin.co.uk/p/solar-powered-12v-15w-battery-auto-trickle-charger-l58bf

facade

The maplin ones are a waste of money, they don't charge through glass (so they don't work on top of the dashboard) and they are not waterproof to leave outside. Mine is a 4W panel, although the reviews say it is brilliant, it isn't.

They are a bit of a non-starter really, to work well they have to face the sun all the time, you can set them up to face south angled around 45 degrees for an all season compromise and hope for the best.

I have an optimate permanently connected to the battery on The Spare Car, I reckon it costs about £5 a year to run, and makes batteries last about 7 or 8 years so it pays for itself eventually. You do need to run a cable out to the car from the charger in the house and avoid driving off with it connected though

Richard53

I agree an Optimate or similar (I wouldn't be without mine) are the ideal solution, but for those with no access to mains power or who just want a self-contained unit, IWHT a solar panel would be ideal. Provided it can be made to work well enough.

AdrianC

The quiescent draw from memories, alarms, locking etc shouldn't be massive - a relatively tiny fraction of an amp - so there's not much needs to be put back into the battery to keep it happy. It's more of a long-term-drip-drip. So, yes, a solar charger should be just fine.

There are several problems with 'em, though. Firstly, if the car's outside, then you want the panel inside the car, so the obvious is to plug it into the ciggy socket (which is often turned off when the ignition's off). Second is that the tinting on car glass, especially windscreens, cuts down the light reaching the panel. Finally, the angle... If it's on the dash, you really want the nose of the car pointing south. But who gets to pick the angle they park at? Unless it's in your drive, when you've got access to power anyway... Not to mention overhanging trees et al.

Motorhomes often have solar panels for top-up charging, but they're on the roof, so external, high, and more omnidirectional.

Ranger8

These are excellent and do the job, got one on my Golf GTD and Hilux
https://www.amazon.co.uk/AA-Solar-Powered-Car-Battery-Charger/dp/B00AC1LLQY

droopsnoot

I've got a solar charger on my classic, which is kept inside a shed, but one with some skylights and so on. There is ambient daylight, and when it's daylight, the little blue light shows that some current is being produced. I'd agree that the lighter socket may be a problem, but if it's a long term issue then having a second one wired into the car shouldn't be an issue.


I can't say how good it is, because the car is generally a good starter, and has a good battery. It gives me a feeling that it's doing something useful, but in reality it may be doing nothing other than powering the little blue "charge" indicator. I guess I could test it, but probably won't.

AdrianC

droopsnoot wrote: »

...but in reality it may be doing nothing other than powering the little blue "charge" indicator. I guess I could test it, but probably won't.

We have a solar radio that lives in the bathroom, under a Velux. The blue light is often on... but it has to be wound up or plugged in to USB frequently for some real charge.

Richard53

AdrianC wrote: »

the obvious is to plug it into the ciggy socket (which is often turned off when the ignition's off).

Many Fords have their 12V socket defaulting to always-on, regardless of ignition on/off, so a solar charger would just plug in and work. My Mondeo could be changed from always-on to on-with-ignition just by moving a fuse in the fusebox. As droopsnoot says, wiring in another one should be straightforward.

prowla

Thanks for the info, folks!

The wrong brand one went back for a refund and I bought one of the larger ones from a shop, which started the car.

The car then started fine a few days later.