Solar Panel output

Ron & Dee · 08-30-2010, 10:04 AM

What is the output of the Solar Panel on an 02 Adventurer?

I thought my house batteries were getting weak, but after setting for over two weeks with the isolation switch off, my house batteries at the management panel read 13.1 volts.

Thinking maybe the panel was reading wrong, I checked the batteries with a good volt meter and the voltage read 13.28 volts.

Is it possible for the Solar Panel to overcharge, assuming a fully charged battery is 12.8 volts?

Thanks,

Ron

edj · 08-30-2010, 01:08 PM

What is the voltage off the solar charger when it is not connected (open circuit)? When the solar charger is hooked to the batteries and the batteries have no load on them, what is the voltage on the batteries? After disconnecting the solar charger, what is the voltage on the batteries after about an hour?

The charger will put a higher voltage on the batteries to charge them. If you check the battery voltage right after disconnecting the charger, it will read high. But, that is temporary. It will quickly drop to the 12.6vdc where it is supposed to be.

Hikerdogs · 08-30-2010, 01:33 PM

The solar panel on our 01 Adventurer is only capable of 10 watts. It charges the house batteries even if the switch at the door is in the off position. You might have a surface charge that is misleading. Put a load on the batteries for a few minutes then recheck them I'll bet the voltage goes down considerably.

To put things in perspctive the battery voltage on our house batteries is 13.7 anytime we're plugged in and the charger is connected. When it's in the charge mode the voltage is over 14 volts.

Now everyone is going to tell me the charger is overcharging and will shorten the battery life. Well the coach is now almost 11 years old and we're on the second set of house batteries. The first set failed in July of 04 due to abuse (I thought they were maintenance free and I didn't add water in a timely manner). So that makes the current set in service over 6 years.

rowesort · 09-07-2010, 09:45 AM

The solar panel is charging and gives a charging reading. Cover the solar panel with a towel turn on a 12V light for a minute, turn off (this should bleed off the surface charge) and give you a more accurate reading.