Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and author of the “RV Handbook” as well as the Managing Editor of the RV Repair Club. Today he discusses a battery maintainer.
Dear Dave,
I would like to get a solar battery trickle charger. There are lots of options for maintainers, and lots of opinions by RVers. What is a good system to charge two group 27 lead acid batteries? I also live where we get a fair amount of snow and have some gray sky days. —Franklin
Dear Franklin,
You are correct. There are several options for solar chargers today starting with the cheapest being at Harbor Freight and all the way up to full solar charging and maintaining systems. I typically recommend the Battery Minder product. It has a low amp solar option and it sends high impact waves into the battery to condition it rather than boiling the water out.
This system comes with a charge controller and is a full-time desulfation system that will extend the life of your batteries. This is only a 5-watt panel designed to maintain the batteries when in storage and not large enough for boondocking.
I would recommend getting a larger system
My recommendation would be to invest a little more money into getting a larger system that will recharge batteries and maintain while in storage. Both Zamp Solar and Go Power! have very affordable systems that have 100-watt and larger panels with a charge controller.
Since you indicated the rig is in an area that will get quite a bit of snow, you might want to consider a portable that you can dust off occasionally.
This could be mounted at the front for easy access, IF the area is secure.
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