Going Solar on the GU wagon

[MB]

Awesome proven information Cuppa mate and keep trucking outback strong good man!
My short term memory has been jogged thanks to your kind post of ‘Sikaflex 252’ being the hero to date for sure.
A ‘Big4’ (Winnebago style camping) neighbour recently had drop down side tables “glued” on all over its smooth etched exterior by professionals with 252.
Still does slightly worry me a bit as cool/clean rooms and ‘Sika’ was a past life gig of mine with customer needed time logged maintenance regimes an absolute must.
Just not sure how Burk & Public (Googled) warranties explain long term harsh usage good man!




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[Cuppa]

Mate of mine built his motor home body on the back of a 4wd Canter entirely of fibreglass sandwich panel. All glued with Sika, not a single mechanical fastener. Drove it overland to the uk via China, Mongolia, all the ‘Stan’s etc, then to Africa, & then back to Australia. 3 years full time on the road, taking the worst that could be thrown at it. Various repairs along
the way to vehicle, but not a single repair needed to the motor home body.
http://www.epicycles.com/Truck%20Blo...2010-01-01.htm

[MB]

Absolutely truly awesome Rig Cuppa mate thanks again. Only meant in regards Sika and its full rooftop exposed 100kmph capabilities longterm and when exactly to schedule a reassessment over the years.


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[altech]

Hi Guys week on now, battery fully charged, my ? is what volts should the battery be at as the charge controller is showing 14.4 Volts. I'm thinking it's overcharging regards Alex

[threedogs]

Crikey, that’s truly horrible to hear gents!
Slightly off track but an old surfer mate and I as ‘P’ platers accidentally speared a following cars windscreen with his lightweight fiberglass board on a 100kmph freeway in our 20’s. Have never used ‘Octopus Straps’ ever again and thankfully she was tailing us passenger less as it penetrated through to near the head rest position, scary scary lucky stuff for all involved that day :-(


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What did you stick the board down with Bong glue.
Ocky straps should never been used down see how ppl still use them
As for the solar panel two Rola areo roof racks even 3 if you want
and bolt panel on using correct brackets.
Then there was louwnes at bathurst that wore someones wheel and tyre combo
14.4 sounds max a smart charger should stop charging at max imo

[the evil twin]

14.4 is too high for float charge on a wet lead acid.

13.5 is ideal, no more than 13.8. Floating any higher reduces the life of the Battery.

Your system may not be floating for a few reasons but most likely two are;
A cheap as shit Reg that doesn't have a float cycle
or
A parasitic load high enough to trick the Reg into thinking the Battery isn't charged yet.

Either way... 14.4 isn't good (great for charging a low Battery, crap for maintaining a charged one).

[Cuppa]

14.4v is OK & tells you the charger is doing its job.

14.4v is the voltage the charger should take the voltage up to on a wet or AGM type battery By only reading the voltage it is hard to know *how* full the battery is, but it will be at least 70% to 80% charged, possibly higher.

The way it works is that in bulk charge mode the charger gives the battery as much current (amps) as it can. This raises the voltage up to 14.4v (some may go to 14.5 or even 14.6, but 14.4 is the most common). When the battery reaches 14.4v the charger changes from bulk mode to absorption mode. Here it reduces the current whilst maintaining the 14.4v for a set period of time (how long varies from one charger manufacturer to another). After this set period the manufacturers determine that is sufficient to now consider the battery ‘full’, at which point the charger will drop into Float mode, where it reduces the voltage & holds the battery at a lower voltage - usually between 13.3v to 13.8v. The battery if left connected to the charger& no loads applied can remain at this voltage indefinitely. If a load is applied (something is switched on) the voltage will drop & the charger will kick into its charging cycle again.

Some of the fancier multi stage chargers have more than the three stages, but essentially they all work in much the same way.

EDIT Just read ET’s reply so need to add to mine to save confusion. IF as ET surmises, your battery *is* fully charged & not dropping into float mode, it either is t working properly or is not a smart charger. If it has been at 14.4v for more than 4 hours you should disconnect it from the charger & in future monitor the battery charging to ensure it is not left on too long. If the battery is a wet type battery, & it has been held at 14.4v for too long there is a good chance it will have lost fluid & needs to be topped up with distilled water to ensure the lead plates are fully covered. If this is what has happened investing in a smart charger (3 stage or multi stage) would be a good idea.

[the evil twin]

Cuppa... maaaate... I agree with what you say except for one thing.

He's had the sucker on a 200 watt panel for a week... if it isn't floating by now something is amiss and 14.4 all day long (obviously not at night) isn't doing the Battery any good . Less harm than going flat tho of course.

I float 2 x N70 wets on my Chev Cab Chassis with a 25 watt panel (well, my ex-Chev) and that was with all the normal fruit and a Codan HF parasitic drain
On the rare occasion I hook up my 100 blanket it would float in about 60 to 90 minutes

@altech Uuummm, just had a thought, when are you checking the 14.4... first thing in the morning or end of day

[Cuppa]

Hi ET, I realised that when I saw your response, just after I posted mine. Have since added an edit to mine in the hope of avoiding confusion. Suspect it’s a cheap ‘dumb’ charger, although I did once have a supposed smart charger which obviously wasn’t, sold as being suitable for permanent long term connection to a motorcycle battery. Killed the battery stone dead, found the carcass bone dry after a couple of months.

ANOTHER EDIT . If it’s the solar charger pictured earlier in the thread it should have a float mode, although mention of timer on its front case is a bit odd for a solar charger. Perhaps there is a parasitic drain & the reading is taken in the morning? Suggest battery be disconnected ( remove all connections except for charger, & then keep a regular check on battery voltage. If it reaches & remains at float voltage all is good. If there is a parasitic load (clock, radio on standby or whatever) you can then decide whether to disconnect it or not. If the voltage reading is fairly early in the morning, & you have a parasitic load using a bit of battery power overnight , AND the battery goes into float later in the day each day, then you don’t have anything to be concerned about.

[the evil twin]

No worries Cobber... tired of Mangoes and Mub Crab yet?