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Larry

(Floating Mind) wrote in news:4579-44FDB1DC-291
@storefull-3111.bay.webtv.net:

One of the batteries on my boat never gets a deep discharge. I use a 14
watt panel with it, and that panel keeps it up just fine. It was cheap
at Harbour Freight, about $40, and it's small enough where you don't
need a regulator. It measures about 12" x 18".

You must have some kind of load on the battery or the solar panel wattage
is a big lie. 14W = about 1A x 6 hours a day = 6AH/day x 30 = 180AH/month.

That's more than enough to really overcharge a fully-unloaded battery, even
one that was way discharged, which just takes longer. Solar panels have an
open circuit voltage the overcharged battery will attempt to rise to of 18-
22 VDC, so the battery, unable to get that high, just keeps overcharging
and overcharging and overcharging....slowly...doesn't get hot...but not
good.

Might be OK if you have HUGE batteries or a bilge pump.

--
There's amazing intelligence in the Universe.
You can tell because none of them ever called Earth.