Sunsei Solar Panel

Ross D said:
Has anyone ever used one of these? They seem pretty cheap and ideal for stopping the batteries degrading over winter, particularly with an auto bilge pump and lots of leaks.

http://www.force4.co.uk/6508/Sunsei-7-5W-Solar-Battery-Trickle-Charger.html

Sorry no idea how to put a link in the space of a microdot like every one else.:)

Ross
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They look Ok ( at least the 7.5 watt ones ) But not cheap. Personally opted for a (smaller) panel permanently fixed on the cabin top.

Dont use cigarette lighter connectors unless you get rust proof ones that also lock together. Put a fuse at the battery end of the positive cable.


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VicS said:
They look Ok ( at least the 7.5 watt ones ) But not cheap. Personally opted for a (smaller) panel permanently fixed on the cabin top.
Could you let us know the small panel you refer to above. I am looking for a solar panel that can be affixed to my cabin roof between 5 and 10 watts.
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Thanks for the advice, they seemed cheap because they included the charge regulator with the unit so you only need to buy one item. By the cheaper panel do you mean this one (hopefully a swanky link):)
 
I'm thinking of mounting one of these on the roof and connecting to the battery, just to keep my battery topped up.
Battery is 96ah so 10w will probably be too much and so i would need to get a regulator as well.
5w-8w would be ideal.
I have been told by local shop that you don't need to worry about fuses for these. They can be left connected to battery all the time. Is this right?
Only thing that runs off battery when boat not in use will be the automatic bilge pump.

Thanks
 
Sulliy said:
I'm thinking of mounting one of these on the roof and connecting to the battery, just to keep my battery topped up.
Battery is 96ah so 10w will probably be too much and so i would need to get a regulator as well.
5w-8w would be ideal.
I have been told by local shop that you don't need to worry about fuses for these. :eek::eek::eek:They can be left connected to battery all the time. Is this right?
Only thing that runs off battery when boat not in use will be the automatic bilge pump.

Thanks
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I use a 5 watt panel to recharge and keep a 60 Ah battery topped up. Apart from the meagre electrical output from an outboard engine the solar panel is my main source of electrical power. I'd have fitted a 10watt panel if I'd had the space to do so.

You don't need a very large panel to keep a battery normally recharged from another source ( eg engine) topped up but you need a larger panel if it is to be used for recharging. The size depends on your electrical power use and how quickly you want to recharge.

I'd fit a controller with a 10 watt panel and a 96 Ah battery I think, but probably not with a smaller panel. I don't have a controller.

Any connection you make to the battery MUST be fused. The fuse is to protect the wiring..... The battery can supply many hundreds of amps. If the wiring were to be damaged and a short circuit result the wiring could quickly over heat and cause a fire. The fuse should be less a than the max safe current carrying capacity of the wire.

If installed properly a solar panel can be permanently connected to the battery ... thats the whole point.

Be sure the connection for your bilge pump is also fused .

It would be sensible to estimate the power used by the bilge pump and fit a solar panel that could make up for this
 
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