What Is A Solar Trickle Charger?

Do you remember the last time you went out to your car, turned the key and nothing happened? Maybe you heard just a clicking sound, but then dead silence. The reason nothing happened was because your battery was dead. If you were lucky, your spouse or a neighbour with jumper cables was nearby, ready and willing to help. If you weren’t so lucky, you had to wait for help or walk to the nearest petrol station…which may not have been so “near”.

Solar Trickle Chargers can prevent exactly that kind of headache or emergency. They make sure you always have a fully charged battery. Solar Trickle Chargers are low current solar panels designed to be used with 12-volt storage batteries. These are the kind of batteries your car or van uses. Trickle chargers guard against natural battery discharge and electrical drain. There are a few different types to choose from, depending on how much energy you need.

The small, light duty 1 to 3 volt rechargers are sometimes called solar battery maintainers. They can be purchased for as little as £20. They’re small enough to fit on a car dashboard (about 6 inches by 18 inches).

Heavier duty trickle chargers produce 5 to 6 volts, and will not only keep your vehicle’s battery charged, but have even more versatility than the smaller versions. They’re a little larger in size, stating at around 12 inches by 13 inches. But they’re thin (often less than 1 inch high) and lightweight (usually under 5 pounds). They cost from £50 to over £100, so they’re more expensive than the 1 to 3 volt versions.

Higher voltage trickle chargers are built to withstand a wide temperature range from 40 below zero to over 150 degrees Fahrenheit. Using the newest solar chip technology, they’ll even generate power on cloudy days. You can use them to power anything that is normally powered by a 12-volt battery, like landscaping water fountains, RVs and even electric fences. They’re also a good way to keep the charge in a battery that’s not used for long periods of time, like seasonal recreational vehicles: RV’s and boats.

When you’re determining what kind to buy, you’ll need to consider the time of year you’ll be using it the most, as well as the kind of 12-volt battery you’re charging. Flooded lead-acid batteries (the least expensive kind of 12-volt battery) typically lose up to twice as much charge as sealed batteries. And hot summer temperatures, especially over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, will drain batteries up to 6 times faster than moderate temperatures around 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

These battery rechargers will not only save you time and inconvenience, they’re good for the environment and your wallet. You won’t be throwing away 12-volt batteries as often. Which means you won’t be buying new replacements as often either.