SCA Solar battery maintainance charger 4W

[Mr_GT]

Hi everyone, my gtp hasnt been getting much use lately, and i had to jump start it today,just wondering if any had any experience with these solar maint. Chargers from SCA?
Do you have to disconnect the battery when you hook this thing up?

[Blue Dog]

Don't have any experience with the SCA chargers, however if you're in the market for a quality battery charger, the CTEK chargers are excellent.
Especially if you have a vehicle that isn't driven very often, as you can leave them connected indefinitely.

[Mr_GT]

Thanks bluedog....are the Ctek solar power?

[Blue Dog]

No, not solar power.
I will guarantee they are better than the SCA products.
They are available in a variety of amperage outputs to suit various applications.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by Mr_GT

Hi everyone, my gtp hasnt been getting much use lately, and i had to jump start it today,just wondering if any had any experience with these solar maint. Chargers from SCA?
Do you have to disconnect the battery when you hook this thing up?

Don't think you need to disconnect the battery.

Just run the leads to the battery and put the panel somewhere that gets sun.

[Tassie f100]

Originally Posted by Mr_GT

Hi everyone, my gtp hasnt been getting much use lately, and i had to jump start it today,just wondering if any had any experience with these solar maint. Chargers from SCA?
Do you have to disconnect the battery when you hook this thing up?

Problem with the Supercrap solar charger is it only trickles in 4 watt which is less than 1/3 amp.1/3 amp is probably less than the memory in your radio needs.Better off with a 4-5 amp 240 v if you have power handy.You would need about an 80 w solar panel to trickle in 5 amps because of loss through regulators

[X-AHH]

Originally Posted by Tassie f100

Problem with the Supercrap solar charger is it only trickles in 4 watt which is less than 1/3 amp.1/3 amp is probably less than the memory in your radio needs.Better off with a 4-5 amp 240 v if you have power handy.You would need about an 80 w solar panel to trickle in 5 amps because of loss through regulators

Totally agree with Tassie.

Why not spend your money on a 3 or 4 stage 240V charger that can keep your battery fully charged and if you need it to, charge a flat battery overnight.

There are many value for money options on ebay if you take a look.

Mine cost around $35 from memory. It's not a Ctek but does the same job for half the cost.

[mike_nofx]

I'm guessing he leaves the car outside hence wanting the solar charger, so I'm also guessing he probably doesn't want extension leads running from his house out to his car??

[Sox]

The solar charger works great, I have a few.

[baboon]

Originally Posted by Tassie f100

Problem with the Supercrap solar charger is it only trickles in 4 watt which is less than 1/3 amp.1/3 amp is probably less than the memory in your radio needs.Better off with a 4-5 amp 240 v if you have power handy.You would need about an 80 w solar panel to trickle in 5 amps because of loss through regulators

If the car is stationary and not moved for a while, I've read that the cars current draw is only 20-40mA.... So 333mA should be enough to keep the battery charged...

[RANGEREST]

baboon beat me to it, I should have read to the end

[Mr_GT]

Originally Posted by mike_nofx

I'm guessing he leaves the car outside hence wanting the solar charger, so I'm also guessing he probably doesn't want extension leads running from his house out to his car??

This is true, that's the reason i want solar.. thanks for all the replies, been a great help.

[X-AHH]

Sorry for the misunderstanding, I thought you were after the best bang for your buck
I never even considered you wanted to be independent of the mains power

If solar is the best fit for your circumstances, perhaps consider a larger solar panel, say around 20 Watts with a voltage regulator. This will be better during the winter months when sunlight isn't available for as many hours per day or if you get a few days of rain or cloud cover. There will be more power produced by the larger panel when solar conditions aren't ideal.

[Sox]

Originally Posted by xahh

Sorry for the misunderstanding, I thought you were after the best bang for your buck
I never even considered you wanted to be independent of the mains power

If solar is the best fit for your circumstances, perhaps consider a larger solar panel, say around 20 Watts with a voltage regulator. This will be better during the winter months when sunlight isn't available for as many hours per day or if you get a few days of rain or cloud cover. There will be more power produced by the larger panel when solar conditions aren't ideal.

There's no need, the panel he's looking at will keep his battery fully charged indefinitely.

[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by Sox

There's no need, the panel he's looking at will keep his battery fully charged indefinitely.

Thanks for what is now my new solution for my boat. I never had an issue when I had the time to take it out every other sunday, when I lost the free time I started it for an hour every 2 weeks...2 turned to 6 and then it turned in to when I remembered. Now it's got to the point the 2 730cca batteries aren't my friend, so a few weeks in the sun should bring back double redundancy reliability. The batteries are only 18 months old..

[The Yeti]

I have a SCA one sitting permanently on the dash of my old diesel Triton farm ute as it doesn't get much use and I constantly had to jump start it when I needed it, since I fitted it I haven't had an issue.

I liked it that much I have one on my ride on as well (the panels under the eves on the external wall of the shed and I fitted an anderson plug to it and the mower) I have done the same with my mums ride on, and have found it makes life so much easier after the winter when they don't get used a lot

[Mr_GT]

Originally Posted by Sox

There's no need, the panel he's looking at will keep his battery fully charged indefinitely.

Just to make sure, i dont need to disconnect battery terminals when i hook this thing up?

[X-AHH]

Originally Posted by Sox

There's no need, the panel he's looking at will keep his battery fully charged indefinitely.

Ok, please explain how a 4W solar panel is going to do that and prevent sulphation of the battery through all weather conditions ? The solar panel size should be matched to the battery size. The small panel he is referring to would be just ok on a bright sunny day but would barely have any benefit on a cloudy one. It's probably better suited to a ride on mower/motor bike size of battery than the type in his gtp.

Quote from the SCA website in relation to this product "Great for charging infrequently used 12v batteries in vehicles such as ride on lawn mowers"

In my humble opinion, an unregulated voltage source is not a professional way to charge your batteries under any circumstances.

[Jacko*]

Originally Posted by Blue Dog

Don't have any experience with the SCA chargers, however if you're in the market for a quality battery charger, the CTEK chargers are excellent.
Especially if you have a vehicle that isn't driven very often, as you can leave them connected indefinitely.

I agree CTEC are the way to go, I have had my Monaro off the road for the last 3 years, after the first 12 months the original battery was dead due to lack of use & the not so smart battery charger that boiled the **** out of the battery. So I got a new battery & a $99 CTEC smart charger & haven't had any issues since. It maintains the battery buy monitoring voltage & only charging when necessary. Overall they are well worth the money.

[Sox]

Originally Posted by Mr_GT

Just to make sure, i dont need to disconnect battery terminals when i hook this thing up?

No need to disconnect.

[Sox]

Originally Posted by xahh

Ok, please explain how a 4W solar panel is going to do that and prevent sulphation of the battery through all weather conditions ? The solar panel size should be matched to the battery size. The small panel he is referring to would be just ok on a bright sunny day but would barely have any benefit on a cloudy one. It's probably better suited to a ride on mower/motor bike size of battery than the type in his gtp.

Quote from the SCA website in relation to this product "Great for charging infrequently used 12v batteries in vehicles such as ride on lawn mowers"

In my humble opinion, an unregulated voltage source is not a professional way to charge your batteries under any circumstances.

You're overthinking it.
Instead of guessing, why don't you try it, I have.

In any case, why don't you read and quote the whole thing from SCA...



The SCA Solar Maintenance Charger is a handy piece of equipment to have around the house. It would primarily be used to keep a battery charged when not in use so it would be great to hook up to a lawn mower battery or to a car that doesn't leave the shed often. Just position the panel in a place that will get some sunlight and your batteries will remain at a constant level. Even on grey days the Solar Maintenance Charger will maintain your charge as it has amorphous solar panel technology which lets it work even when it is cloudy. The kit comes with a set of alligator clips as well as a 12V adaptor.

[CFOUR]

i have got a sca solar charger on my ride on mower, it works

[carwant.com.au]

What about just disconnecting the battery and re-connecting when you drive it? Especially if it's only once a month or once every couple of months. Besides re-adjusting the clock, is there any reason why this wont work?

[X-AHH]

I'm not guessing or over thinking the situation

What I am trying to do is simply educate people reading this thread based on my experience and knowledge in the solar power industry.

The she'll be right method might give short term benefits but in the long term cost money for premature battery failure.

For the unregulated 4W charger - a small car battery yes, a mower battery yes, but not all car batteries are the same size. Larger batteries need larger solar panels and a suitable regulator to ensure that the charging regime is followed.

To get the most life out of any battery, the correct charger is essential.

The 4W panel will put charge into any battery but the correct level of charging will not be achieved to make the larger car batteries live a long life.

[Sox]

Originally Posted by xahh

I'm not guessing or over thinking the situation

If you haven't tried it, you are guessing.
I use them, they work well.

What I am trying to do is simply educate people reading this thread based on my experience and knowledge in the solar power industry.

As am I.

The she'll be right method might give short term benefits but in the long term cost money for premature battery failure.

It's not a she'll be right method.
It is a perfectly acceptable way of trickle charging batteries, indefinitely.
Myself and many others do it with great success. You should try it sometime.

For the unregulated 4W charger - a small car battery yes, a mower battery yes, but not all car batteries are the same size. Larger batteries need larger solar panels and a suitable regulator to ensure that the charging regime is followed.

The charger he is looking at is fine for the job he needs.

To get the most life out of any battery, the correct charger is essential.

No argument there.

The 4W panel will put charge into any battery but the correct level of charging will not be achieved to make the larger car batteries live a long life.

Nonsense.

[X-AHH]

Originally Posted by Sox

If you haven't tried it, you are guessing.
I use them, they work well.

As am I.

It's not a she'll be right method.
It is a perfectly acceptable way of trickle charging batteries, indefinitely.
Myself and many others do it with great success. You should try it sometime.

The charger he is looking at is fine for the job he needs.

No argument there.

Nonsense.

My options are based on 35 years experience with solar power systems, backed up by an electrical engineering degree and various trade certificate/licences.

Yours seem to be, I tried it and it worked for me so it must be ok for every situation.

The SCA product is ok but has its limitations.


The majority of premature battery failures that I encounter on a daily basis are due to incorrect charging. Just trying to help others not go down the wrong path.

Hoping you can remain objective here and not let things get personal.

[Sox]

Originally Posted by xahh

My options are based on 35 years experience with solar power systems, backed up by an electrical engineering degree and various trade certificate/licences.

Yours seem to be, I tried it and it worked for me so it must be ok for every situation.

You don't know my background, and I didn't say it's ok for every situation.

The SCA product is ok but has its limitations.

I didn't say otherwise.

The majority of premature battery failures that I encounter on a daily basis are due to incorrect charging. Just trying to help others not go down the wrong path.

As am I.

Hoping you can remain objective here and not let things get personal.

Why would I do that?
Objective is what I've been from the beginning, the item the OP asked about is more than satisfactory given what he wants to achieve.

[olfella]

I forgot to mention in my post that if your ciggy lighter/power plug is active or could be made active with the ignition off, then you could place the panel on your dash and plug it in. Saves a lot of hassle.

[olfella]

Originally Posted by Mr_GT

Just to make sure, i dont need to disconnect battery terminals when i hook this thing up?

No - it stays connected.

[X-AHH]

Originally Posted by Sox

You don't know my background, and I didn't say it's ok for every situation.

I didn't say otherwise.

As am I.

Why would I do that?
Objective is what I've been from the beginning, the item the OP asked about is more than satisfactory given what he wants to achieve.

I hope it does work for the OP and your batteries last as long as you expect them to.


Hey Sox, let's just agree to disagree.

We both have a right to our options no matter what they are based on.