Question about solar battery maint.

[ericbphoto]

Weird question.....the little solar panel I had been using plugged into the power outlet was a 12V panel (about 6"x6") and since it was only putting out 5.5V could it have been drawing from the battery?

It should be designed not to do that. But only the designers of that product know for sure. If it was a really, really cheap unit, there may be some doubt.

 

[RonD]

Yes, Battery itself is OK, good news indeed

A solar panel "should" have at least 2 diodes that prevent current flow TO the panel, so current can only flow OUT of the panel
And most do because they only have voltage output for a few hours a day, when in direct sunlight

Electricity can only "flow" from a higher voltage to a lower voltage
Which is why solar panels for vehicles have 13+ volt output, voltage has to be higher than battery's voltage or no "flow" TO the battery

So the 6volt panel had no hope of sending voltage to the 12v battery, it may have been designed for use with re-chargeable batteries, which can be handy to have for Cell phones, flashlights, portable radios or ??

 

[Shadowranger]

Thanks, will charge it and see what happens.

 

[Shadowranger]

This morning's voltage reading was 12.46 (after reconnecting late yesterday) so it looks like a parasitic draw going on.

 

[RonD]

Yes, you will need an AMP meter which is part of most Volt meters, even the cheap ones

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

Battery voltage will change slightly according to temperature, but a
test for amp draw is a good idea to confirm what's going on.

I've found that most of my vehicles draw about 7-15 MA naturally,
with everything off.

 

[Eddo Rogue]

AGM batteries are a little better about not losing charge in vehicles that aren't driven much...