Will it overcharge the battery ? Can I just leave it plugged in all the time or do I need to remove every time I start the car ? I am assuming it doesn't have a charge controller.
943266
No it will not overcharge and there is no controller. There is a scientific explanation why its all ok but i cant tell you that.
943267
It will not overcharge a large battery as in a car. It can be plugged in all the time as it has an diode to protect reverse flow of electricity. No it does not have a charge control, but the amperage is to low to overcharge a large battery.
943268
No, you can not over charge the battery. It does not have a charge controller but it has a voltage regulator that prevents overcharging (additionally, it keeps power from the alternator from reaching the panel). I have had mine plugged in for 7 months straight and can even drive with it connected with no problems.
943269
Yes, without a charge controller, it will boil your battery. You could purchase a 5W solar charge controller and leave it plugged in all the time.
407396
It is a trickle charger, so you can leave the battery connected to the car. Very low charging, and this product is "smart" in that once it senses the battery is fully charged, it switches to a maintenance mode to protect the car. Disconnecting the battery is not a bad idea, just to be safe....but I'm a little lazy and leave it connected.
704650
Yes, you can leave it connected all of the time. It'll automatically stop charging when the battery is full. But why would you want to? The charger is always converting 110v AC house current to 12v DC battery charging current. That produces heat and wastes electricity (aka $$$). I unplug mine when the light goes green meaning the battery is charged.
771943
Best to turn it off then charge it....don't let battery drain totally. I often use it plugged in when it's fully charged.
540669
Hi Emerson, No, I haven't had that happen to me yet and I left it on there for 2 days. I forget it's on there. So, In my opinion, It will not overcharge the battery.
1930581
I run mine on the car battery while I'm driving AND when I park for the night. I start the car for a while before bed time just to ensure there's enough power to keep it cold through the night. I never have drained the battery though!
1357601
The battery is sufficiently charged when installed. When you start the car, the battery should charge normally. I have had no problems with the battery.
828759
It has a cooling fan that runs constantly so I unplug it. The batteries seem to hold a charge for a long time so I don't bother leaving it plugged in. Most of the time it rides in the trunk of the car anyway. Take care
503537
Our car (Nissan Leaf) has the timer. You tell the car when it needs to be ready. For example, my wife just got home and plugged in the car. It is not charging. It will kick on at some point in the middle of the night and the car will be ready when she leaves at 6AM. The charger cannot be programmed. I hope this helps.
636286
if you have a starting and acc. battery and a trolling battery, use the two bank charger. pull in,plug in and forget it. after charging full it goes to maintenance mode.
1790861
Unplug it when you start the car. States a power surge could ruin the internals of the panel if left plugged in while engine is running/charging. Plug it in to charge when vehicle won't be driven for awhile. Unplug it before starting the car.
1164836
No need to leave it plugged in !Just like any electronic device only plugged it when the charge is low "I jumped 4 cars on one charge and it can do more!!"No sure about the float mode sorry !
340761
As far as I can tell, the charging controller is NOT built in to the panel. At only 6 watts, I don't see over-charging a battery unless it is not used from day to day or as late as week to week. However, a small, low cost controller might be a wise investment if you plan to leave the panel charging indefinitely.
440393
It may overcharge your battery though not likely.It does have a bypass diode which is only useful when connecting multiple panel in series. The diode has nothing to do with overcharge protection.You should consider adding a diode in series with the + lead to prevent leakage at night. Again this will have no effect on overcharge.It may be easier to add a charge controller.
1116233
A 10Watt Solar Panel with the charge controller will definitely keep a car battery charged, and can do so through the cigarette lighter. You can either make up a cig lighter plug, or buy an adapter. Ideally, I would say park the car (if you can,) facing in a South by South West angle, and run the wire to the solar panel outside the car (you can lean it on the windshield and use the wipers to hold it.) I can't say for sure how long it would take to charge the battery from a deep discharged condition. Usually a panel like this is meant to keep a battery "topped off" in long term storage. Believe it or not, it will work with the solar panel on the dashboard of the car, but will take twice as long. Again, for a long term "keeping the battery topped off typ of charge," it should be fine. The idea of the charge controller, is that it senses when the battery reaches a full charge and it dissipates the voltage so the battery doesn't cook. I hope this answers your questions.
1712591
It has it's own internal charge controller. It will shut itself off once the maximum charge has been reached. I have had this running on a 1997 Chevy Astrovan that only gets run a couple months a year. So far, each time I turn the key, the truck starts without issue.
1476806
To prolong the life of your battery, I strongly recommend a charge controller. They will keep the battery from overcharge off-gassing. More off-gassing means more maintenance (acid level checks, adding DI water etc). Many batteries don't handle over-charging well.