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Hi all,

I have a smart charger (Lidl special) permanently connected to my battery and would like to add a solar charger for use on sites without EHU. Can anyone tell me if I have to disconnect the smart charger when the solar charger is in use?  I'm guessing that as both have diode protection it shouldn't be necassary.  The solar panel is a 13 watt suitcase type, do I need to use a charge controller? The 12v supply is only used for lighting and water pumps, one submersible and a Thetford toilet.

Many thanks.

Quote: Originally posted by tango55 on 27/3/2012

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Yes it is recommended to disconnect the smart charger as you can only use one source of power input to charge the battery.

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Thanks tango55,  I will only be using one charging source at a time. The smart charger is permanently connected to the battery therefore the issue is wether or not it has to be physically disconnected when the solar panel is connected to the battery. 

The solar panel will only be used when there is no EHU, so the smart charger will not be operating at the same time, but will the fact that it is connected affect the ability of the solar panel to charge the battery?

Quote: Originally posted by capnrhodes on 26/3/2012

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The solar panel is a 13 watt suitcase type, do I need to use a charge controller? and a

Many thanks.

 

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