Questions about Battery Tender

[sajohnson]

rare sighting to witness the Kong's outside the perimeter of the compound

"Where the Hell is Major Kong?":
https://thephotosociety.org/where-the-hell-is-major-kong/

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[NMhunter]

If you're inside, a battery tender works great. If you're outdoors, a solar panel makes more sense. My F-250 has two batteries and sits a lot, so I went with a 20 watt panel and charge controller. With the small 1/2 amp panels that plug into the cigarette lighter, no charge controller is needed. My old truck battery lasted 10 years. Lead acid batteries like being fully charged.

 

[sajohnson]

If you're inside, a battery tender works great. If you're outdoors, a solar panel makes more sense. My F-250 has two batteries and sits a lot, so I went with a 20 watt panel and charge controller. With the small 1/2 amp panels that plug into the cigarette lighter, no charge controller is needed. My old truck battery lasted 10 years. Lead acid batteries like being fully charged.

Good suggestion.

I'd only add: "If you're outdoors in New Mexico/the Sun Belt, a solar panel makes more sense."

I've been interested in solar energy since I was a kid, for about 50 years. It should be used wherever it's practical. One problem in some areas is shade. Just partial shade drastically reduces PV panel output:

"Shadows and shading and their effects on solar panels":


(Just the first 1:30 is a good demo).

We live in the woods. Not total tree cover, but a lot of shade. We have an electric fence around the property and a few years ago I decided to try a 12V charger. Instead of buying one with a built-in battery and a small PV panel, I got just the charger and used a 12V "marine" battery and a 20W solar panel. That should have been overkill. Instead, the battery periodically became discharged -- even in the winter with no leaves on the trees. A fence charger is a very small load, and the battery and the panel were good -- but because the panel did not ever get full sun it's output was severely limited.

In any case, that's why I run an extension cord to the vehicles that are outside.

 

[NMhunter]

We are blessed with sunshine here in NM.

 

[sajohnson]

We are blessed with sunshine here in NM.

No doubt! We love it there.

 

[Major Kong]

exterior access
no frog lights so perfect location
weatherproof/dustproof 12V
skinny ole spider monkey arms could only reach so far to explore cavity
flashlight penetration compromised by multitude of components
bows head
silent prayer
proceed to drill blind
small exploration hole to feed fish wire
feed feed feed feed annnnnnnd BINGO
wiring doable
drills larger hole to accept inboard side of connector
*note limited space to accept connector on interior side of bumper*
hot glue and screw
tidy up the wire routing
close the hood
big smile

 

[Dude]

…
close the hood
big smile

Wins cleanest installation of the year award!

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