PV Gap

Robert Said:

I have a 1.8V Eliminator Solar Charger. How long would it take to charge an almost dead 12V car battery?

We Answered:

I am guessing you meant 1.8 Watt not 1.8 Volt? If it is 1.8 volts you could only charge a small double A battery or the like.

You will never charge a car battery with a 1.8 watt solar charger.

I don't know the math right off hand to convert Cold Cranking Amps over to Amp-Hours. Car batteries use Cold Cranking Amps where Solar batteries normally are rated in AH.

It normally takes a minium of 5% rate of charge but should be 10%. So if you have a 100 AH battery at 12 volts.

100 times 12 = 1200 watts. 10% would be 120 watts in solar power or about 10 amps.

Now something else to think about is what do you call dead?

If you took 50% of the power out of the 100 AH battery you would have draned it by 50 Amps. At 10 amps from the 120 watt panel would take a min of 5 hours of sun. And there will be some power loss in the system.

Clarence Said:

I need a solar 12v charger with float?

We Answered:

Try, bass pro shops, cabelas, ***** sporting goods.
all the outdoor sports shops.
they run about 30 dollars for a marine one. Mine works very well.
Good luck man.