Longterm storage with Solar Panel?

[Marguerite]

Hi, We have Solar Panels on our Sundance and they work great (thanks to some helpful hints from this forum). Now we are getting ready to store the 5th wheel for 7 months while we are sailing. Should we disconnect the solar panel and batteries or should we leave the whole thing connected. We live in central Florida and it probably won't freeze. Thanks in advance for advice.

 

[boatdoc]

As long as your system has a charge controller in it, leaving it connected would be the best thing for it. Just check the water in all the batterys before you leave.

 

[Marguerite]

Thanks very much for the swift reply. That is what we'll do.

 

[thomasinnv]

as long as it's stored where sunlight can get to the panels, and you have a charge controller, leave it as is. i would just make sure the water is topped off in the batteries when you park it.

 

[wazz_zup]

My batteries are maint free, so with the charge controller I just park it and forget about it. Now if it were in covered storage that might be a different story. I'd probably leave everything connected and just run the Honda 2000EU maybe once a month. Or just get it out in the sun for a couple of days.

 

[PUG]

I have solar panels on my sailboat with a good charge controller and it keeps batterys up to snuff for sometimes a month or so gone. I did this to keep the battery's charged where the sump pump comes on a couple of times a day. Should be great on an RV. We store plugged in so I don't need one on our RV.