Sunforce 50032 15 Watt Solar Battery Charger
March 9, 2010 by SolarInfo
Filed under solar panels
| Brand: | Sunforce | ||
| Average Rating |
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The Sunforce 50032 15 Watt Solar Battery Charger gives you another reason to love the sun -- it'll help keep your vehicle's battery charged. Just plug the this helpful 15-watt battery charger into your vehicle's 12-volt lighter socket and position the panel to pick up the most daylight possible. And with the built-in blocking diode technology, this charger is designed to protect against battery discharge at night. You can also use this device to maintain the charge on any 12-volt battery for clean, silent operation of various electronics, such as deer feeders and landscaping pumps. The 50032 features a built-in ultra-bright blue LED charging indicator, and is a great choice for automobiles, recreational vehicles (RV), tractors, all terrain vehicles (ATV), boats, electric fences, telemetry and more, and it is even effective on cloudy days. This battery charger is made of durable ABS plastic and amorphous solar cells, measures 15.5 x 2.5 x 41.5 inches (WxHxD), and has a maximum temperature range of -40 to 176-degrees Fahrenheit. The manufacturer recommends using the Sunforce 60012 7 Amp Charge Controller in tandem with this charger for optimal results. more info
Solar battery charger
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Used the charger in Canada to charge our boat after daily use and it provided the power needed for the next day. it had done all we had hoped for
Arrived Broken – Twice
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I did not use the product due to it arriving with cracked glass – twice. I will try another product and would not recommend this one due to damaged goods. My guess is these are probably damaged before leaving Amazon since the boxes arrived in good shape.
these are good but i live in a bad place.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
i have 2 5watt panels and 2 of these big 15watt panels and they are mounted on the outside of my house i live in fairbanks alaska so i get bearly any light now (like 2hours a day) and whats good about these panels though is they work pretty good out of the sun (and in -40) i cant wait until summer when i get to test them out in 24hr sunlight! i have it connected to a huge referbushed military battery its about 75lbs and 120amp hours or something like that but i can run my laptop off of it for a short amount of time. i was trying to get a bigger panel something around 50watts but amazon wont ship it to alaska. i would recommend this panel.
Solar power is expensive, so not sure it was worth it
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I got a set of 5 panels for $65 each when I saw them on sale. I’ve had no problems (with arriving broken or such) & I’m pretty sure they put out the energy I expect when the sun’s on them. (Update 7-08, see my review under the northern tool panels for my performance test results of the panels I have).
But after I got these I ran some math on the cost for them and their output versus the utility power rate. With power billed in kiloWatt/hours (or 1,000 watts at a time) these panels can suposedly produce 15 watts (~1/60 of a kiloWatt). Assuming they give me the full 15 watts output for ~8 hours per day constantly, it’ll take 15+ years for them to pay for themselves. Since cloudy days & such reduce the output & benefit, it will likely make it take a lot longer. Whether of not the plastic construction will hold up that long I wonder about too, so I’m not sure it was really worth it now. How to fully utilize the power I get & not just be keeping a battery fully charged is another thing I’m not sure of (I don’t want to leave something running that drains the battery overnight, but not running anything means I get nothing out of it).
So if you want to power something in a remote location that can run off of minimal power or has a high draw but for only a minimal time, this may be the way to go. Just remember that the panels only give you power during sunshine and you need enough of them to be able to recharge the battery they feed during your daylight hours. The set of 4 panels & more for ~$300 sounds like a better deal than ~$100 each (unless you see these on sale). Also being able to use them with existing things (like in a RV that runs off of 12V power anyway) can make it easier to utilize them as well.
But if you are thinking buying these will help you save on your energy bill at home, you might want to think again. To produce 1 kilowatt of solar power will cost you ~$5,000 up front (and that’s almost regardless of who’s name brand you choose). To collect up the DC power they produce and convert that into household power requires a car size battery & a power inverter as additional costs. I saw a TV show where a guy in California made himself independent of utilities with a farm of panels & other equipment needed, but it cost him over $500,000 to put it all together. If you can afford such and like the comfort of being energy independent, go for it! Otherwise a utility bill as little as $0.10 for each kilowatt hour seems more cost effective to me.
Does what it says
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this, then bought the set of 4 that comes with extras. Works like it says but for the money your better off buying the set.
Very low power output for price and size.
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
This should be called a battery maintainer and not a battery charger. We have a 90 Amp-hour battery on my boat and took this charger camping with us. It didn’t come close to recharging the battery or keeping up with our daily power consumption. When we got home I kept it on the boat battery for 10 days and the battery still was not fully recharged.
Doing some calculations, this solar charger takes about 5 days under above average weather conditions to provide enough power to run my trolling motor for about an hour. The 15W max output is not even enough to run my electric fillet knife.
This charger is weak power and bulky in addition to expensive relative to power from the grid.
Not recommended unless used as a battery maintainer, in which case I would get a smaller and less expensive unit.
Very Nice Solar Panel.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Got this panel for under $70 bucks. The panel came in a very securly packed package. It generate more than it advertised. I measured over 20 watts while it’s in direct sun light. One thing that’s should improve is that the core could be longer.
Received broken twice
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Saw the reviews about receiving broken units but thought I’d chance it anyways since the price was so low. The first one arrived completely smashed. Amazon was very easy about returning it and getting a replacement. Second one arrived and looked good. Small plastic pieces were found on the ground where it was unpacked. I looked the panel over and didn’t see any damage. Later, when I went to plug it into a 12V adapter I realized the Sunforce 12V connector was smashed. Overall, very poor packaging. If I were to do it again, I’d pay extra $$ and buy it from a brick & mortar location like Camping World. I have no idea how it works yet since I’m still trying to fix broken parts.
Don’t worry about the packaging
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This panel was double boxed with extra foam and cardboard. The packaging for the panel itself was in excellent shape and I use it for storage of the panel when I’m towing my trailer. The panel keeps 2 12 volt batteries charged all winter in storage. Excellent buy! Cheaper than camping world by $40 as long as you use super saver shipping.
No Problem Here
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Well, maybe I’m lucky, but I ordered two of these and they made it all the way to Hawaii in perfect condition.
The panels are just fine — cheap and easy to mount, exactly what I need for my remote low-power water pumping system.
Solar Panel
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
It was simple to install on top of my RV. I was able to put a cover over the panel and keep getting the sunlight to charge the batteries. It charges even through glass on the inside of the RV.
sun force solar panel
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
These are the third and fourth panels of this type that I have purchased…there are others better, but for the price, rate of return (amps), and reliability I like these best. Brian
Charges even in low light
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I pull a two horse trailer. When we get to the location and I shut off my truck (Ford F250), the power is then shut to the trailer. I installed my Starter-Booster in the trailer to power lights, fans and a water pump while we are at a location.The Starter-Booster would not fully charge on the trip home, so I often had to plug it into AC to recharge it. I installed the solar panel and the regulator and it is maintaining a steady 13.5 volts.
First panel arrived broken, but Amazon quickly replaced it.
The panel is well constructed. I mounted it on the roof of the trailer between two intake / exhaust vents. The vents will give it some protection from branches that occasionally rub along the top of the trailer.
Great while it lasted
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This is a great panel to have, if you take good care of it. In full sunlight, it will put out the full 15 watts and is fully weatherproof. It is not heavy duty though, so you cant just have it somewhere it might slip, or have it angled up with the chance of it falling down–because it will break. And you can’t fix the glass in it if you take it apart. Even when broken it still puts out the 15 watts, it just needs to be kept weather safe.
I got it at Amazon’s lowest price ever and I saw they went back up. But I would have already got another at that same price I got the first.
This 15 watt panel is the perfect size to charge batteries without a controller.
Sunforce 15 watt solar panel
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This panel is great to start out with. Very well built. I am using it to charge a 75 amp hour battery. I only have it powering a small fan but it works great.
Solar Charger
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I’ve had the Solar Charger for awhile now. For its size, it does very well. I’m a little concerned about how fragile it is. The output even in indirect sunlight is approx. 18volts. I used it with Sunforce’s 7 amp regulator. Their regulator died after 2 weeks. I sent it back to them and haven’t heard back. They where good about the RMA, but again. I have not heard what happened yet. The bottom line is if you want a small unit for a boat, vehicle and you have a day or two to charge the battery. This unit will do. I wish I could say the same for their regulator.
Works well
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This panel works like a charm. But if you want a little more power, i would recomend the 50 Watt Solar Panel – CDT-50w 12V Crystalline PV module #31050. It comes out to be cheaper $/watt.
kind of dumb
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I have never used this, but it seems to me jumper cables would be a better deal.
no regrets
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The product came as promised. The same solar panel is sold in many other retail markets, this gave me confidence. I didn’t save a bundle on amazon, but I saved a few dollars and like dealing with amazon anyway. Plenty of electrical wire for easy connections to my batteries.
Works great
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I put this on top of a metal storage container with 3 LED lights inside. I put in a controller and a 12 volt deep cyle battery, and I have lots of light.
Just for grins I put in a 400 watt inverter in case anyone wanted to run a battery charger for a DeWalt cordless drill. Great job site problem solver.
Very pleased with my purchase
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I am very pleased overall with my purchase. The packing was very good and very professional and the shipping was much quicker than I anticipated. After saying that, it should be obvious that the panels came to me undamaged, which is much more than I can say about the panel I tried to buy from Wally!
At about 11:00 am on my deck I got 13 volts loaded and .77 amps short circuited. I currently don’t want to cut any cords to measure actual current into the battery but with my DVM in series but just using those numbers, with two panels I was getting about 19.5 watts. The sun was kind of behind some deck railing. If I went out and measured it when the sun was at the highest point in the sky, I think I would get more. However, I did not expect to get the full power rating out of these panels regardless, as I know how many variables can be in solar panels themselves, solar panel direction optimization, conditions in the sky, haze and humidity, etc.
I would buy more of these from amazon in a heart beat. In the future I may come back and update my review after I do some more precise power readings along with location optimization. For now I am generating free power(after initial purchase) and totaly sustainable in the long term without any fuel, which gives me some piece of mind looking toward natural disasters and power outages. I can do some useful things with even that small amount of power.
UPDATE as of 9/6/09. I put an ammeter in series with the two solar panels connected in parallel and measured the current. I got 1.5 amps at about 1:00pm. I have the solar panels facing south toward the sun and angled to about 20 to 30 degrees, mounted on my deck. Increasing the angle by maybe 5 degrees might be slightly better but I don’t know by how much.
Right now I have the car cigarette lighter plug plugged into an old portable car jump starter during the day and by night I disconnect it and plug my 10 year old 75 watt inverter that I got from walmart at the time and never used, and then plug a hamilton bay torche(sp) light with a 20 watt compact florescent bulb(cfl). With a 6-7 hour charge, I get about 5 hours of light out of the lamp. I have no idea what the efficiency of the inverter is. It is about 10 years old, so I would assume that my inverter is not as efficient as todays models.
I just bought a black and decker electromate 400 to use and will try to get back and let everyone know how that works with this system.
Update at of 9-17-09 I have been successfully charging the Electromate plus another jump starter box through a 7 amp Sunforce charge controller for a week now and everything works great. I can charge the electrome from a depleted state in 6 hours, giving me 5 hours of light through a standard torche light with a 23 watt CFL installed. The whole system together is pretty much turn key, except that I have to tote the electromate around after a day of charging.
Update Sept 26th, 2009
Received another two panels. They came packed perfectly with no damage and work just like the first two.
Great Item
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
It comes with a nice long cord which was long enough to reach from the corner of the room of my RV down the refrigerator vent where I connected it to my 7 am charge controller and ran a wire underneath to the battery. This cord has a plug on the end to connect to one of several connectors included. (No wire splicing necessary). It comes with connectors for connecting to a cigarette lighter, alligator clips for connecting directly to battery posts, as well as a connector that just splits off two wires with the insulation already removed for you in case you need to wire them directly into something, or extend them with more wire. It also includes a LED test light that can plug directly into the solar panels cord to test whether the panel is working.
I have attached two of these solar panels to the roof of my RV camper. They keep the battery fully charged even with the propane detector still using electricity. I was able to screw the panel directly into my rubber roof with the screws provided with no problem. They are very secure and they were a great investment.
Nice packaging and it works
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
There seems to be some chance of solar panels being damaged in shipping. I was pleased with the way this item arrived. The hard edged cardboard and foam kept the unit intact.
I have not tested or used this under a load, but open circuit voltages ranged from 22VDC to 24VDC during partly sunny conditions. 22VDC was the lowest reading with the sun completely blocked by clouds. I’m waiting on the 7amp charger/controller to have some real fun. Will update soon.
[...]
Arrived broken, Replacement also broken
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Amazon has verified my suspicion that their stock of these panels is damaged. This product was placed on hold until the “issue can be resolved”. The first panel arrived with broken glass, but the box wasn’t in perfect condition. The replacement arrived with even more broken glass, but the box was in perfect condition (which rules out the carrier having damaged the panel).
I must say, Amazon customer service came through for me. When I first reported the problem, they immediately sent me a replacement. When that arrived broken, they took care of me.
I should note: The panel still works broken, just not at 15 watts.
Works as advertised
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
It arrived quickly and in perfect condition. It produced the rated open circuit voltage and short circuit current in full sunshine per the specifications. It was a good buy, very good for maintaining a battery, but you must use a charge controller. You need several along with a charge controller if you intend to produce enough power for useful work. I use 5 (similar) together with a 100 amp/hour marine battery to power my laptop. I’d like to add a few more! Great for the hobbyist who wants to play with solar without a large expense, also useful for low power off grid applications. It has been outside during several large rainstorms and had no problems.
Great Addition to our Motorhome
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I installed this panel recently, just before a week-long camping trip in Eastern Oregon. We never once had to run the generator to top off the battery the entire week. We only run lights each night for a few hours and a propane reefer. It probably also helps that we simultaneously installed a new deep cycle battery. We also purchased the recommended basic charge controller, which doesn’t tell us much, other than the battery is charging.
This addition to our motorhome has been great, and it’s wonderful to camp an entire week without running the generator for battery charging.
One bummer, though — the price seems to fluctuate. It’s currently $76 and we paid $90-something just a few weeks back. Jump on the current lower price if you have even a bit of interest. Such a deal!
Good Product
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I have installed this panel on my RV and so far it seems to work well. Easy install and hook up to controller. It charges very slowly, so if you want faster you might try two panels to double the amps.
15 Solor Charger
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Installed on tractor barn to maintain tractor battery during winter months. It has performed well, since installing the battery is always charged. Produces current even on low sunlight days.
Solar Panel
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
These solar panels work well. Just be aware that with a fixed location you will only get a portion of the rated amps. If you have direct sunlight and no clouds you may get full current. They are durable and easy to set up.
Great for RVers
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is my 2nd one, I now have one for each 5th wheel RV battary, now I can last 4 days instead of 3 before recharging.
Excellent
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is an excellent solar panel. I bought it as a replacement for one of mine that broke and it is much better than the old one!
Addicted to solar
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Good product,meets specs or exceeds,same as a northern tool 15 watt panel…so by whichever is cheaper….
BAD PRICE-150% price change in 2 days
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I was considering buying this item when it was listed for 44 bucks. I put the item in my cart and two days later I checked back and the vendor had increased the price of the charger and controller to 129 bucks. Now I will not pay 100%+ more just because 2 days have passed. I do not know what the hell these guys were thinking and I might consider buying the product if they bring it back into a reasonable price.
FYI you can find this at the kragen stores and other auto retailers for approximately 60 bucks. I was going to buy it thru amazon because it was 30 bucks.
I complained to customers service and all I got was a bunch of crap about how prices are not guaranteed or anything.
DO NOT BUY THIS FOR 99 BUCKS. You can get it for about half from other internet retailers.
No wonder amazon is having so many stock problems. Trying to choke down 150% price increases is BS and I will not support a vendor who does that.
If they lower the price back to where it was and offer me a 10% off for the hassle I might consider it.
I bought one for 52 dollars from another internet retailer.
Maybe if they dropped the price to 38 bucks you can buy it. Do not get ripped off by these jerk sellers.
Power for tent trailer
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I have purchased and installed solar panels before on my motor home but they were not the quality of the Sunforce I am happy to say, the package arrived on time as always from Amazon orders. It was packaged very well with no damage and all parts were included.
I installed the panel on my eight foot tent trailer, the minute I allowed the sunlight to hit the panel the volt meter jumped to 24 volts as specified. Install was easy on the flat surface, I put butyl tape along all the edges that will make contact with the roof for an added seal then used the screws provided in the kit. They give you three wiring options with battery clips, hard wire leads, or a lighter plug in. I went with the hard wire as I installed a charge wizard in line to the batteries. Just to check the system inside I turned on the overhead light and got an instant charge on the meter.
So far so good, I will be leaving for the SW doing work in the desert of Arizona for a few months and at this time believe the panel will keep my batteries charged for computer use and a few other small items.