Greetings, I am new to the forum, but have read a bunch of posts, so thanks for the good advice.
We have a 2017 Dodge Promaster. We bought it used, so I don’t know the specs on the solar/battery system, but we have 4 large solar panels on the roof. We bought in May and used it a ton all summer and while we were driving a bunch, it seemed like the battery meter was always near 100%, maybe dropping down to 80% overnight.
As the fall arrived in Seattle, we did not drive much, the days got shorter and darker. Welcome to the Seattle winter. Recently, I went out to the van. and the battery meter was down to 33%. I got in, drove around for 15-20 mins and it was back up to 66%, so the alternator charging works fine. But wondering if something is off with the solar system.
Questions;
- is it normal for this to happen in winter months, darker days? (We leave the small fridge running, at least for now)?
- if so and we think the system is still working as designed, should I plan to drive it weekly to keep the battery at a higher charge rate?
- Is there a % threshold at which point we might be really damaging the battery? I am happy to turn off the fridge too if that is going to make a big difference.
Thanks for all your advice