Thanks, I suspicioned as much.  Guess I should look at controllers
now.    I just replaced my NAPA battery with a pro-rated $40 warranty
charge.   Guess that is reasonable for about 5 months of steady abuse over
a couple of camping seasons....But those controllers don't wear out and my
starter battery is the same NAPA one ----but it is over 6yrs old and still
going strong....
  Thanks Don Hanson

On Tue, Jan 22, 2013 at 11:15 AM, KIM BRENNAN <kimbrennan@mac.com> wrote:

>
> Yea you are killing your batteries if you dont use a charge co troller on
> your panel(s). Been there done that.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Jan 22, 2013, at 12:39 PM, dhanson928@gmail.com <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
> wrote:
>
> > For over 10 yrs I've been using a Siemens solar panel, no specific
> output  designation.  M-20 model #.  22"x 12".  I've never had a
> controller, just plugin to the system and unplug at dark.  Am I killing
> batteries too quickly, doing this?   I am about to replace another napa 42
> group batt that isn't holding a chArge well, dated Jan '11.  This is my
> coach battery, often run way down...  I know, wrong battery, etc...but my
> question is -- would it  be worth it to  buy a controller of some sort,
> perhaps to get longer battery life, keeping all else the same?  I like
> everything as is, it fits, it's cheap, it works for me....am I sometimes
> cooking the batteries?  This is about average for the battery life...3rd
> Napa one 4 me.
> >
> > Sent from my HTC smartphone on the Now Network from Sprint!
> >
>