MacGregorSailors.com

Does anyone know where I can pick up a battery for this solar vent?

Anyone that sells the vents will likely have the batteries for them. They take a standard C cell battery, which you can probably buy cheaper somewhere else, but often sold in pairs. Mine came with NiCd's but the dealer had a NiMH for it the last time, so either will do. I would guess if you wanted to secure it and use one a AA might also fit the space.

A lower maH rating will reach full charge sooner, but not last as long at night; the ideal rating for you varies and depends on your locale and usage patterns.

Be careful with the fine wires when you change the battery. The cheezy strain relief inside belies the high price for these units.

Spray some silicone spray inside and let it dry while you have it apart.

-Brian.

Wow! I didn't know they had a battery! Will have to check mine as it doesn't work at night...

There are lots of different models of these vents - the battery version is called "Day-Night" or something like that. If yours has a battery there will be a switch behind the fan to turn it on and off. I think. To be sure you will need to undo the three screws and take a look inside. Watch the wires, haven't pulled any out yet, but I see the potential to if you do this every few years, or say, every season to remove the battery.

Thanks for the info. When it was new the fan would run all night.

You will have to take it apart and find the exact battery. Chances are it's a standard size. If so, you can find a replacement in many sources. (amazon.com)

NiCads don't have a long lifespan, but actually take the constant charge/discharge well. That's why they still use them in applications like solar lights etc.

--Russ

Did surgery to mine and wired directly into my Mac's system....so will still run at night and when under cover

I’ve done surgery to several outdoor solar garden lights and have found the nicad batteries don’t do so well holding up weatherwise and in longevity.

Replacing the batteries with the nimh type has yielded better results.

Yeah – solar lights vary so widely in their quality and construction, as do the batteries themselves, and the variety of conditions they see (day length, temperature, seasons, light angle, humidity, weather) are so wide that it hard to get a fix on the difference among battery types, even when applying good science. Too many variables.

NiCads are more toxic though (as RoHS expands I think we'll see less and less of them in time) and have more memory effect than other technologies, which sometimes might not be a good thing in a solar light.

What do you think about the new lithium cells?

Even better yet?

Loala wrote:What do you think about the new lithium cells?

Even better yet?

Lithium requires a charge controller to prevent both overcharge (which can destroy the cell) and over-drain (which is certain to destroy the cells). NiMH is extremely forgiving and doesn't require a charge controller for reasonably matched solar cells, which makes it the ideal chemistry for this application.

I'd recommend coating the terminals and exposed electronics with a bit of non-conductive grease to keep weather at bay.

Was just getting some bottom paint and was thinking about throwing in a solar fan, and saw they have factory batteries. Didn't check the price but http://www.binnacle.com has been really good when I order from them. Although the price for the fans seem a little high but them again maybe not?

Depends what you want it for but this one I would call light duty. A fairly decent price and comes with a NiMh battery.

http://www.westmarine.com/sunforce--sol ... P011974581

yukonbob wrote:Was just getting some bottom paint and was thinking about throwing in a solar fan, and saw they have factory batteries. Didn't check the price but http://www.binnacle.com has been really good when I order from them. Although the price for the fans seem a little high but them again maybe not?

Wind powered vents work great for the Macgregor, and no need to change batteries. Something like this:
http://www.defender.com/product3.jsp?pa ... 5&id=46068

gabid wrote: Wind powered vents work great for the Macgregor, and no need to change batteries. Something like this:
http://www.defender.com/product3.jsp?pa ... 5&id=46068

Looks neat...do they really work as well as they claim? Last long time?