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Old 01-12-2016, 03:08 PM   #1
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Charging battery(s) when dry camping

Preparing for a week in the boondocks. Do people still charge with vehicle's generator and how long does that take.

Thinking about purchasing a 1000 watt gen for charging batteries etc.. Your thoughts. What do you do.

Thanks in advance.
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Old 01-12-2016, 03:14 PM   #2
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Charging battery(s) when dry camping

There alternators now lol
Would take forever through the vehicle charging system.
1000 watt generator would take quite awhile as well through onboard charger.
1000 watt genie is only 8 amps


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Old 01-12-2016, 03:24 PM   #3
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thanks for the reply, my RAM diesel has a pretty significant alternator but I'm not going to run more than 15 minutes or so and I don't think that's enough. I should have added, I'm talking about a travel trailer, not motorhome.

Yes, 8 amps charging two batteries would be all day, I guess. I'm thinking of connecting it to the power cord on the camper and letting the camper's inverter charge it. That may be slower however.

How do most people handle charging.
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Old 01-12-2016, 03:24 PM   #4
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You can pick up a champion 2000i for around $500 that will power everything but your AC and microwave. How long your batteries last depends on usage, type and the number of them.
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Old 01-12-2016, 03:29 PM   #5
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Too Tall,NoA/C or Micro but you can run the rest on 12V using that 1000! Even a Little TV or Tunes,but you cant run it all like your on Shore Power! Youroo!!
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Old 01-12-2016, 03:56 PM   #6
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We use a charger made by Schumacher that has a fast charge, we power it from our Honda 2000I. Does a great job charging our 2 Trojan batterys..
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Old 01-12-2016, 03:57 PM   #7
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Many of the larger TVs have high current alternator systems, the problem is the length of the wiring from the alternator, through the TV and the TT will cause enough voltage drop that you will have limited charging capability. Also even large alternator equipped TVs have limited charging capacity at idle.
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Old 01-12-2016, 04:07 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by Kevin & Judy View Post
We use a charger made by Schumacher that has a fast charge, we power it from our Honda 2000I. Does a great job charging our 2 Trojan batterys..
I have a Schmacher with a huge amp output. About how long does it take you to charge your battery with that setup?
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Old 01-12-2016, 04:17 PM   #9
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Too Tall,NoA/C or Micro but you can run the rest on 12V using that 1000! Even a Little TV or Tunes,but you cant run it all like your on Shore Power! Youroo!!
That's what I'm thinking, All i want to do is charge the two 12 volt batteries on the trailer tongue, then shut it off.
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Old 01-12-2016, 04:26 PM   #10
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It depends on how depleated the batterys are, we usually run for 2-3 hours per day depending on usage, Most of our usage comes from running a C-pap machine at night,and from the quick use of the invertor making coffee in the morning.
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Old 01-12-2016, 04:42 PM   #11
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thanks, I got the CPAP to run also.
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Old 01-12-2016, 04:56 PM   #12
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Any 2000w inverter generator should be adequate for what you want.
We only have to run our Honda 2000 for 2-3 hours every 3 or 4 days.
But that's without using the furnace. If you use the furnace, expect to use the generator more.
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Old 01-12-2016, 05:23 PM   #13
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i got a powerstroke genset from costco this week - $449, 1700w running plus it has a 12v charge port and cable for doing batteries. Claims to run 12 hours on 1 gal of gas at moderate load. 46 lbs.

due to the ugly weather here I've not tried it out yet...14f yesterday and 3" of snow and still snowing now...need to get gas for it as all i've got on hand is 2 stroke fuel for my snowblower.

Plan to bookdock this year. Last summer was at a CG and the power kept going out...of course it was at the exact time i needed to make coffee and use the microwave! LOL.
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Old 01-12-2016, 05:33 PM   #14
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thanks for the reply, my RAM diesel has a pretty significant alternator but I'm not going to run more than 15 minutes or so and I don't think that's enough. I should have added, I'm talking about a travel trailer, not motorhome.

Yes, 8 amps charging two batteries would be all day, I guess. I'm thinking of connecting it to the power cord on the camper and letting the camper's inverter charge it. That may be slower however.

How do most people handle charging.
If you buy a 2000watt inverter generator (Champion is a good brand) you can charge your batterys through the converter (shore cord) at whatever amperage your converter puts out. Plus you will be able to run your microwave if needed.
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Old 01-12-2016, 05:38 PM   #15
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If you are using a small generator to charge your batteries, do not use the 12V charge port. Connect your shore power cord to the generator AC socket and allow the converter to charge your batteries. It will charge faster and safer.
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Old 01-12-2016, 06:19 PM   #16
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If you are using a small generator to charge your batteries, do not use the 12V charge port. Connect your shore power cord to the generator AC socket and allow the converter to charge your batteries. It will charge faster and safer.
Flybob gives good advice here. The 12v chargecport/cord provides very limited charging amps. Plug in the shore cord or I think the OP mentioned a stand alone charger... plug that in and connect to the batteries for even faster charging. (depending on charger's options)
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Old 01-12-2016, 06:38 PM   #17
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Too tall: To give a meaningful answer about charging time, we need to know what group size batteries (24, 27, 31, 105, etc.) or the amp hour rating of each battery.

Then we need to know how many amps your converter/charger puts out.

FYI, a 1000 watt genny does only produce about 8 amps at 120 volts, but that will power a charger of up to 50 amps at 12 volts.

watts = amps x volts, so 120 volts x 8 amps = 960 watts

Charger at charging voltage of 14.5 volts x 50 amps = 725 watts. Adjust for charger efficiency of 80% puts you at a bit above 900 watts required from genny.

That assumes that genny 1000 watt rating is continuous, not surge or time limited.

As already mentioned, a 2000 watt genny is probably best, since you don't want to run near 100% power for a long time, no matter what the rating. It also gives you the power for a single large appliance like a hair dryer or larger microwave.
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Old 01-12-2016, 06:57 PM   #18
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Originally Posted by Flybob View Post
If you are using a small generator to charge your batteries, do not use the 12V charge port. Connect your shore power cord to the generator AC socket and allow the converter to charge your batteries. It will charge faster and safer.
OK, that's good advise. I'm going to look for a 2000, not much difference in price for a 1000 and I can run more stuff.
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Old 01-12-2016, 07:00 PM   #19
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Too tall: To give a meaningful answer about charging time, we need to know what group size batteries (24, 27, 31, 105, etc.) or the amp hour rating of each battery.

Then we need to know how many amps your converter/charger puts out.

FYI, a 1000 watt genny does only produce about 8 amps at 120 volts, but that will power a charger of up to 50 amps at 12 volts.

watts = amps x volts, so 120 volts x 8 amps = 960 watts

Charger at charging voltage of 14.5 volts x 50 amps = 725 watts. Adjust for charger efficiency of 80% puts you at a bit above 900 watts required from genny.

That assumes that genny 1000 watt rating is continuous, not surge or time limited.

As already mentioned, a 2000 watt genny is probably best, since you don't want to run near 100% power for a long time, no matter what the rating. It also gives you the power for a single large appliance like a hair dryer or larger microwave.
Thanks, yea the 2000 is definitely the way to go. I was thinking Honda but others mentioned Champion.
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Old 01-12-2016, 07:06 PM   #20
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Many people buy the 1000 only to wish they got the 2000. If you have a 2000 and you upgrade TT at a later date, you can add a companion 2000 and run the AC. Long thread here last week on best generator prices. Here is link.
http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ors-98829.html
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