Quote:
Originally Posted by Dlong
Hello, New to the forum. I purchased a New Viking 21FQ in May of 2017. I would like to replace the coverter / battery charger with a smart charger to give me more more chargers and extend the battery life. I have two 12 batteries. I wanted to be able to order the piece before we got the trailer out of storage so l have everything to start the job. No idea on the size, can’t find the spec’s for the electrical system. Thanks
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The installed converter on that new a camper is a "smart charger", probably made by WFCO. I suggest you look up the converter model (number usually found on the inside of the front cover).
The need for a second battery and/or a "better" converter depends on your camping style and how you store your camper between trips. If you are always camping with electric hook-ups, there is no need for a second battery or a better converter. If you are boondocking for days on end, you will need to understand your usage, and a generator and/or solar panel setup to recharge your batteries.
A better converter ONLY makes a difference if you are recharging from a generator for a couple of hours a day. In that specific case, you will need to match the current rating of the converter to the battery bank size (converter amp rating should be 25% of the battery bank AH), and you will need a converter that holds bulk mode to about 90% state of charge (SOC). Progressive Dynamics converters do feature bulk mode to 90%, unlike WFCO converters. PD converters are available in "drop-in" replacements for WFCO.
If you are not trying to recharge with a generator in just a couple of hours, the recharge rates of the converter make little useful difference. To recharge from 50% to 100% takes at least 9 hours, no matter the converter.
I replaced my batteries with 2 GC-2 6V batteries from Costco to carry my little A-frame in modest winter conditions for 4 nights without recharging. I replaced my stock WFCO converter because the WFCO would never go into trickle mode. The PD goes into all 3 modes correctly (measured with a voltmeter). The PD also recharges faster when we are plugged in - but that really doesn't matter because I'm always plugged in for at least overnight when I am plugged in.
hope this helps
Fred W
2014 Rockwood A122 A-frame
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time
Linear Mode
