Battery upgrade w/ WFCO WF-8900

[Deanm]

Newb here,
I'm planning on replacing the single 12volt battery that came with our new Toy Hauler ( Stryker 2613 ) with something that will give us more amp hours , ( like two 6 volts for example ) . If I go with AGMs or Gel , will the WF 8900 be ok?
The Manual says it does three stage charging , Bulk 14.4v max four hours/ Absorption 13.6 / Float 13.2 . But I have no idea how it knows when to do this or if I can adjust these setting ( prolly not ).
thanks for any help

[SimchaSabre]

I had good luck talking to the tech at WFCO regarding a similar battery charging question. Just be prepared to provide him any data on the battery that he might need to provide the help.

[HONDAMAN174]

Well that unit can do it, but some of us here were frustrated with the way it operates (or not operates) and have upgraded our units with better performance. Do a search for WFCO in this forum and their are probably a 100 threads on this topic along with what we recommend

[DavidBo]

As mentioned, there are countless threads here covering both battery and converter upgrades. I'll tell you this much, the first two words you'll learn from this research are progressive and dynamics. Don't bother fighting it.

[OldBob]

Originally Posted by Deanm

Newb here,
I'm planning on replacing the single 12volt battery that came with our new Toy Hauler ( Stryker 2613 ) with something that will give us more amp hours , ( like two 6 volts for example ) . If I go with AGMs or Gel , will the WF 8900 be ok?
The Manual says it does three stage charging , Bulk 14.4v max four hours/ Absorption 13.6 / Float 13.2 . But I have no idea how it knows when to do this or if I can adjust these setting ( prolly not ).
thanks for any help

The WFCO is fine for light and average duty, but not for charging multiple 6v golf card batteries. They just don't seem to ever go into the Bulk mode as I have never seen one ramp up to 14.4v. For charging the golf cart batteries I've always replaced the WFCO with a compatible unit from PD (Progressive Dynamics - made in USA-http://www.bestconverter.com/Progressive-Dynamics-Inteli-Power-Converters_c_81.html). They have terrific tech support for about 16 hours a day. Randy (the owner) is a disabled vet and their prices are very reasonable.

[Deanm]

Thanks for all the great replies .

Would the P.Dynamics charger upgrade entail replacing the entire WFCO circuit breaker unit or just the charger portion?

[DavidBo]

Originally Posted by Deanm

Thanks for all the great replies .

Would the P.Dynamics charger upgrade entail replacing the entire WFCO circuit breaker unit or just the charger portion?

You basically have 3 components in your electrical panel - the AC circuit breaker/distribution section, the DC fuse panel, and the converter itself. You don't have to do anything on the AC side when replacing the converter, just remove the old wires and hook up the new. The P.D. converter does include a new DC fuse panel which has the LED indicator and manual switch for the charge modes. Instead of going through the tedious process of replacing the fuse board, I got the dongle that plugs into the new converter and has the same function as the switch on the new fuse panel but can be mounted remotely. This way I have full functionality while keeping my original fuse panel.
The whole converter change out took less than an hour, I could probably do it again in 20 minutes.

[OldBob]

Originally Posted by Deanm

Newb here,
I'm planning on replacing the single 12volt battery that came with our new Toy Hauler ( Stryker 2613 ) with something that will give us more amp hours , ( like two 6 volts for example ) . If I go with AGMs or Gel , will the WF 8900 be ok?
The Manual says it does three stage charging , Bulk 14.4v max four hours/ Absorption 13.6 / Float 13.2 . But I have no idea how it knows when to do this or if I can adjust these setting ( prolly not ).
thanks for any help

I never had or saw a WFCO go to Bulk mode. I would bet that few if any members here have ever seen it because I simply don't believe it has that capability. After using the trailer at night using my inverter the WFCO has never been able to charge my two Trojans in a day, running the generator all day long. The Progressive Dynamics direct replacement actually DOES go to 14.4 volts and WILL charge the Trojans in about 5 hours generator time. The PD unit replaces the entire converter and they are no more expensive than the WFCO (World Friendship Corp) and unlike the WFCO, it is made in the USA.

[Deanm]

Originally Posted by DavidBo

You basically have 3 components in your electrical panel - the AC circuit breaker/distribution section, the DC fuse panel, and the converter itself. You don't have to do anything on the AC side when replacing the converter, just remove the old wires and hook up the new. The P.D. converter does include a new DC fuse panel which has the LED indicator and manual switch for the charge modes. Instead of going through the tedious process of replacing the fuse board, I got the dongle that plugs into the new converter and has the same function as the switch on the new fuse panel but can be mounted remotely. This way I have full functionality while keeping my original fuse panel.
The whole converter change out took less than an hour, I could probably do it again in 20 minutes.

Originally Posted by OldBob

I never had or saw a WFCO go to Bulk mode. I would bet that few if any members here have ever seen it because I simply don't believe it has that capability. After using the trailer at night using my inverter the WFCO has never been able to charge my two Trojans in a day, running the generator all day long. The Progressive Dynamics direct replacement actually DOES go to 14.4 volts and WILL charge the Trojans in about 5 hours generator time. The PD unit replaces the entire converter and they are no more expensive than the WFCO (World Friendship Corp) and unlike the WFCO, it is made in the USA.

Thanks for this great info,

could you guys point me to specific PD product numbers/ links?
PS , I just sent an initial contact message to Bestconverters thanks!

[NMWildcat]

I would make sure your WFCO converter needs to be replaced first. They perform perfectly for thousands of us

I don't have AGM or gel batteries, but my WFCO charges my two series 27 deep cells within five hours on an average boondocking day. If discharged more than usual, it will go into bulk mode and then taper down. Have watched it (via multimeter) do it hundreds of times.

Just saying you might want to test out your situation before spending $$ on 'upgrades' that may or not improve your experience.

[Eugenius]

You might do a search for Will Prowse, his we sit and you tube videos have some great info on RV batteries and the best ways to keep them charged. He has me convinced for now to go with lithium batteries.

[dward51]

Another thing to consider is the gauge of the wire from the converter/charger to the battery bank. A lot of the trailers I've seen seem to have the converter charger at one end of the trailer almost as far away from the batteries as possible. DC voltage will drop rather quickly even in a 6 gauge wire (which seems to be the standard gauge). If you upgrade to a thicker gauge, say 1/0 you have less voltage drop over a distance. The bigger the trailer, the longer the run and the more of a problem voltage drop will be.

That may explain why WFCO seems to never hit the 14.4v charging mode or fully charge a battery. Even if it does, are you seeing more than about 12.5v charging voltage at the battery?

Also if you upgrade the positive wire, I would do the same for the negative to the converter.

[DavidBo]

Originally Posted by dward51

Another thing to consider is the gauge of the wire from the converter/charger to the battery bank. A lot of the trailers I've seen seem to have the converter charger at one end of the trailer almost as far away from the batteries as possible. DC voltage will drop rather quickly even in a 6 gauge wire (which seems to be the standard gauge). If you upgrade to a thicker gauge, say 1/0 you have less voltage drop over a distance. The bigger the trailer, the longer the run and the more of a problem voltage drop will be.

That may explain why WFCO seems to never hit the 14.4v charging mode or fully charge a battery. Even if it does, are you seeing more than about 12.5v charging voltage at the battery?

Also if you upgrade the positive wire, I would do the same for the negative to the converter.

Very true, the lighter gauge obviously designed to save a few bucks. I've seen wire even smaller than 6 hooked up to the battery. Upgrading to a heavier wire like 4 gauge would be better, especially over longer runs, just make sure the lugs on the converter's DC board are big enough.

[babock]

Originally Posted by DavidBo

just make sure the lugs on the converter's DC board are big enough.

That's easy to solve. Just put in some posts to transition wire sizes.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by dward51

Another thing to consider is the gauge of the wire from the converter/charger to the battery bank. A lot of the trailers I've seen seem to have the converter charger at one end of the trailer almost as far away from the batteries as possible. DC voltage will drop rather quickly even in a 6 gauge wire (which seems to be the standard gauge). If you upgrade to a thicker gauge, say 1/0 you have less voltage drop over a distance. The bigger the trailer, the longer the run and the more of a problem voltage drop will be.

That may explain why WFCO seems to never hit the 14.4v charging mode or fully charge a battery. Even if it does, are you seeing more than about 12.5v charging voltage at the battery?

Also if you upgrade the positive wire, I would do the same for the negative to the converter.

Standard gauge wire to battery is more like #8.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by babock

That's easy to solve. Just put in some posts to transition wire sizes.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My PD9260 came with lugs big enough for 1/0.

[babock]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

My PD9260 came with lugs big enough for 1/0.

2 to 14 gauge is what the manual states. I have the identical model except its the lithium version


https://www.progressivedyn.com/wp-co...1F-english.pdf

[nayther]

Originally Posted by babock

2 to 14 gauge is what the manual states. I have the identical model except its the lithium version


https://www.progressivedyn.com/wp-co...1F-english.pdf

You can also double up on the wire, don't have to change it, just add another.

[babock]

Originally Posted by nayther

You can also double up on the wire, don't have to change it, just add another.

You are still going to need some sort of transition terminal. On the PD, it's not a lug so you can't just stack ring connectors...it's a terminal that the wire inserts into and you use a hex tool to clamp it. It's not really designed for more than one wire.

[DavidBo]

Originally Posted by babock

You are still going to need some sort of transition terminal. On the PD, it's not a lug so you can't just stack ring connectors...it's a terminal that the wire inserts into and you use a hex tool to clamp it. It's not really designed for more than one wire.

This is very true with fine stranded wire, but I understand they can be sleeved to improve contact with clamp-style terminals:

https://www.amazon.com/Baomain-AWG-1...66490463&psc=1