Charging battery(s) when dry camping

[ScottBrownstein]

They have a drop in replacement if you have a combination Panel and converter. 4600 Series Upgrade or Replacement Power Converters

Obviously there are enough dead WFCOs to make it worth it for a lot of people to make replacements.

My rig is almost never plugged in for more than a few days and I am becoming concerned that the only way to guarantee that the batteries are desulfated is to add a 100 Watt solar panel and wire it though a good controller to the batteries...directly and bypassing the main disconnect. That way I will always get to 100% SOC and always have a desulfation cycle performed. If you plug in at home that is no problem since the Progressive Dynamics will automatically do it periodically, but if not plugged in long enough no 100% SOC and no desulfation.

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by youroo

Glenn will this charge 6 and 12 V Batts? Youroo!!

Yes it will, Great charger, My napa store carries it but it is not on line. I found it for also at Amazon. Here what to look for SOLAR PL2520 Pro Logix that is the 20 amp version and the 10 amp is # PL2310. It will charge 6 volt, and 12 volt any kind , from wet to gel, including deep cycle.....

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by Too Tall

Hi, I''m not seeing an pro logic chargers on the napa website. Do you have a link possibly? thanks.

To Tall, check the answer from me to Mr. Youroo, I found it for you at Amazon. I put the correct model #'s for you. It's not on a napa site, but my local Napa is where I got mine, that's all they will sell now at there location....

[WolfWhistle]

FWIW, that charger might be okay, but is only 10amps max for charging, where a 50amp IOTA (for example) is just that. The bigger the quicker it will get 85% - 90% charge back... The other 10% - 15% will takes hours ( or days if you depend on what the factory installs). Any charger can only push what the batteries can take. Having one that pushes the bulk voltage the manufacturer recommends is the ticket... a good one holds that voltage longer. Solar, is the most cost effective way to "top"off batteries.
WW

[youroo]

Originally Posted by gljurczyk

Yes it will, Great charger, My napa store carries it but it is not on line. I found it for also at Amazon. Here what to look for SOLAR PL2520 Pro Logix that is the 20 amp version and the 10 amp is # PL2310. It will charge 6 volt, and 12 volt any kind , from wet to gel, including deep cycle.....

Yes certain NAPA stores stock What the Owner can sell,cant blame them! Thanks ,Youroo!!

[Too Tall]

Originally Posted by youroo

Yes certain NAPA stores stock What the Owner can sell,cant blame them! Thanks ,Youroo!!

Thanks all of you very much, will check.

[PokerDealer]

Trojan recommends to equalize your batteries "as needed" meaning you need to use a hydrometer to check each cell. When your batteries are being equalized, they need 15.5 volts applied to excite for lack of a better word the electrolyte and essentially burn or dislodge the sulfate particles. That may take an hour, it may take several hours. When you measure the specific gravity of the cells the "weaker" ones will rise. Trojan recommends checking with your hydrometer every hour until there is no further rise. I'm not aware of many "automatic" or "original equipment" chargers that can deliver enough volts long enough to create the chemical change necessary to "equalize" your batteries. It seem to me to be a Saturday morning job that may last several hours. Luckily, its only recommended "as needed" so you may get the day off depending on what your hydrometer says, or you may be spending most of the morning.

[Blackhat6mike]

Originally Posted by WolfWhistle

FWIW, that charger might be okay, but is only 10amps max for charging, where a 50amp IOTA (for example) is just that. The bigger the quicker it will get 85% - 90% charge back... The other 10% - 15% will takes hours ( or days if you depend on what the factory installs). Any charger can only push what the batteries can take. Having one that pushes the bulk voltage the manufacturer recommends is the ticket... a good one holds that voltage longer. Solar, is the most cost effective way to "top"off batteries.
WW

X2 on the solar. My controller goes to 14.8 vdc once a month, need it or not. If I have used a lot of 12 vdc power, it goes back to 14.8 vdc to replenish, then drops back to 13.8 for a while, then stable at 12.8 vdc. Max charge is 50 amps.
Solar is the only way to go if you can't plug into shore power. Set it and forget it. Not even sure if my converter still works.

[PokerDealer]

The only problem Mike is 14.8 isn't enough. Especially knowing that things arn't 100% efficient. If you are trying to equalize your batteries you need to force feed them at 15+ volts maybe 16 to allow for temperature and lack of efficiency. The only way to tell if your batteries are being equalized is to check the cells with a hydrometer while they are "motateing" for the lack of a better word.

[Blackhat6mike]

Originally Posted by PokerDealer

The only problem Mike is 14.8 isn't enough. Especially knowing that things arn't 100% efficient. If you are trying to equalize your batteries you need to force feed them at 15+ volts maybe 16 to allow for temperature and lack of efficiency. The only way to tell if your batteries are being equalized is to check the cells with a hydrometer while they are "motateing" for the lack of a better word.

So how do you check AGM batteries with a hydrometer?

[ScottBrownstein]

Originally Posted by Blackhat6mike

X2 on the solar. My controller goes to 14.8 vdc once a month, need it or not. If I have used a lot of 12 vdc power, it goes back to 14.8 vdc to replenish, then drops back to 13.8 for a while, then stable at 12.8 vdc. Max charge is 50 amps.
Solar is the only way to go if you can't plug into shore power. Set it and forget it. Not even sure if my converter still works.

I absolutely agree. We spend very little time on shore power and I am designing a 150 to 300 watt solar system to take that into account. It takes too long to get to 100% SOC, way to long for a generator or even a long drive.

The Trimetric Solar controller is an ideal compliment to the Trimetric as it gets the benefit of all of the SOC calculations from the Trimetric. It also does an equalize function and you can set the voltage levels that it uses based on your batteries. 15 volts of solar is enough to make it happen. In addition, it uses the Trimetric remote sense battery voltage so you can locate it a long way from the batteries.

[Blackhat6mike]

You might want to consider the MT-5 if you use the Renogy Tracer MPPT controller. For $50, it does A LOT!

[PokerDealer]

You know as well as I that you cant use a hydrometer on an AGM. But they are designed to be charged at an entirely different rate .

[PokerDealer]

I need to have a programmable charger, that's why a PWM is sometimes better than a MPPT if you have leaded batteries. AGM on the other hand works perfectly with MPPT.

[Vinnie]

I am trying to figure a way to maintain 2 12v batteries connected in parallel with a 100w Solar panel. With the batteries connected in parallel should the Solar panel positive be connected to battery 1 and Solar panel negative connected to battery 2 or can the Solar panel be connected directly to either batteries positive and negative terminals?

[Pipeman]

I'd connect positive to one batt and the neg to the other...with a controller between the batts and solar panel....it's the way I do it...

[camaraderie]

Both ways will work but the best way to insure equal charging is to attach positive to one battery and negative to the other. I assume you know you need a solar controller in between the panel and the batteries...Direct Connection will not make you a happy camper!

[ScottBrownstein]

Originally Posted by Pipeman

I'd connect positive to one batt and the neg to the other...with a controller between the batts and solar panel....it's the way I do it...

The solar converter connects to you bank just the same way as they connect to your RV. Positive to the positive post that goes to the circuits( BCC, etc) and negative to the post that goes to the chassis ground.

[WolfWhistle]

Solar controller / charger not converter. It should be protected (fuses / circuit breakers) on both sides (input / output). When using a good monitor, the final connection to battery should be at the shunt also where battery is connected to coach. Also any number of 12 volt batteries in parallel are seen as one by your controller and camper when connected in common with hopefully equal length and properly gauged cables. X2 on Trimetric equipment.
WW

[Vinnie]

Originally Posted by WolfWhistle

Solar controller / charger not converter. It should be protected (fuses / circuit breakers) on both sides (input / output). When using a good monitor, the final connection to battery should be at the shunt also where battery is connected to coach. Also any number of 12 volt batteries in parallel are seen as one by your controller and camper when connected in common with hopefully equal length and properly gauged cables. X2 on Trimetric equipment.
WW

I am not sure what the "shunt" is I have an interest in this solar set here
Robot Check
it has an inline fuse in one of the wire connectors and I gather #12 gauge wire. The camper is prewired for a Zamp Solar connection but I 'm not sure this has a compatible connector but hope to use the alligator clamps to connect to the batteries. Thanks to all for your knowledge to a first time RV'er