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Old 02-16-2015, 03:21 PM   #1
Firemenfred
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charging systems

2 questions on 2011 raptor 300mp

1) what charges the genset battery? the genet or house convertor or nothing?

2) does anyone use a optima yellow top AGM battery for the house battery and is the standerd charger equipped to charge an AGM battery?
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Old 02-16-2015, 04:17 PM   #2
PARAPTOR
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Raptors I am familiar with are capable of housing two 12V batteries and generally they are hooked in parallel as the rigs 12 volt power source when not connected to AC power or the tow vehicle. This same 12V source supplies the cranking amps for the on board generator. I have seen posts on this forum where members have added a separate battery for the generator and some an additional battery isolation relay to have this additional battery charged from the rig converter.

EDIT:
I Do not use a AGM battery
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Old 02-16-2015, 04:23 PM   #3
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The batteries are charged by the converter. I have 2 main batteries and 1 battery for starting the generator which is separated by a automatic switch that opens whenever voltage drops protecting the starting battery. When the main batteries are charging, the voltage is great enough to close the switch and keep the starting battery topped off. It's worked for 2 years.
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Old 02-16-2015, 04:57 PM   #4
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I think it is crazy that both batteries are hooked together because if you are dry camping and run the batteries down you can't start the generator. I have three batteries I mine. Two for the camper and one for the generator. The generator battery has a trickle charger hooked to it so it is charged any time we are plugged in or when the generator is running. Works great. Not sure why they can't make the generator charge the battery when it's running like a car?
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Old 02-16-2015, 05:43 PM   #5
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If you have a single battery or two batteries hooked together and your 12 V source is not enough to start the generator and you have a TV around you have an out. Connect TV to rig and charge battery for a short period and then Start Generator. Have been in this situation. Ideally having a separate dedicated battery for the generator is the way to go and add the battery isolation solenoid to charge the dedicated generator battery from the rig converter. On my Raptor there is no room for another battery unless you build another battery storage rack. I do not do much if any camping where there is no electricity so for me its not an issue.
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Old 02-16-2015, 08:36 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by PARAPTOR View Post
Raptors I am familiar with are capable of housing two 12V batteries and generally they are hooked in parallel as the rigs 12 volt power source when not connected to AC power or the tow vehicle. This same 12V source supplies the cranking amps for the on board generator. I have seen posts on this forum where members have added a separate battery for the generator and some an additional battery isolation relay to have this additional battery charged from the rig converter.

Do not use a AGM battery
Why no AGM?? Never heard that before. Especially Yellow tops are made to 100% discharge numerous times without issue.

I have been using Odessy batteries for years. These are true dry cell batteries. They have no vents like the Optima batteries. So there is zero off gassing to worry about which also means no battery corrosion. Also found that they store much better in real cold weather without a battery tender with little discharge.
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Old 02-16-2015, 10:40 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by Big Boy w/ Big Toys View Post
Why no AGM?? Never heard that before. Especially Yellow tops are made to 100% discharge numerous times without issue.



I have been using Odessy batteries for years. These are true dry cell batteries. They have no vents like the Optima batteries. So there is zero off gassing to worry about which also means no battery corrosion. Also found that they store much better in real cold weather without a battery tender with little discharge.

Blue tops are the deep cycle Optima batteries actually. Yellow tops are somewhere in between starting batteries and deep cycle batteries. If you're not starting engines there's no point in using Yellow top. Blue will outperform it by a country mile in deep cycle applications.

What magical chemical composition is the Odyssey? I'd be curious to know which physical law they break. Because there is no such thing as a truly dry cell AGM except in their marketing people's heads.

I'm mostly just tugging on your cape. They won't leak because they're AGM, but they're still lead-acid. They're just not as wet as a typical starting battery for a vehicle. Or even an Optima.

Odyssey are designed to hold a charge for a long period of time without maintenance top offs. It's a nice plus if you need that feature. They're not deep cycle and will last considerably more charge/discharge cycles if charged before they get below 60%.

Typical lifespan of a good middle of the road AGM not designed for deep cycle is 300+ cycles before they won't hold a full charge when charged when they fall to 60%. If they're regularly fully or close to fully discharged they won't last that long.

Many AGMs require different charge rates to maximize their lifespan. Few RV converters provide thee charge rates. Doesn't mean you can't buy or build something that does, it's just not the commonly used rate from most RV converters. Non-vented or "dry" AGMs can only charge so fast or they'll damage themselves internally.

Done a LOT of battery plants over the years for many things. It's common these days to get 10 years or more out of the *right* lead-acid batteries used in torturous environments like off-grid solar powered locations and massive current draw data center UPS systems.

I'm currently using a pair of high current UPS cast-offs (site certification says they have to be replaced every three years, which meant a truckload of great batteries in great shape for both my dad and myself many years ago) that are roughly rated at 75 aH and you can discharge them at incredibly high rates without damaging them. They're AGM internally but squared off and not spiral/circular like most automotive applications... And heavy as ****. Ha.

Mainly using them because I have them. Most folk head toward 6V deep cycle golf cart type batteries for RV use. I figure the vibration and charging "abuse" these will get will make them only last three-four years in pairs, but I have seven or eight more on a maintenance charger that correctly charges them for spares. They're all over ten years old and will still test fine on a load tester to rated amperage output.

Excessive heat, vibration, over-discharging beyond design spec, and over/too fast charging all kill lead acid batteries. All of which are readily available in the RV world!

Many converters these days are at least mutil-stage chargers designed for wet cell deep-cycle 12V batteries. Some three stage, some four. The staging is often "close enough" to the spec for AGM such that they'll behave well for a long time, but not all AGMs.
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Old 02-17-2015, 09:31 PM   #8
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correct not a true dry cell but recycles all gases internally. Glass mat batteries have all but eliminated spills. Odessy has just has been able to stop the off gassing of the batteries almost completely.

As far as charging many new battery chargers are computer control and sense battery type. I have one(battery charger) that refuses to charge a AGM battery if it is about dead. I have to fool the charger by running jumper cables to a good battery to get the voltage up for a couple of minutes and then I can take the charged battery off and charger will continue to charge.

If looking for a battery charger for AGM style batteries look at Marine (boat) style battery chargers. Especially if you have more then one battery bank to recharge. Many of these chargers are AGM compatible chargers and have multiple lines to charge multiple batteries.

http://www.odysseybatteries.com/
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