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Old 04-01-2012, 08:13 PM   #1
BOBYT1630
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On board charger vs converter

Ok Here's a new question. I was reading about solar panels and came across an article that said that a converter does not fully charge the batteries due to the fact that as they charge the more amps the batteries have the more resistance the put against the converter which slows the charging. so if you dry camping and charging with a generator hooked to your converter your batteries will never get a full charge because you cannot run your generator long enough to fully charge your batteries. It acts like a trickle charger.
I would like to know if I hook up an on-board charger like the have on bass boats to charge my batteries will there be any problems with the electrical circuits in my unit. as the charger I purchased has to be connected directly the batteries? The charger is a 6 amps per battery charger and will charge 2 batteries at the same time.
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Old 04-02-2012, 06:24 AM   #2
f6bits
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Newer converters are three-stage and can do a great job of charging batteries. As for how well your batteries recharge on a generator, that depends on how long you run the generator and how low the batteries are. Running off generator is as good as being plugged in, as far as recharging batteries is concerned.

A dedicated charger would be good if it’s a good one. Some are lousy, while the expensive ones are fantastic.

Are you considering plugging your dedicated charger into a generator to recharge your batteries? That gets a little more complex if you’re hoping to charge *and* run your trailer at the same time. The best way to charge a battery is if it’s disconnected from the vehicle (trailer, car, etc.).
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Old 04-02-2012, 10:25 PM   #3
BOBYT1630
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I do intend to install the charger on the trailer and plug it directly into my generator while dry camping. The generator is a 4500 watt portable but its not to quiet. I am using the 30amp to 15amp adapter to plug into the 120 standard plug on the generator to charge the batteries but it seems to take quite awhile and I have been asked to shut it down because of the noise. I kind of figured a direct connect charger would be faster that way less run time and less noise.
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Old 04-03-2012, 06:15 AM   #4
f6bits
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I doubt that a dedicated charger will be much better than your current setup. If you have a single-stage converter, it’s more like a second-stage charger – Less than the full blast first stage, and more than the trickle of the third stage. If my battery is dead, the two hours I had to run my generator wasn’t enough, and that’s with my three-stage charger.

I’m not sure how well your batteries will handle being dual-charged if your trailer is plugged in to the generator *and* your charger is hooked up to the hooked up batteries.

Have you considered using portable solar panels?
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Old 04-03-2012, 06:53 AM   #5
Johnnyfry
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Charger

If the charger you propose is a 6 amp charger it will take a long time to charge up. Six amps is little more than a trickle charge. As others have stated, most converters are sophisticated multi stage chargers capable of charging at a much higher rate. Mine is a 55 amp unit and while the whole 55 amps never goes to charge the battery, it is a lot more than six amps.

Some of the high end inverter-charger units (Trace and others) used in high end units can charge at up a 90 amp rate - but that's a whole other world for most of us!

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Old 04-03-2012, 09:10 AM   #6
BOBYT1630
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sdayman View Post
I doubt that a dedicated charger will be much better than your current setup. If you have a single-stage converter, it’s more like a second-stage charger – Less than the full blast first stage, and more than the trickle of the third stage. If my battery is dead, the two hours I had to run my generator wasn’t enough, and that’s with my three-stage charger.

I’m not sure how well your batteries will handle being dual-charged if your trailer is plugged in to the generator *and* your charger is hooked up to the hooked up batteries.

Have you considered using portable solar panels?
I guess I'm stating this wrong. I don't intend to have both the trailer pigtail and the stand alone charge hooked up at the same time. I'm wondering if I would get a faster charge by having a 6amp stand alone charger hooked directly to the batteries rather than charging them by using the trailer converter. and being that the batteries are connected to the trailer would the charger affect the other circuits in the trailer. Kind of like putting more voltage into the system than should be on the battery side.

Yes I was looking into solar panels. but they seem quite complicated.
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Old 04-03-2012, 10:31 AM   #7
Festus2
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You can use a stand-alone battery charger that is connected directly to your batteries without harming the rest of the circuitry in your unit. The charger can simply be plugged into your campground power pedestal or you can plug it into a 110v outlet of your RV.
Solar panels aren't all that complicated but remember they only work efficiently when the sun is shining. They do produce some amps on a cloudy, overcast day but at a very reduced rate. I have a single 85w solar panel and use it to maintain the charge on my 6v batteries. On a clear, sunny day, it will crank out between 6-8 amps - enough to maintain the batteries. If they were to run down, this 85w solar panel would not be enough to bring them back up to charge in a reasonable amount of time. That is why I carry a generator with me -- works rain or shine!
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Old 04-03-2012, 12:05 PM   #8
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Which would be faster (the six-amp charger or your converter/charger) would depend on which has the higher output capability. The onboard converter/charger would probably have a considerably higher maximum output than 6 amps, although some of the cheaper OEM converters (even though advertised as three-stage chargers) don't always work very well.

You won't hurt anything by using an auxiliary charger, but don't hook up more than one charger at once. That still won't hurt anything, but it will greatly lengthen the charge time as the multiple chargers will sense each other's voltage and think that the battery is nearing full charge, causing them both to fold back to a low charge current. This is obviously not what you want.
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Old 04-03-2012, 12:15 PM   #9
f6bits
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This was my concern when plugging the trailer in *and* using an external charger. Both the converter and standalone charger will be hooked to the battery and may confuse the other. If both are “dumb” chargers, then they’ll both be running full bore. If one (or both) are smart chargers, they both might kick down to a lower charge.

Quote:
Originally Posted by smiller View Post
You won't hurt anything by using an auxiliary charger, but don't hook up more than one charger at once. That still won't hurt anything, but it will greatly lengthen the charge time as the multiple chargers will sense each other's voltage and think that the battery is nearing full charge, causing them both to fold back to a low charge current. This is obviously not what you want.
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Old 04-03-2012, 01:02 PM   #10
BOBYT1630
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I have 2 12v batteries set in parallel in the coach. The charger I purchased is designed to charge both batteries separately at 6 amps each. I had an accumulation of bass pro shop gift cards. hence the charger type used in a bass boat. The charger connects directly to each battery individually and will charge them simultaneously at 6 amps each. I"m hoping to charge them faster than the converter on the coach to reduce generator usage/noise.
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Old 04-04-2012, 04:50 PM   #11
BOBYT1630
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Well I'm going to answer my own question. I just went out to the Cougar and looked at the electrical panel where the fuses and circuit breakers are located. Probably should have done that to start with. It has a 3 stage 55amp converter/battery charger just as Jonnyfry stated he has. I'm going to return the duel 6amp charger and find a better use for my gift cards.

Thanks guys
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