jls
canastota, ny
Senior Member
Joined: 01/09/2001
View Profile
 Offline
|
How log does it take to charge the battery using a generator and the converter. We camp a lot without hookups and were wondering how long to leave the generator running. When it is hooked, up the sensor always reads full charge.
Thanks
* This post was
edited 05/08/08 07:57pm by jls *
john and Pam
2006 Chev K1500 Z71 4x4 5.3L
2002 Sunline Solaris T-2553
#24 TO THE FRONT
|
MELM
GA
Moderator
Joined: 12/11/2001
View Profile
Offline
|
Do you have an inverter/charger or a converter?
Please post the make and model of the unit so we can give a good estimate.
Mel
|
2oldman
WA
Senior Member
Joined: 04/15/2001
View Profile
Offline
|
Ok.. you leave out a lot of detail so this is educated guessing...
It generally takes 8 hours to 'fully' charge one battery with a converter (not inverter), but, an almost-full charge will take about 2-4 hours provided your generator and converter are of sufficient size.
|
sagexpman
Northern Colorado
Full Member
Joined: 04/08/2007
View Profile
Offline
|
That will depend on the type of convert you have in the rig and what it is rated at. Also if you are using other power consuming devices in the rig at same time you are trying to charge the batteries it will increase the charge time. Another option would be to use a good three stage charger plugged into the generator to charge the batteries.
1998 HD Chevy Silverado 2500
- Super Charged Vortec 5.7
- Air Lift Suspension System
- Drawtite WD hitch with 1200# bars
- Drawtite DC sway control
- Honda EU3000IS
2005 Jayco JayFlight 31BHS
|
wa8yxm
Wherever I happen to park
Senior Member
Joined: 07/04/2006
View Profile
Offline
|
Depneds on the converter.. The PD 9180 in my rig gets to around 80-90 percent in just about 2 hours, the last 10 percent or so takes about 4 more hours
NOTE: this last part is common to all chargers, the last stage of charging takes hours.
That is the fastest.
now if I had a 9140 (40 amp out) with the same batteries the 1st stage woudl take over 2x as long, A 20 amp converter about 5x as long.
So the size and ability of your converter, and the size of your batteries, both go into the equation and the results come out the other side
We have none of that info, so all I can tell you about is MY system, yours will, most likely, be different
Batteries on my rig a pair of U-220's
Nothin adds excitment like something that is none of your business
John is Near Kenwood TS-2000 housed in a 2005 Damon Intruder 377
|
|
|
PopBeavers
San Jose, CA
Senior Member
Joined: 03/19/2005
View Profile
Offline
|
I run my Honda 2000 about an hour a day. I do not use the furnace in the summer. I do not have a television or any other electronic toys. Just lights and the water pump.
If it is just Friday night through Sunday I just run off of the pair of group 24 batteries and leave the generator at home. If I conserve I can get another day out of the batteries.
Wayne in San Jose
2002 Chevy Silverado 1500HD 4x4 Crew Cab
2005 Trailmanor 2720
Valley Odyssey brake controller
Honda 2000 generator
McKesh mirrors
2008 Yamaha WR250R
2008 Polaris Sportsman 700 X2
2008 Polaris Scrambler 500
|
alcolby
yuma az.
Senior Member
Joined: 09/20/2004
View Profile
Offline
|
No one can answer your question as stated.
Need to know size of battery/batteries in amp hours, out put of coverter. State of discharge.
It's matter of simple math to calculate amps in, amps out, that will give the answer in time needed.
Al C
jls wrote:How log does it take to charge the battery using a generator and the converter. We camp a lot without hookups and were wondering how long to leave the generator running. When it is hooked, up the sensor always reads full charge.
Thanks
|
RJsfishin
Winston Or.
Senior Member
Joined: 10/16/2007
View Profile
Offline
|
W/o a battery monitoring system, you won't never know for sure.
I did the next best thing,...that was installing an ammeter in the output cable from the converter/charger. With my piticular good 55 amp charger, I let the generator run till the ammeter get down to 30, then I know the batteries are about 80% charged, and time to shut off the genset. You seldom if ever try to charge to 100% when running a generator, because it would take many hours, even w/ the best of chargers.
Rich
'98 Flair, 454, Onan Microlite 4k, Intel PD 9155 w/ wizard, Sta-power 1500 watt Inv, 2 6v batts, ammeters, Oly Catalytic Heat, hauling 2 Bent Bikes and sometimes towing a Tracker F&S boat.
|
dclark1946
Richardson,TX,USA
Senior Member
Joined: 10/05/2003
View Profile
Offline
|
I use a clamp-on Ammeter to monitor charging current. When the current drops to 3A I shut the generator off. This is a good number for a single 12V deep cycle battery. The battery is not completely charged but it takes a lot more time to get it 100% and since I run the generator every morning I just try to replace what I used the previous day. A 3-stage charger will do the job quicker. If I am camping for over a week I may run the generator longer one day in the middle of the stay to reduce chances of sulfation.
Dick
Dick & Karen (converted tent campers)
Richardson,TX
2007 KZ Spree 240RBS
03 Tahoe/04 F250 PSD
|
dmartin@newarts.com
Ames, IA
Senior Member
Joined: 02/13/2004
View Profile
|
The fastest that charge can be put back into a normal flooded cell battery is about one-fifth of the battery's capacity per hour. (Faster will cause it to overheat.)
A good strategy is to run your charging system for a while every day. In a few days you'll figure out about how long to run the charger to make up for the charge you used the previous day. Every week or so you should fully recharge the battery to extend its life.
1980 Born Free 22' Class C (minus) - 1985 Honda Scooter
|
|
|
