scroller95969
Paradise,CA
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Hi,
On a Class C motorhome assuming that the chassis battery is fully charged which way charges the coach battey faster - the generator or the vehicle running? Also if you have both going at the same time will they charge the coach battery at a faster rate or is there a transfer switch that won't let that happen? Thanks, Jeff.
Jeff & Lori
Fleetwood Tioga 22B - Chevy chassis
10' Wells cargo trailer
Gracie Mae - our 9 year old Papillon
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pianotuna
Regina, SK, Canada
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Hi,
What type of isolation system is in place? If it is a diode, then definitely the generator will charge the house batteries faster.
I have a switch and relay so I can isolate my house batteries from the starter battery.
I hope to have some data on real charging rates from the alternator to house battery bank in the near future.
Regards, Don
Kustom Koach Class C 28'5" 256 watts Unisolar, 875 amp hours in two battery banks 12 volt batteries, 2500 MSW watt inverter.
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scroller95969
Paradise,CA
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pianotuna wrote:Hi,
What type of isolation system is in place? If it is a diode, then definitely the generator will charge the house batteries faster.
I have a switch and relay so I can isolate my house batteries from the starter battery.
I hope to have some data on real charging rates from the alternator to house battery bank in the near future.
I'm not sure what kind of isolation system is in place. How do I determine that. I have a 2004 23' Tioga if that helps. Also in order for the generator to charge I have to unplug shore power and plug into a plug in the motorhome (no transfer switch).
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MrWizard
Traveling
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too many variables
alternator size? power curve idling or driving?
what make model converter is installed in the RV. ?
assuming you mean parked an idling
if you have a good converter you will do better charging with the generator
if you mean driving vs generator, driving will accomplish the job
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scroller95969
Paradise,CA
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MrWizard wrote:too many variables
alternator size? power curve idling or driving?
what make model converter is installed in the RV. ?
assuming you mean parked an idling
if you have a good converter you will do better charging with the generator
if you mean driving vs generator, driving will accomplish the job
Yeah alot of variables that I can't seem to pin down. The alternator is either a 105 or 140 amp and the converter is a WFCO 8000 series which could be between 35 and 75 watts depending on the model. It sounds like it is behind my power service panel and I don't want to take it apart for this to find out.
Basically what I am trying to do is put the most charge in my house batteries in the 10 miles (15 minutes) between the campground and the trail heads back and forth. So is there something that prevents charging from both at the same time? Another words would running the generator while driving be a waste of time? Thanks again for all the info, Jeff.
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pianotuna
Regina, SK, Canada
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Hi,
Unfortunately the WFCO converters do not readily go into boost mode. There is often nothing that keeps both sources from putting amps in.
Here is how to test it.
Put a volt meter on the house battery bank. Check the voltage. Start the generator. Check the voltage. Start the RV and check the voltage.
If the voltage goes up each time then the alternator is going to add to the energy being put into the battery bank.
In 15 minutes VERY little energy will be returned to the battery bank. It simply is not a long enough period of time.
Here is a chart:
"The chart above shows the amount of time it took a PD9155 (55-amp) converter set to three different output voltages to recharge a 125 AH (Amp Hour) battery after it was fully discharged to 10.5-volts.
14.4-VOLTS (Boost Mode) – Returned the battery to 90% of full charge in approximately 3-hours. The battery reached full charge in approximately 11 hours.
13.6-VOLTS (Normal Mode) – Required 40-hours to return the battery to 90% of full charge and 78-hours to reach full charge.
13.2-VOLTS (Storage Mode) – Required 60-hours to return the battery to 90% of full charge and 100-hours to reach full charge."
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scroller95969
Paradise,CA
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Thanks for the info pianotuna. It would be actually 15 minutes each way for a total of 30 minutes a day. I was just trying to add the most charge I could for that time window. What I am trying to accomplish is being able to camp 3 nights in a generator free area without dropping my 220AH (when they were new) batteries below the 50% level. We normally only use one light for light for 4-5 hours per day along with using the water pump and the spark for starting the refrigerator and the hot water heater. I will try the voltage meter idea, Jeff.
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Doug and Cassi Glass
Clifton Forge, VA
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I owned two class C motor homes and the generators were not setup to charge batteries, only supply 130 VAC. I had to use a battery charger to charge my house battery.
Most gens aren't setup to charge chassis battery either making installation of a Trik-l-Start necessary.
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scroller95969
Paradise,CA
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Doug and Cassi Glass wrote:I owned two class C motor homes and the generators were not setup to charge batteries, only supply 130 VAC. I had to use a battery charger to charge my house battery.
Most gens aren't setup to charge chassis battery either making installation of a Trik-l-Start necessary.
We routinely use our generator to charge our house batteries. Normally 2-3 hours a day when we watch TV or about an hour a day otherwise. It feeds the same line that we plug in for shore power, Jeff.
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smkettner
Southern California
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Test the WFCO but I think you will be replacing it. I recommend an IOTA with IQ controller for replacement as it always starts in boost mode driving the batteries to about 14.6 volts.
If you have sun on the roof all day consider 120+ watts of solar instead of running the gen and new converter.
2001 F150 SuperCrew
2006 Keystone Springdale 249FWBHLS
675 watts solar
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