battery charging when boon docking
What is the best way to get a good substantial charge while boon docking with a 5th wheel without running your generator for a long time to run converter
Forum Discussion
Without getting into the solar/genny wars, I'll just say that most people are going to want a generator, even if they also have solar.
I've never felt the need to have a charger other than my converter. The battery bank will only take juice so fast, and a converter can do that as well as a stand-alone charger. You want a GOOD converter. Progressive Dynamics is a good one.
Two or even 3 separate sessions of charging over the day, does a far better job that 1 session of equal total time.
Start charging before the batteries need it, as in, the very first day of boondocking. It is more efficient to keep the batteries at a high SOC, than it is to bring them up from a low SOC.
I enjoy following a schedule of genny charging. Time it around other things that are going to need AC, like cooking, TV, and showers. Showers are so much better when the pump is running on 14.4v instead of 12.x.
I've never felt the need to have a charger other than my converter. The battery bank will only take juice so fast, and a converter can do that as well as a stand-alone charger. You want a GOOD converter. Progressive Dynamics is a good one.
Two or even 3 separate sessions of charging over the day, does a far better job that 1 session of equal total time.
Start charging before the batteries need it, as in, the very first day of boondocking. It is more efficient to keep the batteries at a high SOC, than it is to bring them up from a low SOC.
I enjoy following a schedule of genny charging. Time it around other things that are going to need AC, like cooking, TV, and showers. Showers are so much better when the pump is running on 14.4v instead of 12.x.
