Any battery experts in here?
Hey guys, im not sure if this is the best category for my question, please let me know if there is a better place to post this. I have a van im working on, and I am trying to decide to mount the AGM h...
Forum Discussion
Scott Malkinson wrote:
Yesterday I got it down to about 12.2-12.3 volts. I drive down the highway for over 2 hours before the absorption charge kicked in.
Got to my spot for the night about 10 minutes later and shut her off.
You are missing one critical point here.
There are TWO charging systems available here.
One which works when plugged into AC shore power.....which is the main use of the "monitor" panel. This system was NOT in use at any time during your "story" as near as I can tell. That system is usually called the "converter/charger".
The other system is the one in the "truck" attached to the engine.
It works completely independently from the "house" system and has it's own parameters. The voltage regulator built into the engine alternator controls the charging voltage while the engine is running. It may react entirely differently than the "shore power" charging.
I don't see anything really bad about your story.......
EXCEPT: Running the truck engine is NOT the best way to charge your batteries. Plugging into shore power is best; running a generator, which is a substitute for shore power is second best. Running the truck engine is dead last.
And a small note: Any time the engine is running and you see a voltage below 12.6, there might be a problem with the engine alternator and it should be checked out.
