Sizing battery banks and converter
I am planning to upgrade the 12V DC system of my RV. There are of course many practical considerations to be taken, but the focus of this post will be only on sizing of the batteries and the converter...
Forum Discussion
Here is how I handle my battery charging and why.
I have 4 GC 6 volt batteries on line. They are the cheapies from Sam's Club. 208 amps @ 20 minutes. Thus the four batteries combined are rated @ 416 amps @ 20 minutes. I have a PD9180 w/charge wizard. The Charge wizard is modified so I can turn the voltage up to 15.1 volts or let it run as designed. I also have a IOTA 45 amp converter that comes on line with the 9180 when I run the generator. Thus I can fire up 125 amps of charging when necessary.
I also have 500 watts of solar on the roof.
I spend the winter months off grid, in the desert SW. In the morning I fire the generator for approx. 30 minutes with both converters on line. Once or twice a month I turn the 9180 up to 15.1 volts to stir thing up in the batteries.
After the short generator run time, I let the solar finish up the batteries.
I'm under the opinion, you can hit the batteries with a heavy charge for a short time and not hurt them. Just watch the temperatures and water usage closely. I only have to add a slight amount of water twice a year.
Richard
I have 4 GC 6 volt batteries on line. They are the cheapies from Sam's Club. 208 amps @ 20 minutes. Thus the four batteries combined are rated @ 416 amps @ 20 minutes. I have a PD9180 w/charge wizard. The Charge wizard is modified so I can turn the voltage up to 15.1 volts or let it run as designed. I also have a IOTA 45 amp converter that comes on line with the 9180 when I run the generator. Thus I can fire up 125 amps of charging when necessary.
I also have 500 watts of solar on the roof.
I spend the winter months off grid, in the desert SW. In the morning I fire the generator for approx. 30 minutes with both converters on line. Once or twice a month I turn the 9180 up to 15.1 volts to stir thing up in the batteries.
After the short generator run time, I let the solar finish up the batteries.
I'm under the opinion, you can hit the batteries with a heavy charge for a short time and not hurt them. Just watch the temperatures and water usage closely. I only have to add a slight amount of water twice a year.
Richard
