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ScottyP's avatar
ScottyP
Explorer
May 13, 2013

Basic electrical questions

Just bought a Gulfstream Ultra 06. In addition to a plumbing question I posted, I need some help with basic electricity.

1) I have a Guardian RV generator and an Intelipower 9100 converter. Will this charge my battery and if so, if the battery is fairly depleted. how many hours of charging is necessary? I heard this can take some time?
2) Should I buy a three stage battery charger? I expect that I will sometimes do 3-4 days of drycamping at a time. Have all the lights replaced with LED's. I read that battery drain can be greatly influenced by using the heater. If I refrain from using the heater at, can I get by?
3) Currently have 1 12 volt battery. Looks like I have a rack with room for another. I was told that if I wanted to add another, I should by two together, because having one new and one old battery is not good. Correct? Am I better off buying two 6V or two 12V? Do I connect them parallel or in series?
4) Finally, when I run my generator, this will this power my AC outlets? Or is the only way to power them to plug in at the campground, or purchase and install an inverter?
5) IS my car battery totally separate from the battery powering the rest of the rig. Recently, I must have drained the battery pretty low and as a result, the slides would not come out. But when I started the engine of the truck, it worked. Does my truck engine recharge my rig batteries as I am driving?

Lots of questions, I know, and I am sorry to be so dense. I camped for years with a pop up and mostly dry camping, so this is all new to me.

I would be greatly appreciative of any assistance.

Scott
  • wa8yxm's avatar
    wa8yxm
    Explorer III
    May 13, 2013
    Taking questions one at a time

    Will the generator / Intella power 9100 charge the batteries: Yes

    How long: Depends

    Should I buy a 3 stage? That is what it depends on.. Question: On the 9100 series there is an optional 'Dongle" that plugs in kind of like a modular telephone (There is a screw involved as well) this is a small square box with a button and a LED and a picture of a wizard on it. Do you have such a dongle plugged into your 9100... IF so you HAVE a 3 stage plus converter, one of the best on the market.. If not you can get the dongle for less than 50 bucks (Way less) at most RV stores. Instalation is simle, remove one screw, remove dummy plug, insert dongle's plug, replace screw.

    Now back to how long: This depends on the ratio of converter to batteries. Charging happens in TWO of the 3 stages.

    BULK, Bulk charge is a high speed charge for batteries that are hungry.. Let's assume you have 200 amp hours of battery, they are at 50% state of charge, and your converter is a 50 amp

    You need `100 amp hours, with charging loss this means 2-2.5 hours to get the batteries up to 90 percent

    NOTE: larger or smaller, batteries or converter, Do the simple division, assume you need to bring them up to 100% in BLUK and you will be right close.. You won't be fully charged at the end of that period though

    Then we switch to absorption .. this is the last 10% it will take about 2-3 hours. No way around it. So in t his example 4-5 ours for a full recharge.

    At this point the Wizard (The dongle) should switch to float, after 20 hours of floating, it should go to Equalize" for like 15-20 minutes. (That is the plus I mentioned earlier)

    This is, as I said, one of the best converters made.. I am very happy with mine (Intella Power 9280 with wizard).
  • Harvey51's avatar
    Harvey51
    Explorer
    May 13, 2013
    RV electrical systems are 12 volt, so put two 12 V batteries in parallel or two 6 volt ones in series. Be sure to get deep cycle batteries, which are designed for discharges below 50% unlike engine starting batteries. They start at about $80 at Costco and Walmart.

    Our small MH recharges effectively from the engine so we have no need for a generator and we never plug in to shore power at campsites. Less than an hour of driving per day keeps the batteries nicely charged. We don't use any heavy loads like TV, microwave or coffee machine - they certainly require the generator. We often hear generators starting up in campsites in the early morning so someone's electric coffee pot will work and have had people apologize for the noise when they leave it running all day to keep the coffee hot. We use the propane stove to make coffee and keep it hot in a coffee butler thermos.

    I found it necessary to have a basic voltmeter in order to know what is going on. With no charging going on, the voltage across the house battery will be something like 12 or 13 volts. Start the engine and if it is charging the house battery, the voltage will rise to around 14 volts. If it doesn't, try flipping the battery isolation switch, often located at the outside door.
  • ScottG's avatar
    ScottG
    Nomad
    May 13, 2013
    Add a Charge Wizard to your Intelipower 9100 ($24.50 @ www.Bestconverter.com) and you will have 3 stage charging.
  • pianotuna's avatar
    pianotuna
    Nomad III
    May 13, 2013
    Hi Scott,

    Yes to all your questions, except the battery charger.

    A 2006 probably has a 3 stage converter. Find out the make and model.

    However, there will be not much charging from the tow vehicle.

    I prefer 12 volt jars. But if you did go to six volt format they needs must be wired in series.

    To fully recharge a fairly dead battery can take up to 168 hours.

    Try these sites for more details:

    http://rvroadtrip.us/library/12v_system.php

    http://rvroadtrip.us/library/solar_install.php
  • donn0128's avatar
    donn0128
    Explorer II
    May 13, 2013
    ScottyP wrote:
    Just bought a Gulfstream Ultra 06. In addition to a plumbing question I posted, I need some help with basic electricity.

    1) I have a Guardian RV generator and an Intelipower 9100 converter. Will this charge my battery and if so, if the battery is fairly depleted. how many hours of charging is necessary? I heard this can take some time?Can take anywhere from 5 to 8 hours to fully recharge a dead battery
    2) Should I buy a three stage battery charger? I expect that I will sometimes do 3-4 days of drycamping at a time. Have all the lights replaced with LED's. I read that battery drain can be greatly influenced by using the heater. If I refrain from using the heater at, can I get by?Depending on the model your converter will probably put out more power than most battery chargers.
    3) Currently have 1 12 volt battery. Looks like I have a rack with room for another. I was told that if I wanted to add another, I should by two together, because having one new and one old battery is not good. Correct? Am I better off buying two 6V or two 12V? Do I connect them parallel or in series?Batteries should always be replaced i pairs, so yea buy two new batteries. Golf cart batteries will give tou more useable power and last longer
    4) Finally, when I run my generator, this will this power my AC outlets? Or is the only way to power them to plug in at the campground, or purchase and install an inverter?Yes
    5) IS my car battery totally separate from the battery powering the rest of the rig. YesRecently, I must have drained the battery pretty low and as a result, the slides would not come out. But when I started the engine of the truck, it worked. Does my truck engine recharge my rig batteries as I am driving?Maybe. Does your TV have the charge line connected and functioning?

    Lots of questions, I know, and I am sorry to be so dense. I camped for years with a pop up and mostly dry camping, so this is all new to me.

    I would be greatly appreciative of any assistance.

    Scott

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