/ CHARGING RATE

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
I'll preach this again. The difference between someone who boondocks for weeks on end is a different universe than for an RV'er who goes for the weekend, then returns and plugs into shore power and checks off things on a calendar while dreaming about camping for the rest of the year.

Mex .... this is one of your wisest statements ever. ;)

That almost describes us .... except for we "go off for a week or two" instead of a "weekend".

We use a Honda EX650 (ultra quiet generator) simultaneously powering both the Parallax 7345 fixed voltage RV converter and a 25+ year-old Sears 2/10/50 charger (the Sears is alligator-clipped to the coach batteries in a special way) to charge our two 100 amp hour coach AGM batteries. I set the Sears charger to it's 50 amp "car starting" boost mode so that it tries to output at a voltage enough higher than the converter's so that it actually does add current to that also being supplied from the converter. With the Sears set to it's 50 amp car starting mode it adds about 5 more amps to that being supplied by the converter.

Using the converter plus Sears charger (both powered from the Honda) pumps initially about 12-13 amps into the 200 amp hour battery bank and is far from over-loading the little 550 VA Honda that's purring along at only a 54dB low frequency noise level. The Honda empties it's 0.51 gallon tank in about 5 hours of this. Using this method about every 3rd day in the sun, in the shade, in the rain, or at night keeps us drycamping for a week or two.

P.S. I actually got the idea to try adding the ancient little Sears portable charger into the mix from some comments you made on the forum a long time ago. :C