str8shooter_mn wrote:
Disregarding price, is there a distinct advantage having 12 volt deep cycle batteries over the standard 6 volt golf cart batteries. These are for house batteries, have four, wired to provide 12 volts. On a Thor Tuscany pusher.
So with four GC’s you are talking about a combined 430’ish gross amp/hrs (about half that amount for net usable), which translates to about 200 amp/hr worth of LiFePO4’s...
Theoretically, a LiFePO4 can charge at up to a full1C rate, but in practice are just as happy to charge at whatever lower rate your converter-charger or solar can deliver...If you have a Progressive Dynamics 3 stage (or 4 stage w/equalization) charger, all that is needed is to switch it into the 14.4v Boost mode via the Charge Wizard (if so equipped)...
Alternator charging can be another thing, so to protect it from overheating (due to the higher charge receptivity of LFP’s) you’d either want to add a dc to dc charger (compatible with your particular alternator), or do as I did (as a desert camper) and just charge mostly from solar...Since you have a pusher I might assume that you spend lots of idle time with hook-ups, thus solar may meet your remaining needs...
FWIW, getting the required 14.x volts from a newer generation ‘Smart alternator’ may not be a viable option - a battery direct connect, current limiting dc to dc converter will overcome this while protecting the alternator....
Just a few ideas,
3 tons
