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jmcgsd's avatar
jmcgsd
Explorer
May 25, 2014

AGM Battery & External Charger

I purchased my current TT several months ago. One of the selling points was the upgrades that had been done for using it for boondocking. Briefly, it has a Lifeline 4D AGM battery, 100w of solar with a solar controller, 1500w inverter wired to 2 outlets in the TT, and an aftermarket SEC 1230ul charger.

My question is about the charger. It is specifically designed to correctly charge AGM batteries. It is permanently mounted in the TT and a 120v outlet has been wired close to it.

So far I have been using it by plugging it in to that outlet when on shore power. It occurred to me that when I do so, the charger in the Parallex Power 7100 series converter is also charging the battery. Of course, the solar panels will also be in the game. Is that OK? Should I be plugging the SEC chager into shore power without the TT connected? What's your take on it?

Thanks.
Joe

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  • Golden_HVAC's avatar
    Golden_HVAC
    Explorer
    May 25, 2014
    My question. Why plug in the charger each time you go camping? Leave it plugged in all the time, when you plug in the shore power line to the campground, or at home, or to a generator, it will already be plugged in and ready to charge whatever battery is hooked up to it.

    The factory installed "Converter" or charger, unplug it, you do not need it as long as the other one keeps working, until you are ready to trade it in, and then might want to keep the battery charger, just plug in the factory on at that time, and you can take the better one with you.

    The solar. It really does not care if the charger is plugged in or not. It will continue to put out the maximum possible amperage until the battery is at 13.2 volts, then it will shut off or go into the standby mode until the battery is low again (such as after you unplug). Once plugged in, the solar normally will shut off - after the battery voltage is above 13.2 volts.

    Leave the solar connected all the time too.

    Fred.

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