Alternator: How many batteries can it take?
I have a diesel, so two batteries for truck, there are two 6-volt for the Truck Camper, and I want to put a deep cycle battery in the cargo trailer. The Camper does have 200 watt solar to charge it...
Forum Discussion
I have followed these rules published by Progressive Dynamics on how long it takes to charge 12V Batteries...
Progressive Dynamics ran this test on the amount of time it took a PD9155 (55-amp) converter/charger set to three different output voltages to recharge a 125 AH (Amp Hour) battery after it was fully discharged to 10.5-volts.
14.4-VOLTS (Boost Mode) – Returned the battery to 90% of full charge in approximately 3-hours. The battery reached full charge in approximately 11 hours.
13.6-VOLTS (Normal Mode) – Required 40-hours to return the battery to 90% of full charge and 78-hours to reach full charge.
13.2-VOLTS (Storage Mode) – Required 60-hours to return the battery to 90% of full charge and 100-hours to reach full charge."
In my case I have run down my batteries to their 50% charge state (around 12.0VDC on my DC VOLTMETER panel) and then hooked up to a PD-9260C Charger unit and it follows these parameters pretty close... I never discharge my batteries below the 12.0VDC level...
Chargeing my three 85AH Interstate 12V Batteries it will accept around 55AMPS of DC Current when first hit with 14.4VDC... This immediately starts tapering down as the charge continues... My PD9260C will stay in the 14.4V DC Charge mode for around one hour and then will switch to its 13.6VDC mode... The total DC Current now being absorbed by the battery bank is around 6-8DC AMps at this time. If I leave things alone this will continue on for an additional two hours at the 13.6VDC level and then will drop down to 13.2VDC. I can assum this battery bank of three 85AH Batteries in parallel is now at their 90% charge state going from 50% charge to 90% charge. If I leave the 13.2 CHarge voltage going these three batteries will get to the 100% charge in around 12 hours or so...
Have done this numerious time camping off grid... I will have my 2KW Generator feeding the PD9260C CHarger for this three hour time period to get my batteries to their 90% charge state so I can continue camping off grid for the next day/night run off my batteries. I can do around 10-12 of these 50% to 90% charge states without doing damage to my three 85AH Batteries. After that however I must do a full 100% charge state which takes the some 12 hours or so charging and this is not feasible to do with my 2KW Honda Generator so this is when I usually head for the home base and do the full 100% charge state at the house...
This works rather well in my situation...
Maybe you can work to something like this using your truck alternator running your truck engine for these long time periods???
My future goal is to use my 2KW Generator for the first hour to get my 50% charge state going and then use sola panels with at least 20AMPS of capacity to get my battery bank to the 90% charge state before I lose high sun of the day... This way I am only running my generator set for one hour and the high sun will get the batteries to the 90% charge state before I lose high sun...
My future game plan at any rate...
Roy Ken
Progressive Dynamics ran this test on the amount of time it took a PD9155 (55-amp) converter/charger set to three different output voltages to recharge a 125 AH (Amp Hour) battery after it was fully discharged to 10.5-volts.
14.4-VOLTS (Boost Mode) – Returned the battery to 90% of full charge in approximately 3-hours. The battery reached full charge in approximately 11 hours.
13.6-VOLTS (Normal Mode) – Required 40-hours to return the battery to 90% of full charge and 78-hours to reach full charge.
13.2-VOLTS (Storage Mode) – Required 60-hours to return the battery to 90% of full charge and 100-hours to reach full charge."
In my case I have run down my batteries to their 50% charge state (around 12.0VDC on my DC VOLTMETER panel) and then hooked up to a PD-9260C Charger unit and it follows these parameters pretty close... I never discharge my batteries below the 12.0VDC level...
Chargeing my three 85AH Interstate 12V Batteries it will accept around 55AMPS of DC Current when first hit with 14.4VDC... This immediately starts tapering down as the charge continues... My PD9260C will stay in the 14.4V DC Charge mode for around one hour and then will switch to its 13.6VDC mode... The total DC Current now being absorbed by the battery bank is around 6-8DC AMps at this time. If I leave things alone this will continue on for an additional two hours at the 13.6VDC level and then will drop down to 13.2VDC. I can assum this battery bank of three 85AH Batteries in parallel is now at their 90% charge state going from 50% charge to 90% charge. If I leave the 13.2 CHarge voltage going these three batteries will get to the 100% charge in around 12 hours or so...
Have done this numerious time camping off grid... I will have my 2KW Generator feeding the PD9260C CHarger for this three hour time period to get my batteries to their 90% charge state so I can continue camping off grid for the next day/night run off my batteries. I can do around 10-12 of these 50% to 90% charge states without doing damage to my three 85AH Batteries. After that however I must do a full 100% charge state which takes the some 12 hours or so charging and this is not feasible to do with my 2KW Honda Generator so this is when I usually head for the home base and do the full 100% charge state at the house...
This works rather well in my situation...
Maybe you can work to something like this using your truck alternator running your truck engine for these long time periods???
My future goal is to use my 2KW Generator for the first hour to get my 50% charge state going and then use sola panels with at least 20AMPS of capacity to get my battery bank to the 90% charge state before I lose high sun of the day... This way I am only running my generator set for one hour and the high sun will get the batteries to the 90% charge state before I lose high sun...
My future game plan at any rate...
Roy Ken
