battery charging basics
i'm planning a 6 month trip in a minivan staying mostly in nat parks, probably with no hookups since i think hookup sites cost a lot more i need a bit of power for my electronics mostly and maybe a...
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suppose if i got a generator like this
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/tls/4072297896.html 3500W
or something small like this
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/for/4082776861.html not sure the power here
how long would it take to charge a deep cycle battery? i have a feeling most of that 3500W would be going to waste as the battery would only take a few watts of charging.
i just read this from here
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/WestAdvisorView?langId=-1&storeId=11151&page=Battery-Charging#.Uj48s1OAnMo
'Bulk phase: this is where the heavy lifting takes place. Charge at a rate up to 20 percent to 40 percent of C to a voltage of about 14.6 volts (gel: 14.1 volts). For example, a 200 amp-hour battery would be charged at 40-80 amperes. This will bring the battery to about 75 percent of full charge, and is efficient (more amp-hours replaced per hour of charge time) since the battery accepts more current when it is discharged.
How long does it take to charge?
If you operate your house bank between a 50 percent and 85 percent state of charge, as many experts recommend, and charge once daily, you should be able to return the 35 percent of battery capacity by operating a properly-sized alternator for slightly over an hour.
'
so if i get this battery
http://www.walmart.com/ip/EverStart-27DC-6-Marine-Battery/16795212
which is 115AH then i need about 20-40 amps at 14V, so that's 280-560 watts right?
so as i suspected, a 3500W genny is massive overkill.
so my current thought is small genny like the $80 one on craigslist, a fast charger like the black and decker 40Amp in a previous reply, and marine battery like that 115AH everstart. charge it up a couple of times a day for 1/2 hour or so.
when i'm driving, charge it up from the van by using an isolator or a simple A/B switch
maybe not bother with solar as it may be of limited use for the money and hard to sell when i'm done with it
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/tls/4072297896.html 3500W
or something small like this
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/for/4082776861.html not sure the power here
how long would it take to charge a deep cycle battery? i have a feeling most of that 3500W would be going to waste as the battery would only take a few watts of charging.
i just read this from here
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/WestAdvisorView?langId=-1&storeId=11151&page=Battery-Charging#.Uj48s1OAnMo
'Bulk phase: this is where the heavy lifting takes place. Charge at a rate up to 20 percent to 40 percent of C to a voltage of about 14.6 volts (gel: 14.1 volts). For example, a 200 amp-hour battery would be charged at 40-80 amperes. This will bring the battery to about 75 percent of full charge, and is efficient (more amp-hours replaced per hour of charge time) since the battery accepts more current when it is discharged.
How long does it take to charge?
If you operate your house bank between a 50 percent and 85 percent state of charge, as many experts recommend, and charge once daily, you should be able to return the 35 percent of battery capacity by operating a properly-sized alternator for slightly over an hour.
'
so if i get this battery
http://www.walmart.com/ip/EverStart-27DC-6-Marine-Battery/16795212
which is 115AH then i need about 20-40 amps at 14V, so that's 280-560 watts right?
so as i suspected, a 3500W genny is massive overkill.
so my current thought is small genny like the $80 one on craigslist, a fast charger like the black and decker 40Amp in a previous reply, and marine battery like that 115AH everstart. charge it up a couple of times a day for 1/2 hour or so.
when i'm driving, charge it up from the van by using an isolator or a simple A/B switch
maybe not bother with solar as it may be of limited use for the money and hard to sell when i'm done with it
