Cable Requirements for PD4655 Converter
I have the infamous WFCO 8955 converter in my toy hauler. Considering upgrading to a PD4655 to reduce my battery charge times. I have approx. 8-10 feet of 6 gauge cable that runs from my battery...
Forum Discussion
otrfun wrote:
Wow, as always, thanks to everybody for all this helpful info! Most of this stuff is a bit too technical for me, but I'm learning little by little.
To answer smkettner's question, if I were to purchase the PD4655 I would be adding a 2nd 24 series battery. About a week ago I tried a few days of dry camping and noticed I barely could make it through the day without draining my single 24 below 20%.
The 8-10 ft. run of 6 gauge cable is a one-way, positive-side, measurement only (from the battery to the converter). I kinda get the overall impression this setup will limit my maximum charge current (in 14.4 volt bulk mode) about 10-20% with this size/length of cable. Is this a reasonable assumption? Assuming it is, it doesn't seem like it's worth my time and effort to swap out this 8-10 ft. of 6 gauge cable (for a larger gauge) to save 30-45 minutes of charge time right now. If I get more serious about dry camping it may be something I may consider doing at a later time.
Right now, I believe my WFCO 8655 is giving me a 50% (12.2 volt) to 80-85% (12.6 volt) charge in approx. 4-5 hours. If I used my existing 8-10 ft. of 6 gauge cable with a PD 4655 would it be reasonable to expect this 50% to 80-85% charge time to be cut in half, to 2-3 hours?
Thanks!
If it takes 4-5 hours to get single 12V charged I highly suspect that the WFCO has the "classic" not going into boost mode and sticking at 13.6v.
With the #6 wire and the PD you should be able to get from 50% to 80-85% in 2 hours or less with a single 12V. Even with a pair of 12V you should be able to get to 85% S0C in 4 hours or less.
As a point of comparison. I have 4 T-125 GC batteries and a PD65A converter. In 4-5 hours I can get the batteries from 50% to 85% or so consistently. Thats a 500AH battery bank, not a single 85-100AH Battery.
Now getting from 85-90% all the way to 100%, another story. At that point your down in acceptance current such that it takes almost as long to go from 90%-100% as from 50% to 90%.
