Camping in the Cold--Some AH Figures
So camping off grid for four days--arrive Monday go home Friday temps : Night 0C/32F , Day 7C/44F-ish (Annual Rathtrevor provincial park late January episode to start the year off) Park gen hours 9-1...
Forum Discussion
My chrysler 50/120 alternator does 68 amps cold idle(800 rpm), but at hot idle (550rpm) with a 14.7v absorption dialed in, the alternator falls to a max of 42 amps, and its temperature will quickly climb to and then hover in the 220F range. If I start moving amps of course go back up, but stator temperature rapidly declines, especially over 25MpH. At 65MPH maxed out at near 120 amps, It is hard to get stator temperature above 130f, but it also kind of hard for me to present 120 amps worth of load for long as I do not have lots of battery capacity.
At least in my vehicle, the airflow at Idle and the reduced alternator fan speed at idle, makes it so I never Idle just to recharge as it gets so hot so fast when maxed out.
Also the temp sensor on my voltage regulator heatsink, revealed it too was getting hot (135F max) sending 8+ amps of field current to alternator when idling with a depleted battery, and more rpms lowers the field current and its temperature. That was before I added a 60Mm computer fan to it's additional heatsink for the overkill factor. Now it is rare to see VR go above 104f.
But Ignorance was bliss. The temp sensor on alteranator stator casing did not show me what I wanted to see.
Measurement tools are so enlightening though.
BUt I always hated idling anyway, so no biggie.
At least in my vehicle, the airflow at Idle and the reduced alternator fan speed at idle, makes it so I never Idle just to recharge as it gets so hot so fast when maxed out.
Also the temp sensor on my voltage regulator heatsink, revealed it too was getting hot (135F max) sending 8+ amps of field current to alternator when idling with a depleted battery, and more rpms lowers the field current and its temperature. That was before I added a 60Mm computer fan to it's additional heatsink for the overkill factor. Now it is rare to see VR go above 104f.
But Ignorance was bliss. The temp sensor on alteranator stator casing did not show me what I wanted to see.
Measurement tools are so enlightening though.
BUt I always hated idling anyway, so no biggie.
