Charging 2 Interstate Batteries through 45 amp converter

Many have posted doing this or similar. Your charger probably draws 4-5A AC so additional capacity is limited. Also with a 3 stage charger that starts in bulk charging gen run time will be less.

I have a 2000 watt Honda that I use for charging MH. I start it while meals are being prepared. I have an Onan in the rig but it gets a little loud as it is under the bedroom. It takes about thirty minutes to bring batteries up from overnight use. We have a 45 amp three stage converter.

Except for running some solar this year, all my charging is done w/ my Honda EU 1000, and my PD 9245 (45 amp) converter. It couldn't work any better.

Plug the RV into your AC outlet on the generator. A 1000 watt generator is somewhat limited for charging to group 29 batteries with a 45 amp (or larger) 3-stage charger.

You should be fine during daytime charging if you put the refrigerator on "propane", furnace "off", and keep the wife and kids from running microwave, hair-driers, and television while the early charging is taking place. The 3-stage charger will use less current when it backs off "bulk-rate" charging.

Hi,

We need to know the make and model of the converter for a meaningful answer. For example a Progressive Dynamics 45 amp draws 725 watts--but has a power factor of 0.7 which means that running it flat out is about all the Honda (which really does 900 watts) can manage.

A Honda 2000 (which really does 1600 watts) could run the converter, and the fridge at the same time. It could also power the microwave, or other fairly high current devices.

It could go either way. You don't say what kind of converter you have, but if it isn't PF corrected, the 1K genny might not handle it. If the batteries are low enough that the converter goes into boost mode at 45 amps, that's about 648 watts. If PF corrected, good to go. If the PF is .7 as my WFCO is, that's 925 VA. Not so good.

I should have added this to my post above.
The EU 1000 WILL handle anything (full 45 amps) the 9245 can put out. (I see it on ammeter)
But what I failed to mention, is that I rewire the input to my converter so that it is plugged either into the original circuit, or the dedicated circuit for the Honda 1000 only. This way the Honda runs nothing but the converter.

You will need to check in FLA and see if you are allowed to run your generator and if so do they have generator run time restrictions in place.

If they have generator run time restrictions in place you may only be allowed to run your generator for a couple of hours in the morning and maybe three hours in the afternoon. You most likely will not be allowed to run your generator after 8PM at night..

With this in mind you must have a smart mode converter or a smart mode portable battery charger. The game plan is to plug the trailer into your 120VAC outlet on your generator and run your 45AMP smart mode converter for the three hours it will take to get your two batteries back up to their 90% charge state. Then you get almost full performance from your batteries and can hopefully run the things you want to run for the day/night run off your batteries. Then the next morning you can re-charge them again in a three hour time frame.

I do this all the time with my 2KW HOnda generator setup and am running three batteries in my 12VDC battery bank giving me around 255AHs capacity...

If you are not allowed your generator where you are going then your only other option is SOLAR PANELS to charge your batteries.

Keep in mind if you have the short window to charge your battery the smart mode charging is the only way to get it done in a short three hour charge time. The rule of thumb to re-charge deep cycle batteries in a three hour time frame is to hit them with 14.4VDC boost charge and each battery will want to draw around 20AMPS of DC current for 30 minutes or so. having two batteries in your bank this will need to be 40AMPS of battery charge capacity. This is battery science and not many ways to get around it if you need them charged in a quick short three hour time frame.

Without smart mode charge capability it will take you around 12 hours to get your batteries back up to their 90% charge state.

Roy ken

I had a POS 2 cycle 1000 watt gen that did just fine with my PD9245 into two GC-2 batteries. Different batteries, but roughly the same capacity.

Assuming you have the pendant(if not, you should get one) you can lower the output if the initial charge is too much for your gen (it would be for only a few minutes on a very low battery). In that my POS did the job with no strain, you should be fine.

Regards,
Doug