Charging a Battery Bank

SoundGuy wrote:


Sure, I understand how those much more fully educated about and interested in battery technology may insist that manually adjustable chargers are the ultimate in battery maintenance BUT do you really expect the average RV owner to have the same level of interest in battery maintenance?! The reality is, most of us don't, we just want to go camping, so in fact your quoted statement above is closer to reality than one might think. ;)

In this particular case the OP has the option of choosing readily available GC-2 East Penn Dekas wearing the Duracell label that would certainly represent a good start for the task he has in mind, plus a Parllax ParaMode charger that offers the correct charging profile for this battery and does offer temp compensated charging as REQUIRED by East Penn, so although neither may be "the best of the best" both are IMO certainly a reasonable solution for an average RV owner who just wants to do a few days of dry camping from time to time. If he later decides after being out a few times with this combination that he needs even more reserve he still has the choice to then add a couple more of the same batteries, perhaps add a solar system to augment his charging capability. This graduated approach for the average user to me makes a lot more sense than simply throwing one's wallet at a perceived problem without a clear understanding of all of the intricate issues involved in building an effective battery / charging system.

While I too appreciate the commentary offered by those much better versed in this subject sometimes "ultimate", although desirable in it's own right, just isn't necessary. ;)

I couldn't have said this better myself. I want to go camping off grid for a few days! I recognize I will be doing that more in the future and I do have interest in Solar down the road. Not in 2017, probably not in 2018 and maybe never. The generator I bought is overkill if it was only going to be used to charge camper batteries but I plan on using it for other things as well. I have a wood shop and do carpentry on the side and can see many uses for it there. Please don't assume my decision on a generator size was ignorance and overkill. Heck, I should of had a generator for many years but put it off because I could borrow one from a friend. This camping trip I have planned made me make a decision and although for my other needs a construction grade generator would have sufficed and I would have saved some money, it wouldn't serve my camping needs so I compromised by buying what was reasonably priced that would get the job done for all of my needs. A little under powered for some needs but still serviceable and overkill for camping needs. When camping, am I going to spend 2 hours or more keeping an eye on volts and amps? Not likely. I go camping to relieve stress and enjoy life. My everyday job has a ton of stress. Try being a Police Officer in today's world. You're loved by some and hated by most. You have a target on your back and where I work, it's a drug infested nightmare where most would rather end your life than appreciate your presence. So when I go camping, I want to relax. I want to laugh and have fun. I want to eat more than I should and have a couple of beers around a campfire. I don't want to spend my camping trip worrying about camping and voltage and amps and doohicky's. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that there are people like yourselves that enjoy having the knowledge in the area of batteries. Laymen like myself would be completely blind without you but keep in mind, I just want to go camping and have enough power at the end of my stay to bring in my slide and roll up my awning.