sjturbo wrote:
Thank you gentlemen for the advice! As it has reached a balmy 106' outside I have not made any additional measurements yet. If I get DW PT done early I will get on further measurements. Regarding the IOTA Ninerbikes, will that give me a full charge? I assume I will still need to do the Mex's "Top Charge", correct? Also should I "main line" directly to the batteries from my eu3000 to the Iota, or can I just plug the "shore line" into the eu3000?
The Iota should get you to 14.8V... I don't recall what you have for AH for batteries on your 5th wheel. Tell us more about your batteries amp hour rating, and I can advise further. An Iota will get you, in boost mode, to 14.8V before shutting down to maintenance mode. 14.8V is pretty good. An Iota may shut down at temps over 104F. That means you being in Tucson might need to plan your time of day for when you charge and run the generator. Another factor is how far your run is from the charge controller to your batteries, and what gauge cable is in use. All of these things figure into the calculations.
Tell us brand and model of battery and amp hour rating... from there, some may be able to better advise you on the proper top charge voltage, while possibly disconnected/isolated from the rest of your electrical system, as some electrical circuit boards can't handle over 15.4V.
Ideally, I'd install the Iota as a stand alone, in the bay next to your batteries, to keep away from battery fumes. Run what you need for wire to your battery terminals, short and fat. You might run some Romex 120V off an end run of an existing 120V electrical outlet to the Iota.
The Mex"EE"cowanderer top charger is a project unto itself. It's not a set it and forget it unit. Do a Search under "Mega Watt" and find the thread started by Mexicowanderer to see if you want to go down that path. I assure you, once you do some reading, and studying here, you'll understand more whether it's the right decision for you.
