House batteries not up to ah rating
Bought 2 new Interstate SRM-24 group 24 RV/Marine batteries a few months ago. I have used the MH 4 times on trips lasting from 3-6 days. Never going below 40 amps before recharging. The rating is 85...
Forum Discussion
the battery might only take a small amount of amps at 14.6v but pushing it up toward 16V will require more amps, more than your 30 watt panel can deliver.
You don;t want to spend hours and days trying to max out SG.
I once was reluctant to go as high as 16V and slowly crept my way up there. What took 45 minutes at 16V took 4 hours at 15.5v.
The battery will require about 5% of its capacity in amps to reach 16v after a regular 'full' charge.
As far as the alternator charging circuit goes, taking power for house bank from alt(+) instead of engine battery(+) eliminates the too thin OEM alternator charging path, and allows the Voltage regulator to better "see" the depleted house batteries. Hopefully it then allows higher voltages to be held for longer.
My vehicle tends to drop to 13.7 before I'd like, and if I press the disconnect on my ALT/House battery feed circuit breaker, this pretty much insures it reverts to 13.7v very prematurely.
Taking power directly from ALT(+) is usually a shorter circuit path too, so this is one area where RV manufacturers screw their bottom line unknowingly by feeding house battery from engine starting battery instead, at least on some rigs.
I've got some thick copper between alternator(+) and my Ignition Battery switch. I also run a fat ground from frame rail to the ALT(-) stud and there is a fat ground from engine to the same stud on frame and alterantor.
I also have a shunt in between all grounds and battery(-)
A beefy alternator circuit stresses the alternator more, especially with AGM batteries, but my alternator is easy to replace and cheaper than a quality deep cycle 12v battery.
It will be 8 years old sometime this year, and the last 6 years it has had this thick copper conduit to the(130 amp rated) alternator and is worked hard, often.
Hot Idle speed amps are rather pathetic depsite replcing the alternator pulley with a smaller one, but add 300rpm upto 850rpm and it can do 60 amps hot.
I also fabricated a heat shield in between my exhaust manifold and my alternator, as it is about 1.5 inches away. I got a 5 amp increase from this at hot idle.
My alternator sucks in air from the back. I have room to add a 3 inch duct to blow cool air at the back of the alternator, and already have the materials to fabricate the CAI, I just have not done so, yet.
You don;t want to spend hours and days trying to max out SG.
I once was reluctant to go as high as 16V and slowly crept my way up there. What took 45 minutes at 16V took 4 hours at 15.5v.
The battery will require about 5% of its capacity in amps to reach 16v after a regular 'full' charge.
As far as the alternator charging circuit goes, taking power for house bank from alt(+) instead of engine battery(+) eliminates the too thin OEM alternator charging path, and allows the Voltage regulator to better "see" the depleted house batteries. Hopefully it then allows higher voltages to be held for longer.
My vehicle tends to drop to 13.7 before I'd like, and if I press the disconnect on my ALT/House battery feed circuit breaker, this pretty much insures it reverts to 13.7v very prematurely.
Taking power directly from ALT(+) is usually a shorter circuit path too, so this is one area where RV manufacturers screw their bottom line unknowingly by feeding house battery from engine starting battery instead, at least on some rigs.
I've got some thick copper between alternator(+) and my Ignition Battery switch. I also run a fat ground from frame rail to the ALT(-) stud and there is a fat ground from engine to the same stud on frame and alterantor.
I also have a shunt in between all grounds and battery(-)
A beefy alternator circuit stresses the alternator more, especially with AGM batteries, but my alternator is easy to replace and cheaper than a quality deep cycle 12v battery.
It will be 8 years old sometime this year, and the last 6 years it has had this thick copper conduit to the(130 amp rated) alternator and is worked hard, often.
Hot Idle speed amps are rather pathetic depsite replcing the alternator pulley with a smaller one, but add 300rpm upto 850rpm and it can do 60 amps hot.
I also fabricated a heat shield in between my exhaust manifold and my alternator, as it is about 1.5 inches away. I got a 5 amp increase from this at hot idle.
My alternator sucks in air from the back. I have room to add a 3 inch duct to blow cool air at the back of the alternator, and already have the materials to fabricate the CAI, I just have not done so, yet.
