How many batteries?

mena661 wrote:

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
This is some nice info ;)

X2

Mena, are you endorsing Mex's sarcasm over my brilliant analysis? My creds are in the toilet for sure if so. :( :)

OTOH I can't figure out what Roy really gets since it not clear whether his readings are with two good batts, three bad batts or two bad batts.

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
This is some nice info ;)

X2

This is some nice info ;)

This is how my three 85AH Interstate 12VDC batteries function on my off-road popup.

I have three GP24 12VDC batteries (255AHs capacity) selected feeding my OFF-ROAD trailer using a hall effect 75AMP DC Current measurement

I am wired up like this and use the home made meter panel shown which is reading DCV from both battery banks and total current selected with my Blue Sea battery switches...






I will use my OFF-ROAD trailer in a one day/night battery run with most of my high current being pulled between 8PM and 11PM and the reminder of the time just pulling 1-2 amps for keep alive items on the trailer.

AT around 8AM the next morning my battery banks in parallel are reading around 12.0VDC which is telling me I am around 50% charge state. This is when I start up my 2KW Honda generator and start re-charging my battery bank using the PD9260C Converter/charger unit connected to my generator using a RV30A-15A long adapter.

I will see 14.4VDC on both meters and my current will be 52-53 AMPS DC as soon as I fire up my generator. This is indicating to me the PD9260C has gone into its BULK MODE charging. Right away I start seeing the current slowly dropping back while the DC Volts remains at 14.4VDC. In around 30-40 minutes the DC current is around 8AMPS or so and it will stay in this state for around two hours. Then the PD9260C will drop back to 13.6VDC and the current drops back to around 6AMP DC and this will continue for another hour. This is telling me I am in NORMAL MODE.

After three hours of time I will will disconnect the generator and let things settle for about 5 minutes at which time I am seeing around 12.5-6 VDC on my meter panel. This is telling me I am at around 90% charge state.

I can now start using all of my 120VAC and 12VDC toys all over again until the next morning. Normally I get to run run my generator again in the early evening between 4:30PM and 7:30PM when allowed so I get the benefit of this charge cycle before going into my real heavy discharge of 20AMPS or so before running my 120VAC and 12VDC toys between 8PM and 11PM watching HDTV and several other functions etc...

Some on here have discussed how quick my batteries seem to return to being charged back up during the 30-40 minutes of the current dropping from 53AMPS to 8AMP. This is probably due to my aging batteries.

I did lose one of these batteries at the end of last season and am down to two batteries (170AH capacity) at this time.

I will document this real good when I get new batteries hopefully this camping season and get it all on paper to be my baseline for the next 5-6 years of battery use.

My battery charging story camping off the power grid

Roy Ken

WAG --170AH worth of batteries.(no charge wizard)

A 55amp charger will start to taper from constant 55 amps at 72% SOC on a 220AH bank at 14v. 72% of 220 is 158, but the PD goes to 14.4, so add a bit, so my est is 170ish. However it will taper right away.

With a Charge Wizard answer is, one battery. :)