Inverter AGM questions
I have been thinking about installing a inverter in my truck, either a 2000-3000 watt. I would use it to run small power tools, air compressor, an electric blanket when on the ferry system as you can'...
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Alternator charging is kneecapped by the vehicle's voltage regulator, as it will not seek and hold mid 14's for very long, but revert to 13.6ish range fairly quickly.
The VR is trying to top off a slightly depleted starting battery, not recharge a bank of depleted AGM's.
If your plan is to only alternator charge the batteries, you will get poor lifespan from the batteries, as charging from the 80 to 100% range takes 3.5 hours minimum, and that is when held in the mid 14's voltage wise. There is no way to reduce this time, not even with a recently polished chromed alternator, and all the confidence in the world in it.
My ammeter shows about 1/3 the amount of amps flow at 13.6 compared to 14.7v.
Thick wire is good, but when the voltage regulator decides 13.6 is just Effing fine and dandy, and your alternator might be rated for 160 amps, at idle and seeking only 13.6v the batteries might only be accepting 20 or 30 amps whereas they might be accepting 100+ amps if it were seeking 14.7v.
So you will need a way to top up the AGM batteries, by plugging in, or by Solar, or you will be extremely disappointed with the battery longevity but proudly declare it works just fine, until that day it does not, which will come and it will come too soon.
When pluggin in I would want a charger capable of at least 20 amps per 100Ah of battery capacity, and preferably 30 and one which seeks and holds 14.4 to 14.7v and can be forced to seek these voltages, like the Progressive dynamics 92XX series converters.
AGMs at least the not telecom type ones, do not like the low and slow recharge when heavily depleted, and while all lead acid batteries want to be returned to full ASAP, it seems AGMS are even less tolerant of less than full recharges than their flooded counterparts, and cost twice as much for that extra finickyness, while the consumer of them thinks their greater price somehow makes them immune to chronic undercharging when the opposite is true.
Don't bother investing heavily in quality AGMS unless you can also fully charge them regularly, Relying solely on the alternator to do so is unwise in the extreme, and if this is going to be their only recharging source then you might as well buy the absolute cheapest AGMS you can find, and pray whomeever is dealing with warranty issues the day you try to return them, got laid the night before.
The VR is trying to top off a slightly depleted starting battery, not recharge a bank of depleted AGM's.
If your plan is to only alternator charge the batteries, you will get poor lifespan from the batteries, as charging from the 80 to 100% range takes 3.5 hours minimum, and that is when held in the mid 14's voltage wise. There is no way to reduce this time, not even with a recently polished chromed alternator, and all the confidence in the world in it.
My ammeter shows about 1/3 the amount of amps flow at 13.6 compared to 14.7v.
Thick wire is good, but when the voltage regulator decides 13.6 is just Effing fine and dandy, and your alternator might be rated for 160 amps, at idle and seeking only 13.6v the batteries might only be accepting 20 or 30 amps whereas they might be accepting 100+ amps if it were seeking 14.7v.
So you will need a way to top up the AGM batteries, by plugging in, or by Solar, or you will be extremely disappointed with the battery longevity but proudly declare it works just fine, until that day it does not, which will come and it will come too soon.
When pluggin in I would want a charger capable of at least 20 amps per 100Ah of battery capacity, and preferably 30 and one which seeks and holds 14.4 to 14.7v and can be forced to seek these voltages, like the Progressive dynamics 92XX series converters.
AGMs at least the not telecom type ones, do not like the low and slow recharge when heavily depleted, and while all lead acid batteries want to be returned to full ASAP, it seems AGMS are even less tolerant of less than full recharges than their flooded counterparts, and cost twice as much for that extra finickyness, while the consumer of them thinks their greater price somehow makes them immune to chronic undercharging when the opposite is true.
Don't bother investing heavily in quality AGMS unless you can also fully charge them regularly, Relying solely on the alternator to do so is unwise in the extreme, and if this is going to be their only recharging source then you might as well buy the absolute cheapest AGMS you can find, and pray whomeever is dealing with warranty issues the day you try to return them, got laid the night before.
