is the convertor supposed to charge the batteries?
Our parrallux 7300 never has. Years ago we bought a tiny charger and installed it in the battery area. It was recommended by this forum. I wonder if it affects the convertor Thank all
Forum Discussion
13.4 volts at 55 amperes makes for a plenty large enough power supply for hotel loads.
Depending on how much boondocking is involved, a 2nd unit designed for multi-stage battery charging could be added. Being autonomous it's output, 100% of it would be directed at battery recharging. For power pedestal hopping, one of these multi-stage "smart" chargers may be enough to maintain a flooded battery at 100% charge. Simply because the ORIGINAL converter has the duty of hotel loads.
As far as heavy cycled extended boondocking that subject has been covered in detail. An Iota or Boondocker model battery charger with adjustable bulk charge voltage limit, and time spent at that limit should help a lot.
And by the way, for the record only SOME of the Magnetek converters used a charging bleed resistor. The later models did not. And the original issue was and is a converter that was factory rated to have a charge maintenance limit of 13.8 volts but in one way or another far exceeded that value.
The WFCO 55 amp unit that was gifted to me is doing a fine job maintaining a rock solid 13.75 volts. Just what I wanted and wildly different than what the factory literature said it would do. Any idiot who would place a 55C ceramic resistor within 1/4" of an equally tall electrolytic capacitor speaks ill of the responsible party - WFCO. Wonder how more little delights these converter chargers possess? Like thermistors incapable of hot re-starts. "Ooooooo you're not posed to do dat....what you mean flicker power outage?" I guess being around Lambda and Sola too many years has spoiled me.
IMHO rig hotel load power supply should be independent of rig battery recharging duties. Utterly isolated from one another. I am seeing more and more high duty solid state DC relays that can serve to switch battery power to hotel power in and out according to need. My rig is going to get one, and yes the relay heat sink is going to be purely convection cooled. The hotel circuit does not include the inverter feed.
Depending on how much boondocking is involved, a 2nd unit designed for multi-stage battery charging could be added. Being autonomous it's output, 100% of it would be directed at battery recharging. For power pedestal hopping, one of these multi-stage "smart" chargers may be enough to maintain a flooded battery at 100% charge. Simply because the ORIGINAL converter has the duty of hotel loads.
As far as heavy cycled extended boondocking that subject has been covered in detail. An Iota or Boondocker model battery charger with adjustable bulk charge voltage limit, and time spent at that limit should help a lot.
And by the way, for the record only SOME of the Magnetek converters used a charging bleed resistor. The later models did not. And the original issue was and is a converter that was factory rated to have a charge maintenance limit of 13.8 volts but in one way or another far exceeded that value.
The WFCO 55 amp unit that was gifted to me is doing a fine job maintaining a rock solid 13.75 volts. Just what I wanted and wildly different than what the factory literature said it would do. Any idiot who would place a 55C ceramic resistor within 1/4" of an equally tall electrolytic capacitor speaks ill of the responsible party - WFCO. Wonder how more little delights these converter chargers possess? Like thermistors incapable of hot re-starts. "Ooooooo you're not posed to do dat....what you mean flicker power outage?" I guess being around Lambda and Sola too many years has spoiled me.
IMHO rig hotel load power supply should be independent of rig battery recharging duties. Utterly isolated from one another. I am seeing more and more high duty solid state DC relays that can serve to switch battery power to hotel power in and out according to need. My rig is going to get one, and yes the relay heat sink is going to be purely convection cooled. The hotel circuit does not include the inverter feed.
