Leaving RV MH Plugged in at Home

I was thinking of Iota with IQ4. Goes 14.8, 14.2, 13.6 -scroll down here to the voltages:

http://www.iotaengineering.com/iq.htm

I said "some" in case there are others, but also, "Some is at least one" :)

BFL13 Quote:
Some "three-stage" converters float at 13.6v, not 13.2v,
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Can you tell us which ones ?

one area of attention. I had 30 amp for our fifth wheel and mh at last home.
The kids tripped ,over the heavy cable near the outlet and broke the plastic recepticle inside. It lost voltage. I had to replace it.
They knew not to play there but. Make some provision so people won't trip over it.

I got the float voltage vs temps from Randy's site for the 4455TC. scroll down a bit

http://www.bestconverter.com/Parallax-Paramode-with-TempAssure_c_104.html

I am not clear on whether that is the same thing as gassing voltage. I thought float voltage was just to prevent self discharge without quite gassing?

Also there is the discussion that always comes up whether the temp used should be ambient or internal battery and the point made that the temp sensor be remote to go on the battery.

Another factor for this thread Is just how long are you on a float anyway where it even matters that much? If you do a weekend off-grid each month and are plugged in at home between trips, is that really floating like being in storage for six months is, for what is proper?

Ambient temperature at least gives you some guide as to what might be needed each season where you are, to keep the batteries working right. I don't think you can make a "rule" without considering temperature.

Hi,

Sorry BFL13, but my research suggest your figures for gassing don't quite work.

From a spreadsheet that I found online. Temperature range is -30c (-22 f) to 50 c (122 f). It is unlikely that 13.8 volts is going to cause gassing, except in places such as Mesa, AZ, in the worst of the summer heat (gassing at 50 C (122 f)). 14.4 will at 21 C (70 f) and up. At -25 c (-13 f) 14.4 is not enough to even fully charge the battery bank. I've observed that happen this winter. So thank goodness I have solar. It is also good that I can charge either bank from solar.

It also means at 20 c (68 f) and below, that the PD "shot" of 14.4 every 20 hours for 15 minutes does absolutely nothing to destratify the batteries.

Another conclusion is that below -30 c (-22 f) there is no way to adequately charge the battery bank unless the disconnect switch is used to prevent damage to the various computer boards in the Fridge and etc.

I know these numbers "fly in the face" of folks with single stage 13.8 volt converters--but that is because the battery itself is above the ambient temperatures. Conclusion? For good charging, battery temperature needs to be monitored.

These numbers are why I wanted (and shortly will have) temperature compensated shore power charging.

temperature in C, charge voltage, gassing voltage

-30 16.2 19.2

-25 15.12 18.78

-20 14.04 17.82

-15 13.99 16.86

-10 13.92 15.9

-5 13.86 15.57

0 13.8 15.24

5 13.74 15.03

10 13.68 14.82

15 13.62 14.655

20 13.56 14.49

25 13.5 14.34

30 13.44 14.19

35 13.38 14.055

40 13.32 13.98

45 13.26 13.89

50 13.2 13.8

BFL13 wrote:
No offence (sic) intended.

Does that mean if do I get a MH, no Italian marble hot tub comes with it? Drat. So no pool maidens to feed you grapes either?

:h

no grapes....just hot towels after a shower and a full body massage.


BTW.. the title of this post was:

"Leaving RV MH Plugged in at Home"

No offence intended.

Does that mean if do I get a MH, no Italian marble hot tub comes with it? Drat. So no pool maidens to feed you grapes either?

For what it's worth, you don't need a full blown 30 amp service at home to keep your RV plugged in at home.

We keep our motorhome plugged in at home using a long heavy duty extension cord - using an adapter for the MH's 30 amp cord - just plugged into an exterior 20 amp outlet on an outside wall of our home. The motorhome's air conditioner (summer), a 1500 watt electric heater we have in it (winter), and the microwave (anytime) even run just fine (not any two of them at the same time, however) off this 20 amp extension cord. Works like a champ!

I put a concrete pad in with a 120V 30A circuit specifically so I could keep my TT plugged in at home. No different than all those folks full timing and leaving their rigs plugged in at some campground. Just check battery water levels occasionally.

BFL13 wrote:
It seems the MH guys call their inverter/chargers "inverters" but the poor slobs who only have 5ers, TTs, and TCs have to distinguish between their pathetic separate converters and inverters to understand what is happening!

When you MHers are soaking in your 120v Italian marble hot tubs powered by your inverters off your submarine-sized battery banks, please think of us peons once in a while, even if it is only to snicker at such underlings :)

In my defense, Grumpy didn't feel it necessary to list his rv type in his signature and he didn't put his post in any of the specific rv type forums...I just assumed (I know..bad idea) he had a mh. I do apologize if I offended anyone.

And for the record, I started out with a a shell on the back of my small Toyota PU and graduated to a 17' single axle camp trailer and then to a 10' pop-up. I had the pop-up (no potty, shower, or even a fridge) for many years before buying a nice 25' TT (finally, all the luxury's of home - and by the way, it had an inverter). Upon retirement, bought a 36' DP and just last year traded that in on our current DP. So I do take offense at you insinuating that I think I am better or superior to those that do not have mh's. I've paid my dues....

Ron