Portable battery Charger
Can a RV battery be charged with a portable charger while plugged into shore power?
Forum Discussion
Sure!
Even if the battery charger in your RV's power converter is supplying some charging current to the battery, you can still connect a portable charger to the battery to charge it faster.
However, there is a limit to how fast you can charge a battery - particularly if it's the lead-acid variety. At some point, some of the charging current gets converted to heat, instead of charging the battery. Result: Excessive water loss, and possibly damage to the battery.
Most lead-acid batteries can accept a lot more charging current during the early portion of the charging process. As they gradually recharge, their ability to absorb charging current gradually tapers off.
For this reason, using several battery chargers may be more effective early in the charging process. Later on, just one battery charger may be sufficient to supply all the charging current the battery can accept.
Even if the battery charger in your RV's power converter is supplying some charging current to the battery, you can still connect a portable charger to the battery to charge it faster.
However, there is a limit to how fast you can charge a battery - particularly if it's the lead-acid variety. At some point, some of the charging current gets converted to heat, instead of charging the battery. Result: Excessive water loss, and possibly damage to the battery.
Most lead-acid batteries can accept a lot more charging current during the early portion of the charging process. As they gradually recharge, their ability to absorb charging current gradually tapers off.
For this reason, using several battery chargers may be more effective early in the charging process. Later on, just one battery charger may be sufficient to supply all the charging current the battery can accept.
