Iota DLS-55-X Experience

BFL13 wrote:
You do a few days off grid doing 50-80s where the Iota gets close to 80 by the time it gets the batts to 14.6 and drops to 14.2 and you stop the gen. Works great.

So now you go home and have days and days of shore power to do the "recovery" from that successive undercharging. To do that you need the batts to recharge at 14.8 until they are full and then some to do the overcharge for the recovery.

But you can't. The batts get to around 80% and the Iota drops to 14.2v and there is nothing you can do about it. Then the voltage drops to 13.6! SG is still in the red on the hydrometer. Now what?

Any hope the solar will work at home where you are parked? Any sun at that time of year?

Having BTDT I got myself a converter/charger that can stay at 14.8 for as long as I want and then I can crank the voltage to 16v if need be for the overcharge to get that SG up to spec. Can't do that off grid on generator of course, takes too long. It is what you do once back home. When the SG does get to spec, then I drop the voltage to 13.x (where X depends on the temperature) for the Float till the next camping trip.

I'm not sure if this is directed at me or not (the OP) but I'm not a charge the battery to perfection kind of guy.

I wanted a better battery charger than I had and I wanted one that would add more to the bank off of a generator when solar fell short.

My camping style will be varied as I live in the southeast and it's too **** hot here to be off grid for 5 months out of the year. I'm installing solar for my trips to the west for a couple of months a year and most importantly a 3 month trip to Alaska next summer.

If I kill a battery bank in 3 years vs 10 I really don't care, I can afford it.