Recharging house batteries
When leaving a campground with partially drawn down house batteries, the engines alternator will slowly recharge them. Can I charge those batteries faster by starting the in house generator at the...
Forum Discussion
Two charging sources can charge faster under the right conditions. They do not necessarily "fight with each other" as some seem to think.
They are both looking to achieve a target voltage on the battery bank. If your batteries are low enough and your charging source limited enough that one charging source can not bring the voltage up to the set point then a second source will help.
Say your RV converter is set for 14.2 volts but running at full output the batteries are only at 13.2 volts then the vehicle's alternator can add useful current it it's voltage at the battery terminals is above 13.2. If the vehicle alternator is able to achieve 13.8 volts on the battery it will contribute up to that point after which only the RV's converter (set to 14.2) will contribute.
What happens for most people is that with the generator running the converter it already enough to get the battery voltage above what the tow vehicle can contribute thru the small wiring in the circuit so it's never really able to contribute any current.
Or, if your RV converter is only set to 13.8 volts if the tow vehicle is running and has the batteries up to 14 volts when you start your generator the batteries will appear charged to the converter and it won't contribute any current. Your generator will be doing nothing.
They are both looking to achieve a target voltage on the battery bank. If your batteries are low enough and your charging source limited enough that one charging source can not bring the voltage up to the set point then a second source will help.
Say your RV converter is set for 14.2 volts but running at full output the batteries are only at 13.2 volts then the vehicle's alternator can add useful current it it's voltage at the battery terminals is above 13.2. If the vehicle alternator is able to achieve 13.8 volts on the battery it will contribute up to that point after which only the RV's converter (set to 14.2) will contribute.
What happens for most people is that with the generator running the converter it already enough to get the battery voltage above what the tow vehicle can contribute thru the small wiring in the circuit so it's never really able to contribute any current.
Or, if your RV converter is only set to 13.8 volts if the tow vehicle is running and has the batteries up to 14 volts when you start your generator the batteries will appear charged to the converter and it won't contribute any current. Your generator will be doing nothing.
