recharging while driving
I'm winding my way south and boondocking. Last power was in Regina, SK I used a heating pad and lots of computer time last night, powering them from a 400 watt MSW inverter. Batteries were at...
Forum Discussion
8awg is too thin for proper recharging a large distant AGM bank via alternator.
Throw out the ampacity charts and the desire to repeat 'just fine' over and over. Thicker copper means the battery can suck more juice from alternator, and perhaps show the voltage regulator that more field current is required to hold 14.x volts, and allow it to stay at 14.x volts for longer rather than the premature reversion to 13.x volts.
As someone with an adjustable voltage regulator with potentiometer on dashboard, and a digital ammeter reading total alternator output, and thick copper between alternator and house battery, soon to be thicker, there is a huge difference in amperage when the depleted battery allowed 13.6v vs 14.7v.
I will be upgrading my 11 feet of doubled 6awg wiring from alternator to AGM with 2 or even 1AWG.
8AWG for such a duty is a JOKE bordering on criminal, and the victim is the depleted battery bank.
Throw out the ampacity charts and the desire to repeat 'just fine' over and over. Thicker copper means the battery can suck more juice from alternator, and perhaps show the voltage regulator that more field current is required to hold 14.x volts, and allow it to stay at 14.x volts for longer rather than the premature reversion to 13.x volts.
As someone with an adjustable voltage regulator with potentiometer on dashboard, and a digital ammeter reading total alternator output, and thick copper between alternator and house battery, soon to be thicker, there is a huge difference in amperage when the depleted battery allowed 13.6v vs 14.7v.
I will be upgrading my 11 feet of doubled 6awg wiring from alternator to AGM with 2 or even 1AWG.
8AWG for such a duty is a JOKE bordering on criminal, and the victim is the depleted battery bank.
