Redarc DC-DC Battery Charger
I’m in the process of installing a Redarc BCDC1225D battery charger in my truck camper. I got it installed enough yesterday to give it an initial test, and was pleased to see that with the truck idlin...
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I’ve finally gotten a chance to see what the Redarc DC-DC charger does in real-world conditions. We’ve been out for a few days on a business and pleasure trip, and so far I’m very pleased with its performance.
I ran the fridge in AC mode from the inverter long enough to see that the camper battery stays in much better shape now. I do still have to manage the fridge temperature setting so it doesn’t just run continuously though. The Redarc charger puts out a maximum of 25 amps, and the fridge running in AC mode pulls about 33 amps. So, if I set the temperature on the fridge too low, it won’t cycle often enough and the battery doesn’t get enough charging amps to make up for the ~8 amp draw when the fridge is cooling.
What I’ve discovered just recently though is that since installing the Redarc, the fridge DC mode works well enough that I can now run it in that mode on the road. Even if the 215 watt DC heater is on 100% of the time, there are still charging amps available for the camper battery. The DC mode also seems to be working better than I remembered it, too. I can only surmise that the Redarc is keeping voltage consistently higher than before, so maybe the DC heating element works better. :h Still not as well as AC mode, but well within the safe zone for milk, meat, beer and ice cream (the four major food groups :B) The ambient temps the past few days have been in the low to mid 90’s, so the fridge is having to work to stay cool.
This is even better than I hoped from the 25 amp model. The 40 amp model was over $60 more, and I chickened out buying it. It’s nice ending a day of driving with the camper battery at 100% on the Trimetric, frosty beer, and ice cream that hasn’t gone soft. Before the Redarc, the beer and ice cream would be fine, but the battery would typically be at 80-85% depending on where the fridge was in it’s cooling cycle when we stopped.
Before the question is asked, I’ll just say that the fridge LP mode is unreliable while driving. Despite numerous attempts to fix its performance while driving, I haven’t been able to improve it enough to rely on it while driving. Sitting still, it’s perfect. The flame gets blown out often enough on the road that the fridge gradually gets warmer over the course of a day. I think it’s an issue with wind being able to come down the roof vent, because I’ve done everything possible down at the burner and the lower wall vent to keep the burner lit.
:):)
I ran the fridge in AC mode from the inverter long enough to see that the camper battery stays in much better shape now. I do still have to manage the fridge temperature setting so it doesn’t just run continuously though. The Redarc charger puts out a maximum of 25 amps, and the fridge running in AC mode pulls about 33 amps. So, if I set the temperature on the fridge too low, it won’t cycle often enough and the battery doesn’t get enough charging amps to make up for the ~8 amp draw when the fridge is cooling.
What I’ve discovered just recently though is that since installing the Redarc, the fridge DC mode works well enough that I can now run it in that mode on the road. Even if the 215 watt DC heater is on 100% of the time, there are still charging amps available for the camper battery. The DC mode also seems to be working better than I remembered it, too. I can only surmise that the Redarc is keeping voltage consistently higher than before, so maybe the DC heating element works better. :h Still not as well as AC mode, but well within the safe zone for milk, meat, beer and ice cream (the four major food groups :B) The ambient temps the past few days have been in the low to mid 90’s, so the fridge is having to work to stay cool.
This is even better than I hoped from the 25 amp model. The 40 amp model was over $60 more, and I chickened out buying it. It’s nice ending a day of driving with the camper battery at 100% on the Trimetric, frosty beer, and ice cream that hasn’t gone soft. Before the Redarc, the beer and ice cream would be fine, but the battery would typically be at 80-85% depending on where the fridge was in it’s cooling cycle when we stopped.
Before the question is asked, I’ll just say that the fridge LP mode is unreliable while driving. Despite numerous attempts to fix its performance while driving, I haven’t been able to improve it enough to rely on it while driving. Sitting still, it’s perfect. The flame gets blown out often enough on the road that the fridge gradually gets warmer over the course of a day. I think it’s an issue with wind being able to come down the roof vent, because I’ve done everything possible down at the burner and the lower wall vent to keep the burner lit.
:):)
