Battery charge controllers

westend wrote:

The same can happen if there is a short in the battery wiring or internally in a battery, feeding high amperage to the inverter/charger.

Wouldn't a short in the wiring send current to ground? And that same path would be present in an internally shorted battery?

We still don't know the condition of any of the OP's gear as he hasn't replied back and I'd bet he had a communication issue rather than a charging issue. He does not state that his batteries or charger have failed in the past tense. We may never know.

If there is a short in the battery bank it can send current to the inverter. Some use a 300 Amp fuse or breaker on the positive side of the battery bank lead to the inverter/charger to protect against such an occurrences. I am one that is a believer after seeing inverter/chargers destroyed by shorts in batteries.
I would agree in it being a communication issue. Something in the charger did not sense a full charge and continued charging until it fried the batteries, but it can occur either way.

It would be no different than shorting directly across the terminals of a battery even with the ground wire attached. Catastrophic failure.

The same can happen if there is a short in the battery wiring or internally in a battery, feeding high amperage to the inverter/charger.

Wouldn't a short in the wiring send current to ground? And that same path would be present in an internally shorted battery?

We still don't know the condition of any of the OP's gear as he hasn't replied back and I'd bet he had a communication issue rather than a charging issue. He does not state that his batteries or charger have failed in the past tense. We may never know.

SeeksWonderNWisdom wrote:
Just purchased a 28' travel trailer w 2 6 volt golf cart batteries the previous owner converted to dual 6 volt over 12 volt. The problem is when left connected to 110 house current the batteries over charge & get ruined what type of a charge controller should I get?

Inverter/chargers can fail (internally) in such a manner as to not stop the charging process. When this happens it can over-charge the batteries until there is catastrophic failure.
The same can happen if there is a short in the battery wiring or internally in a battery, feeding high amperage to the inverter/charger.

In this case the OP clearly stated they were over charged and ruined. His question was "What type of a charge controller should I get?".
Just how much and how long does it take to destroy a battery by over charging ?.
I and many other would like very much to have you share those perimeters.
Yes, we all make miss-statements, even I.
Reading comprehension also is a plus.

As we all should know, heat is the enemy of all batteries. All batteries heat up during charging. If the charge cycle is not stopped after completion of a full charge, the battery will continue to heat up, even to the point of thermal runaway.

"Charge controllers" are usually in the realm of solar hardware. RV "converters" supply 12V power to a trailer and charge the batteries. Post up the names and numbers on the 12V distribution panel and a new converter can be sized accordingly. It takes a lot of current for a fairly long time to injure a 6V battery. Is this something the previous owner mentioned? If so, I would confirm what voltage is being outputted from the converter.

A handheld meter is almost a "must have" for RV owners. The 12V system can be problematic and diagnosing will save a lot of effort/money.

harold1946 wrote:

The OP stated they were over charging, and over charging will destroy any battery.:S

That depends......on how much and how long the "overcharge" is.

And on whether or not the person saying that is actually qualified to recognize an overcharge in the first place.

Then sometimes people make "mis-statements". Even you.

Asking for clarification of the question is never a bad thing.

Vulcan Rider wrote:

smkettner wrote:

Next tell us the voltage on the batteries measured with your voltmeter.

Otherwise what indicates the overcharge?

What he said.

It is actually pretty hard to "ruin" a heavy duty battery like that.

The OP stated they were over charging, and over charging will destroy any battery.:S

A "smart charger" is the best type to have. There are many to choose from. Progressive Dynamics, Xantrex and Magnum Energy are the most popular.
They have a three stage charging control, which steps down the charge rate as the battery bank reaches full float charge.
Any battery can be destroyed by overcharging and can be caused by failure of the circuitry in the charger.

When I had to replace mine I went with a Progressive Dynamics 9260C. It fit just barely in the space where the old one was. one of the 4600 series may be a direct replacement for you. I love this thing and I keep mine plugged in 24/7 when ever we are not using the TT. It has never over boiled my batteries ever and I check them now about ever 60-90 days.

The PD has a float charger built into it once it is fully charged it just maintains what is needed to keep up with the parasitic draw on them.

You might post a picture of the battery hookup so we can verify the batteries are at least connected correctly.