Charging batteries with generator?
What is the most efficient way to charge batteries with a generator? Is using the 12 volt DC charging cord connected directly to the batteries any more efficient than plugging the camper power cord i...
Forum Discussion
Agree on just plugging in the trailer and letting the onboard charger handle it, 12v DC output from the genny is unregulated.
If you are going to be doing a lot of dry camping it pays to upgrade your converter/charger to something more efficient. Most OEMs use cheapo converters and only use a #8 wire back to the batteries. I upgraded to the Progressive Dynamics PD 4260 with charge wizard and also upgraded the wire to the batteries to a #4. The PD charger lets me put it in boost mode at 14.4v (instead of 13.6v) and the fatter wire minimized the voltage drop to the batteries. The PD is a 3-stage charger and will automatically drop the voltage back as needed so you don't boil the batteries.
I can get my pair of 6v deep cycle batteries from 50-60% back to nearly a full charge in 2 hrs of gen time. Before I was running the genny all day trying to get enough power bqck to last through the night.
If you are going to be doing a lot of dry camping it pays to upgrade your converter/charger to something more efficient. Most OEMs use cheapo converters and only use a #8 wire back to the batteries. I upgraded to the Progressive Dynamics PD 4260 with charge wizard and also upgraded the wire to the batteries to a #4. The PD charger lets me put it in boost mode at 14.4v (instead of 13.6v) and the fatter wire minimized the voltage drop to the batteries. The PD is a 3-stage charger and will automatically drop the voltage back as needed so you don't boil the batteries.
I can get my pair of 6v deep cycle batteries from 50-60% back to nearly a full charge in 2 hrs of gen time. Before I was running the genny all day trying to get enough power bqck to last through the night.
