generator just to charge batteries

ktmrfs wrote:

LVJJJ wrote:
I hate generators, but I have a 1500w Champion, think I paid about $250 for it a few years ago. We use it to charge our battery and to run our drip coffee pot. Even running it a couple of hours during the day, it does not fully charge our battery, so the battery gets weaker and weaker and it won't last all nite. The gen is quite loud and I'm embarrased to run it. Wish I could afford a Honda, but that's not possible with the gas prices, it takes most of our money just to get to the campground.

what converter do you have??? Reason I ask is that the common WFCO converter isn't known for being a very good charger. They seldom go into the bulk charging mode so your left with only charging at 10-15 amps instead of the claimed 55A or so. takes a LONG LONG time to charge the batteries that way.


then two hours of charging will get you a long way towards a full charge.
same thing on many older trailers with a fixed voltage charger at 13.6V. One option is to buy a Black and Decker 40A Vector battery charger and use it. Makes a world of difference. Or change the existing converter to a newer PD or Iota unit.

I hook the generator directly to the battery, after unhooking the battery from trailer.

LVJJJ wrote:
I hate generators, but I have a 1500w Champion, think I paid about $250 for it a few years ago. We use it to charge our battery and to run our drip coffee pot. Even running it a couple of hours during the day, it does not fully charge our battery, so the battery gets weaker and weaker and it won't last all nite. The gen is quite loud and I'm embarrased to run it. Wish I could afford a Honda, but that's not possible with the gas prices, it takes most of our money just to get to the campground.

what converter do you have??? Reason I ask is that the common WFCO converter isn't known for being a very good charger. They seldom go into the bulk charging mode so your left with only charging at 10-15 amps instead of the claimed 55A or so. takes a LONG LONG time to charge the batteries that way.

then two hours of charging will get you a long way towards a full charge.
same thing on many older trailers with a fixed voltage charger at 13.6V. One option is to buy a Black and Decker 40A Vector battery charger and use it. Makes a world of difference. Or change the existing converter to a newer PD or Iota unit.

I bought a 45 watt solar panel kit from harbor freight for $140.

I went dry camping Memorial Day weekend and used the heat at night because of temps in the 30's.

Three nights with cloudy skies and even though the batteries were a little weak at the end of the trip, the solar panel kept us going.

Here is a solar kit
http://www.harborfreight.com/solar-panel-kit-45-watt-68751.html

This would be the champion I would go with, very quiet.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/73538i-Champion-2000w-Inverter-Generator-Red-Black-Refurbished-/380657625030?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item58a0f667c6

I will also make a plug for solar.

I installed this 100W panel this spring (it came with all hardware needed for a bolt-mount installation, but I used 3M VHB tape, and two 3' aluminum angle-"irons", so I didn't pierce my roof). My trailer is between my house and the neighbor's tree. It had no direct sun for the first month after I installed it, but my battery was fully-charged the day after I installed the panel.

My folks had an 85 watt panel on their trailer, and normally camped in trees, with little direct sun. They could go out for their month-long trips, and never run low on power. They used their microwave daily.

While I understand you live north, where there are many trees, and many clouds, the newer panels work better than the old panels when it comes to less-than-direct sunshine. I would rather have a solar panel than get a genny. Even the Honda, at 53 db, is annoying in a quiet setting (anything louder is just that). When it is yours, you tolerate it, knowing you are putting some of the charge back into your batteries. When it is your neighbor's, it is too darn loud! ;)

Consider solar. Check around for RV solar forums, and you may find that many folks camp in the trees, and solar meets their needs. As an earlier poster noted, even with a generator running for an hour or two, you are not fully-recharging your batteries.

I hate generators, but I have a 1500w Champion, think I paid about $250 for it a few years ago. We use it to charge our battery and to run our drip coffee pot. Even running it a couple of hours during the day, it does not fully charge our battery, so the battery gets weaker and weaker and it won't last all nite. The gen is quite loud and I'm embarrased to run it. Wish I could afford a Honda, but that's not possible with the gas prices, it takes most of our money just to get to the campground.

I've used the Honda 1000 for several years. I run it an hour or so every two or three days. Just plug the trailer into the generator. I don't know anything about the numerical esoteric but I've not had any issues. Even the Honda is noisy enough that it will disturb neighbors. I would not even consider one of the "contractor" models. RV is an expensive hobby anyway.

I just use solar. No noise and keeps my batteries up nicely.

I changed all my lights to LED so little power used there. Usually only need the furnace at bedtime. Sometimes kicks in at night a few times but not much.

Have a 75 watt lighter plug inverter that runs the TV.

And I hook up directly (no charge controller) to a bank of three 15W each portable solar panels I mounted on a frame.

Just camped three nights like that. Not sparing the lights and TV was on about three hours each night.

225 ah battery bank - 2 x 6 volt.

Battery was at 12.53 volts when I checked it just before leaving.

If you don't need the microwave or A/C go solar. I don't see the point of a generator for charging batteries only. Solar will trickle charge constantly - even if not in full sunlight.

I plan to upgrade to a roof top 100 - 150 watt at some point, but been using this for years successfully. Never a dead battery.

bartlettj wrote:

ktmrfs wrote:
if you have a quality converter that will output 40+ amps, you'll likely find that a 1000-1500W inverter will overload when the batteries are deeply discharged. Converters draw lots more current than one would first guess. As an example, a PD 65A converter draws close to 13A @120V. My advice buy a honda or yamaha 2000W. cost isn't much more than the 1000W, noise level is virtually the same, and you won't risk overloading the generator.
If your converter is in the 45A range then a 1500W would probably work.

40A at 12 V is only 480W. Try again.

your negleting the conversion efficiency and the poor power factor correction and it it's 12V, it's 14.6

so 14.6x40= 580 watts
at 80% effiency thats (580/.8) now we are at 725watts.

now take the typical iota and PD power factor of .7 (725/.7)= 1035VA


so your pushing it with a 1000W generator, since it is VA they care about not watts in most inverter generators.

In reality, a PD 45A converter will draw between 1000 and 1100VA at full output, I know I've verified it. a PD65A converter draws 1300+VA at full output.
So a 40-45A typical converter is often marginal on a 1000W generator, and from experience of fellow campers will usually cause a honda 1000 to overload initally unless you kick it out of boost mode. High temp or high altitude make it worse Given that the honda is rated at about 800 or 900VA continous.

Now, if you have the more recent and common WFCO 55A or bigger converter, run it on whatever you have, more than likely it will never go into bulk mode, so it stays at 13.6 volts at 15A or so and won't draw very much current. Course it will take much longer to charge the batteries.

bartlettj wrote:

ktmrfs wrote:
if you have a quality converter that will output 40+ amps, you'll likely find that a 1000-1500W inverter will overload when the batteries are deeply discharged. Converters draw lots more current than one would first guess. As an example, a PD 65A converter draws close to 13A @120V. My advice buy a honda or yamaha 2000W. cost isn't much more than the 1000W, noise level is virtually the same, and you won't risk overloading the generator.
If your converter is in the 45A range then a 1500W would probably work.

40A at 12 V is only 480W. Try again.

Its the initial surge of current that will over load it, my 2000w genny will sometimes take a few tries when my batteries are deeply discharged.