generator just to charge batteries
im looking for a small generator just to charge my batteries while in the campgrounds. (we dont use the a/c or microwave) so im looking at the champion 1200/1500 model. does anyone have info on this m...
Forum Discussion
I don't know of an easy way to just use the generator to charge up a battery. You certainly can't use their front panel 12VDC 6-8AMP battery charge cable to recharge batteries in a short time frame.
Consider this progressive dynamics brochure on long it takes to charge a deep cycle battery.
"Progressive Dynamics ran this test on the amount of time it took a PD9155 (55-amp) converter/charger set to three different output voltages to recharge a 125 AH (Amp Hour) battery after it was fully discharged to 10.5-volts.
14.4-VOLTS (Boost Mode) – Returned the battery to 90% of full charge in approximately 3-hours. The battery reached full charge in approximately 11 hours.
13.6-VOLTS (Normal Mode) – Required 40-hours to return the battery to 90% of full charge and 78-hours to reach full charge.
13.2-VOLTS (Storage Mode) – Required 60-hours to return the battery to 90% of full charge and 100-hours to reach full charge."
They don't even list using 12.0VDC at 6-8 AMP capacity. This will literally take days of continuous running of your generator to re-charge your battery. This is battery science at play here - not many shortcuts for you to use. If your Marine buddy Joe Schmuckatelli says I just run my generator for a couple of hours a day feeding 12VDC at 6-8 AMPs charge and it works just fine for me. Be sure to carry him a nice cup of hot coffee at 10PM to carry him over for the night.
The best way to do it is to use a SMART MODE Technology like the Black and Decker VEC1093DBD 40AMP portable battery charger plugged into the generator 120VAC receptacle and this will will re-charge your deep cycle backup to its 90% charge state in as little as three hours of generator run time.
We use the 2KW Honda Generator here and connect the trailer 30AMP Shore Power Cable directly to the generator 120VAC receptacle and this allows the trailer ON-BOARD smart mode Converter/Charger to recharge the trailer batteries in as little as three hours. Being connected to the trailer also allows you to do a couple of other things like make coffee etc... Our game plan is to run all of the 120VAC and 12VDC things we want to run when camping off the power grid and have a large enough battery bank to support the inverter and for the 120VAc items and 12VDC item directly from the battery for the one day/one night camping run. Then at 8AM the next morning when allowed to run our generator we can re-charge the battery bank back up to the 90% charge state so we can do all of this all over again for the next one day/night camping run off the batteries.
This allows us to live in both worlds of camping at electric sites and camping off the power grid with our off-road trailer.
Not many ways available to you to be successful about it... Not nice to have the lights go out at 10PM at night because you didnt plan things out so well...
Adding solar power to this layout is ICING ON THE CAKE. This allows you to recharge your batteries during the day time when the sun is out and they don't allow you to run your generator.
Just my thoughts
Roy Ken
Consider this progressive dynamics brochure on long it takes to charge a deep cycle battery.
"Progressive Dynamics ran this test on the amount of time it took a PD9155 (55-amp) converter/charger set to three different output voltages to recharge a 125 AH (Amp Hour) battery after it was fully discharged to 10.5-volts.
14.4-VOLTS (Boost Mode) – Returned the battery to 90% of full charge in approximately 3-hours. The battery reached full charge in approximately 11 hours.
13.6-VOLTS (Normal Mode) – Required 40-hours to return the battery to 90% of full charge and 78-hours to reach full charge.
13.2-VOLTS (Storage Mode) – Required 60-hours to return the battery to 90% of full charge and 100-hours to reach full charge."
They don't even list using 12.0VDC at 6-8 AMP capacity. This will literally take days of continuous running of your generator to re-charge your battery. This is battery science at play here - not many shortcuts for you to use. If your Marine buddy Joe Schmuckatelli says I just run my generator for a couple of hours a day feeding 12VDC at 6-8 AMPs charge and it works just fine for me. Be sure to carry him a nice cup of hot coffee at 10PM to carry him over for the night.
The best way to do it is to use a SMART MODE Technology like the Black and Decker VEC1093DBD 40AMP portable battery charger plugged into the generator 120VAC receptacle and this will will re-charge your deep cycle backup to its 90% charge state in as little as three hours of generator run time.
We use the 2KW Honda Generator here and connect the trailer 30AMP Shore Power Cable directly to the generator 120VAC receptacle and this allows the trailer ON-BOARD smart mode Converter/Charger to recharge the trailer batteries in as little as three hours. Being connected to the trailer also allows you to do a couple of other things like make coffee etc... Our game plan is to run all of the 120VAC and 12VDC things we want to run when camping off the power grid and have a large enough battery bank to support the inverter and for the 120VAc items and 12VDC item directly from the battery for the one day/one night camping run. Then at 8AM the next morning when allowed to run our generator we can re-charge the battery bank back up to the 90% charge state so we can do all of this all over again for the next one day/night camping run off the batteries.
This allows us to live in both worlds of camping at electric sites and camping off the power grid with our off-road trailer.
Not many ways available to you to be successful about it... Not nice to have the lights go out at 10PM at night because you didnt plan things out so well...
Adding solar power to this layout is ICING ON THE CAKE. This allows you to recharge your batteries during the day time when the sun is out and they don't allow you to run your generator.
Just my thoughts
Roy Ken
