battery charging when boon docking

[jbeliera]

What is the best way to get a good substantial charge while boon docking with a 5th wheel without running your generator for a long time to run converter

[bpounds]

Without getting into the solar/genny wars, I'll just say that most people are going to want a generator, even if they also have solar.

I've never felt the need to have a charger other than my converter. The battery bank will only take juice so fast, and a converter can do that as well as a stand-alone charger. You want a GOOD converter. Progressive Dynamics is a good one.

Two or even 3 separate sessions of charging over the day, does a far better job that 1 session of equal total time.

Start charging before the batteries need it, as in, the very first day of boondocking. It is more efficient to keep the batteries at a high SOC, than it is to bring them up from a low SOC.

I enjoy following a schedule of genny charging. Time it around other things that are going to need AC, like cooking, TV, and showers. Showers are so much better when the pump is running on 14.4v instead of 12.x.

[theoldwizard1]

Veebyes wrote:
You can buy an awful lot of gas for the price of a good solar system. Solar does not work too well if you are in the trees.

Concur !

Veebyes wrote:
8 years ago we tossed the cheap & nasty converter charger & installed a programmable 3 stage inverter charger.

DEFINITELY the way to go ! I like the Samlex inverter charger because they have a built in transfer switch. All wiring goes to the inverter charger; shore power, generator, solar charge controller and battery bank and it handles which source to use for delivery.

Connect you DC breaker panel directly to your battery bank.

[GordonThree]

Where are folks going to get 1500 watts of solar installed for under $1000? Might be worth a drive to get that deal.

[Lwiddis]

“For us the portable inverter generator makes best sense.”

But not for the RVers next to you trying to enjoy a quiet afternoon and early evening.

[centerline]

PopBeavers wrote:

The consensus was to use the generator in the morning to bring the charge up to 80 percent with the generator. Then let the solar panels do whatever they could do.

Using the generator to charge to a level higher than 80 percent is a waste of gas for the generator. It will take too long to top off the batteries using the generator. The solar panels at least have no operating cost.

Of course, you need to have a way to measure when you have reached the 80 percent mark.

PopBeavers is correct.
without unnecessarily spending a lot of money, this is about it...
solar.

but before the solar array, a good quality multi-stage converter/charger hsould be installed to give the generator and the batteries the best chance to do their job.... a properly sized solar array is unquestionably the best upgrade a chronic boondocker could do for themselves and their RV batteries...

[GordonThree]

Solar works great at night or when it's cloudy, unlike a generator which works best in bright sunlight.

Or something like that.

[pianotuna]

You can buy an awful lot of solar for the cost of a generator. They are smelly noisy and expensive to run. Solar on a diy is under $1 per watt. There after costs are zero.

[Veebyes]

You can buy an awful lot of gas for the price of a good solar system. Solar does not work too well if you are in the trees. If out in a desert it is great. For us the portable inverter generator makes best sense. 8 years ago we tossed the cheap & nasty converter charger & installed a programmable 3 stage inverter charger. When the battery bank gets to about 80% charge the charger steps down from the bulk charge rate & the generator throttles back accordingly burning next to nothing in fuel.

[pianotuna]

Hi,


Add some solar. If you wish to nearly eliminate generator use, look around 600 watts.

This article may help: https://freecampsites.net/adding-solar/

[Lwiddis]

Hardly ever use my generator. Solar does it almost every day. Oh, yes. When I leave camp to explore I leave the solar “on.” Try that with a generator.

[Ed_Gee]

jbeliera wrote:
What is the best way to get a good substantial charge while boon docking with a 5th wheel without running your generator for a long time to run converter

I would suggest an appropriately sized solar charging system.

[jbeliera]

Good idea it is worth looking into a PD9280-148

[time2roll]

Solar.

Otherwise replace the converter with a PD9280-14.8
Even better mount the PD next to the battery.

[jbeliera]

When I had a pull trailer I ran a large capacity amp battery charger up to my generator and put it on my two batteries on a high amp quick charge for a couple of hours in the morning and a couple of hours at night just before dinner. That gave me enough to last over night while on batteries. The morning charge around breakfast time gave me enough for the day and then the evening charge got me through the night. The two hours on gen at those times of day also allowed me to use 110 volt appliances when they were most likely to be needed at breakfast and dinner time.

[GordonThree]

theoldwizard1 wrote:
Mr. Fusion

x2 or check into a radiothermal generator. constant power output, no noise, no fumes