โApr-07-2014 08:34 AM
โApr-07-2014 06:01 PM
Harvey51 wrote:
I.
I am near the start of the Alaska highway. Temps are well above freezing during the day now. Still freezing at night. We are going on an overnighter on Thursday.
โApr-07-2014 05:55 PM
โApr-07-2014 05:53 PM
BFL13 wrote:
IMO the 6300 would do you no harm in winter at its 13.8v, which is still below ideal voltage for those temps. ( 13.8v is for 50F. Higher temps than that you need lower voltage; lower temps higher voltage )
So you would not "boil" the batteries but you would still need to destratify.
Some converters (not the 6300 or 7300) give a shot of 14.4v every so often to try to keep the batts from stratifying when on a Float at 13.2v (proper float voltage for 80F)
IMO dubious if that does much good when it is cold out, but haven't been there, done that, so can't say for sure.
So whatever converter you have, you should still use an hydrometer and see what the SG is. Then you may need to destratify as indicated.
โApr-07-2014 05:36 PM
โApr-07-2014 04:59 PM
EnochLight wrote:wa8yxm wrote:
The answer depends on the Trailer's converter.
Magnetek 6300l you may have damaged the battery.
most others.. You likely did not.. I have a Progressive Industries Intellapower 9180 with optional charge wizard (Equal to a 9280) and between the time this rig was new (2005) and when we went full time (2009 I think) this rig was plugged in all winter save for when Detroit Edison failed to provide, and then I cranked up the ONAN and it was still "plugged in".
The batteries were replaced last week.
And.. a few other comments That is one small battery, (Group 24 is only 75 amp hours give or take a couple. I have over 500 of those in this house (Amp hours that is).
Second I do not believe that is a sealed battery, I believe those are removable caps,, but the photo angle is not optimum.
Thanks. I just Googled the Magnetek 6300l and it doesn't look like mine. Mine more closely resembles that WFCO converter mentioned earlier in this thread, so hopefully it's OK. It's pouring rain right now so I need to wait until the weather clears up before I check the levels.
500 amp hours - wow! Not sure I would need something that heavy for a simple 16 foot travel trailer that barely sleeps 4. I only run a few lights, the bathroom fan, my water pump, and our furnace - and never all at once. That said - we usually camp plugged into shore power, so I rarely even need the battery. It's just those in-between stops and rare moments when we find a spot with no power whatsoever.
Still, I appreciate your (and everyone else's) input! I'm totally new to this, with just one RV camping season under my belt. Learned a lot of lessons last summer.
โApr-07-2014 03:58 PM
wa8yxm wrote:
The answer depends on the Trailer's converter.
Magnetek 6300l you may have damaged the battery.
most others.. You likely did not.. I have a Progressive Industries Intellapower 9180 with optional charge wizard (Equal to a 9280) and between the time this rig was new (2005) and when we went full time (2009 I think) this rig was plugged in all winter save for when Detroit Edison failed to provide, and then I cranked up the ONAN and it was still "plugged in".
The batteries were replaced last week.
And.. a few other comments That is one small battery, (Group 24 is only 75 amp hours give or take a couple. I have over 500 of those in this house (Amp hours that is).
Second I do not believe that is a sealed battery, I believe those are removable caps,, but the photo angle is not optimum.
โApr-07-2014 02:58 PM
โApr-07-2014 12:57 PM
โApr-07-2014 12:32 PM
NinerBikes wrote:
Unplug your travel trailer, and disconnect the single negative ground wire from the battery, the white wire. Measure your voltage at the terminals with the white wire disconnected. You should see 12.68 at around 50F to 12.73 volts at 70F if you leave the trailer unplugged from the wall, and the terminal disconnected overnight. Battery voltage fully charged is affected by the temperature of the battery at the time of measurement.
Do yourself a favor right from the get go, and do a search here for "48LCD LED's" and where to buy 16 to 20 of them, and change out all your incandescent bulbs to LCD's. Your battery and your charger will thank you for it.
โApr-07-2014 11:41 AM
โApr-07-2014 11:34 AM
EnochLight wrote:
I'm really not sure what kind of charger/inverter my Amerilite 16BHC has, but I guess I'm about to find out! ๐
โApr-07-2014 11:06 AM
โApr-07-2014 10:32 AM
โApr-07-2014 10:25 AM
โApr-07-2014 10:01 AM