Ok to run shore power without battery?
I have a 2007 Komfort trailer with a WFCO ultra distribution panel model WF8955an with a 3 stage converter. Lately the fan in the panel has started running for hours at a time. I checked the battery a...
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According to the operators manual the power converter has 3 modes: bulk, absorption and float. If the output voltage of the battery drops to 13.2 it goes into bulk mode and puts out 14.4 VDC. When the battery reaches 14.4 or after 4 hours, (whichever comes first) it reverts to absorption mode (13.6 VDC). After detecting no load for 48 hrs the converter goes into float mode (13.2).
Notice that none of the modes put out 12.9, so yes it’s probably defective. But as I said above, everything I need 12 volts for is working fine so I’m just going to live with it. I never timed how long I heard the cooling fan running (which I guess was bulk mode) but it seemed like more than 4 hrs. However long it ran, it boiled the battery. Maybe because the battery never got to 14.4 and the converter kept trying, possibly longer than it should have.
There is a caution in the manual that if it cycles into bulk mode more than once during a charge cycle to check for a bad battery. I wasn’t paying good attention and should have done that. And timed the bulk mode. And of course I shouldn’t have left the battery outside uncharged for 2 winters. So I lost all kinds of points on this one. As long as it’s not going to drive the converter crazy with zero volts battery discharge and damage it to the point it doesn't put out 12 volts, I can live with it. And as long as it’s not going to burn the trailer down trying to charge an air gap.
Notice that none of the modes put out 12.9, so yes it’s probably defective. But as I said above, everything I need 12 volts for is working fine so I’m just going to live with it. I never timed how long I heard the cooling fan running (which I guess was bulk mode) but it seemed like more than 4 hrs. However long it ran, it boiled the battery. Maybe because the battery never got to 14.4 and the converter kept trying, possibly longer than it should have.
There is a caution in the manual that if it cycles into bulk mode more than once during a charge cycle to check for a bad battery. I wasn’t paying good attention and should have done that. And timed the bulk mode. And of course I shouldn’t have left the battery outside uncharged for 2 winters. So I lost all kinds of points on this one. As long as it’s not going to drive the converter crazy with zero volts battery discharge and damage it to the point it doesn't put out 12 volts, I can live with it. And as long as it’s not going to burn the trailer down trying to charge an air gap.
