upgrading power converter

1. yes
2. depends on the size of the wire

I replaced my Paralax 45 amp converter with a PD 9245. I mounted the remote on the front of the front of the kitchen cabinet just under the counter/sink.
You can set it to boost mode manually.
I didn't see any advantage in a higher current unit for my usage but higher is okay except for more cost.

Your generator also has to be able to handle the additional power input for a higher amp charger. We can say what the amps limit would be for your gen.

You can get higher amp converters that are power-factor corrected (PDs are not) that you can run with less generator than the same amps, not PF corrected.

You can choose a deck mount converter placed close to the batteries with short fat wire instead of using the spot where you converter is now.

Thanks for the replies. I charge with a honda 2000i. I do have two of them that can be set up to run in parallel, if needed for more umph. The wiring is my biggest concern, whether it can handle a bigger unit, i.e. 70 amp or 80 amp units.

I edited my original post to show that my original converter is 55 amp

This came up before and somebody said you could still run the higher amp converter, but if the existing wire is too thin, it just wouldn't let all the amps through. Be interesting if we can get more info on that.

The thin wire resistance is "seen" as just more battery resistance by the converter, so it just thinks the battery is more full than it really is, and with that info, the converter tapers its amps.

OR, since the battery acceptance is what is supposed to be reducing the amps, that is all hogwash, but in any case you won't get the extra amps through unless the wire will let it.

You want to know if the wire will overheat in that situation. It needs a fuse for its ampacity, not the amps of the converter if that is more amps than the wire can handle.

You need the existing wire's length and gauge to get its ampacity. Hard to get the true length. In our trailer, they went up the front back along above the ceiling to the rear, down and back up for the disconnect switch at the back (crazy!) then forward again to the middle above the fridge, then down to under the fridge where the converter is.---70 something feet!!! So you can't just ASSume the wire goes from the battery to where the converter is by the shortest route.

Charging deep cycle batteries is a science. Consider this report from Progressive Dynamics on how long it takes to re-charge a deep cycle battery using the DC Charging voltages that come from SmART MODE Converter/charger units.

"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."

What you must do is come up with the smart mode charger that will handle these DC CURRENTS for each battery in your setup being charged. The rule of thumb is a single battery will demand around 15-18AMPS DC when hit with 14.4VDC charging voltages for the first 15 minutes or so and then start dropping off as the batteries start taking on charge. My battery bank will settle down to around 8AMPS DC current draw after two hours of 14.4VDc BOOST charge mode. Then the smart mode converter/charger will switch down to 13.6VDC and continue charging for an additional hour. The battery bank is drawing around 6AMPS of DC current during this one hour period of time. After the total three hours of smart mode charging my battery bank will come to around the 90% charge state.

If you do not have the higher Charge CURRENTS available the battery banks will attain a full charge state but will take many hours of charge time. If your highest DC voltage is going to be 14.4VDC then around 15AMPS per battery is all that is required. The battery determines how much current it wants to see so having a 300AMP DC CURRENT will not make charging any faster per say. The battery will only demand 15-18AMPS of DC CURRENT from your converter/charger unit for the one battery. Two batteries 30AMPS - Four batteries 60AMPS etc...

If you have two 6VDC golf cart batteries in the setup these will be considered one 12VDC Battery so the 15A-18A rule of thumb applies for the two 6VDC batteries connected in series.

I use the PD9260C converter/charger here mounted stand alone close to the battery bank which needs around 120VAC@1000watts to operate it which my 2KW Honda EU2000i generator runs it just fine... I haven't checked but I don't think I can run a PD9280 at full charge BOOST mode from my 2KW Honda generator.

This is a simple drawing of my four 12VDC batteries connected in parallel is setup


I am currently only using three GP24 12VDC Interstate batteries in my bank


My DC BATTERY MONITOR Panel setup looks like this on the inside of my trailer for me to view what is going on.


Have been camping off the power grid since 2009 with this setup and are very successful

Just some of my thoughts
Roy Ken

The owner's manual for the converter will state what wire size is required.

BFL,
That's got me wondering what the wire's travel is on ours... Hmm, maybe best just to stay with a stock sized unit. I'd like to think that the manufacturer knew what they were doing (keystone), however I've heard stories to the contrary, LOL.
Thanks for the input. Interesting thought on wire's length. I hadn't thought of that but it could be rather long, I suppose.

2oldman wrote:
The owner's manual for the converter will state what wire size is required.

Okay, thanks, I'll have to go looking for the manual. Hopefully Keystone did in fact add that information.
BTW, the only wire of concern would be the wire from shore power plug to converter, right?

If it was anything like my old Keystone. The wire is about 20 ft (or more) of #6. WAAAAYYY to thin for that distance. I might go with a larger converter to get some more amps in the battery. What I did was add a 55 amp deckmount converter close to the batteries. Worked well.