Wfco replaced today. Will get data in a few weeks..

[lawrosa]

Well I had some cash laying around and decided to bite the bullet... I want more control of the bulk mode is all it comes down too..

This was my old thread and I figure I would start a new one for simplicity reading..

https://forums.goodsamclub.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/29448369.cfm

I ordered from randy at best converter... was $203 out the door.. I blew the two 40 amp fuses during install because the black is the positive...lol and white the negative... ( yes I didnt read instructions and hooked them up backwards)

Took about 30 minutes from start to finish..

Only plugged in to test functionality of different modes... All modes work and pendant fits in the small cut out in face of cover..

I can see the light through the smoked glass of cover on pendant for quick reference..

My testing with my added wire to batts ( essentially 3 gauge) should produce the 60 amps that I got with the wfco that one rare time I got it into bulk mode...

I will test in a few weeks...

Here are the pics...

[MrWizard]

converter won't come out of float while running lights and furnace, unless the power draw is heavy enough to cause the voltage to droop from the converter, then charge mode will kick in

as for the periodic equalize boost mode, this will only happen during periods of NON use, with fully charged batteries in storage, and you would need a voltage recorder to catch it

[lawrosa]

time2roll wrote:
lawrosa, sounds normal. Try to trust all is good.
You would need a voltage recorder to spot the periodic boost.

Thanks... I posted before I read your reply.... lol

[pnichols]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Amp hour meters need periodic re-zero-ing and with a sealed battery that means twirling knobs and poking a stick at the battery.

... That's why I'm not an amp hour meter fan. They're too complicated for us common folks, or alternatively, it takes too much time keeping them accurately representative of what state the battery really is in.

In keeping with K.I.S.S., I just use a simple voltmeter and a simple hardwired-in amp meter to keep an eye on the RV batteries.

[lawrosa]

But what about the float mode question I asked? Any reasoning to it?

Are my batterys so fully charged that it will take a larger amp draw to get it out of float? If its normal Im fine with it... Just asking is all...

[time2roll]

lawrosa, sounds normal. Try to trust all is good.
You would need a voltage recorder to spot the periodic boost.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

It's all about what the batteries want, not what people want or battery recharging device manufacturer's want.

"Is he hungry?"

"Dunno. Is he reading? What color socks is he wearing? What kind of car does he drive?"

😉 A good metering system can tell when a battery is laying back with a satisfied smile on its face or sitting there with its tongue hanging out. But it cannot see what's in its stomach.

When you suspect a converter or charger reading is growing a long wooden nose, you have to verify it with a hydrometer or play the part of a pipe organist and start tweaking the voltage. Like petting a strange dog. If he wags his tail, he's happy. If he takes your arm off, then you guessed wrong...

Amp hour meters need periodic re-zero-ing and with a sealed battery that means twirling knobs and poking a stick at the battery. Wet batteries are easier.

Two airplane pilot angels in heaven...

"For the life of me, the altimeter said five hundred feet"

[pnichols]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
TRICKLE CHARGE. Different than float maintenance. 1-3 amp continuous chargers used to be common. The term should be scrapped from battery nomenclature, and instructions re-written

David, maybe the proper term should be TRICKLE TRYING TO CHARGE.

When moving from the liquid battery world into the AGM battery world the situation is different. Once my RV batteries are fully charged, I've not found any charger voltage that will continue to drive 1-3 amps continuous into them. They just sit there refusing to accept any more current.

Maybe it takes bubbling battery liquid in order to sit there and absorb 1-3 amps continuously?

(On it's "2 AMP" setting - my ancient Sears charger is only trying to be a trickle charger when hooked up to our RV's AGM batteries.)

[lawrosa]

delete... duplicate

[lawrosa]

Just a question here... My wfco did it too..

I did some work in the camper by removing the top bunk and making shelfs here..

https://forums.goodsamclub.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/29506544.cfm

With that said the PD 4655 is in float mode, and has been since it went into this mode whenever....

I had the heat on during my renovation.( Its 26F here in NJ)

I dont think the voltage drop with 6 led lights on and the furnace went lower then 13.1 -13 volts from my meter reading at the batterys...

It stayed in float mode during my 3 days of putzing around in the camper..

Should it come out easier? Is this normal? My wfco did it too. stayed in float mode..

If I remember correctly the wfco came out of float when I winterized the RV and ran the pump to suck up antifreeze...

Is there an algorithm to this?

Also since I have no way to know what time this goes into equalize mode at the 21 hour mark I have not seen this either..

I don't know how I would know other then being at the right place at the right time...

Thanks all..

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Yet another mis-managed bit of consumer info.

• TRICKLE CHARGE. Different than float maintenance. 1-3 amp continuous chargers used to be common. The term should be scrapped from battery nomenclature, and instructions re-written
• Store at 32 - 80 degrees protects East Penn from receiving flatbeds loaded with pallets of frozen warrantied batteries
• When I conversed with Trace Engineering, in 1990 about their 40-series new inverters not having tweakable controls, the engineer I talked to moaned, "You would not believe how many stubborn customers insist on remaining ignorant -- they want to press a button and walk away"

[2112]

lawrosa wrote:
... snip... Question... I always bring batts inside during winter and put on wall wart... Should I leave them on the trailer this year and let the PD converter do its thing? It does get 5f -10f here in NJ at times...

http://www.eastpennmanufacturing.com/wp-content/uploads/Marine_RV-Battery-Care-Maintenance-Brochure-...

The document you provided states not to trickle charge for more than 48 hours and store in a location between 32f and 80f.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

• You know your battery will accept "x" number of amps and how charging voltage slumps the higher the voltage gets, right?
• The correct finish voltage for your batteries lies somewhere in the 14.6 to 14.8 volt area
• So when your converter lies (a whopper) and says it's through for the day, connect your Sears Charger to see just how bad a lie the converter told
• On the 10 amp charger setting, if you connect it and the charger is delivering between 5-10 amps you know your batteries are nowhere near as filled as they are now
• Connect the charger and wait. Batteries that start charging at 5-10 amps but then within a few minutes decrease to around 3 - 4 amps are charged
• If the amperage stays up for a half hour they were not ready for storage
• This is where a timer can babysit for you
• Connect everything for an hour. The timer may have run out when you return. No matter, because from prior experience you know an hour's TOP CHARGING which feeds the battery until the battery says it's full (and not the converter lying to you)
• A manual charger like your Sears is a powerful tool
• It will make the battery salesmen cry FOUL!
• You've already witnesses what the battery charger says when the battery is full
• It sure as heck did not stay at low amperage when you first connected it this time, did it?
• Well when you connect it when you return from camping next time and after the converter has done it's automatic thing, the Sears charger will finish the job correctly
• The inline timer makes it easy
• Read the charger's ammeter. it won't lie to you
• You certainly do not need to do this if you camp every week and let the converter have it's way with lots of charging time
• But when the Sears charger finds the batteries low, the batteries are low
• Keeping them sulfate free can extend their life 200%
• So plug in the charger and read its ammeter
• Maybe you'll need to use the charger twice per camping season
• The charger ammeter will not lie to you
• Again, if you connect the Sears charger and it pegs out at 10 amps or even reaches 6 to 8 amps AND STAYS THERE for an uncomfortable amount of time, the batteries were not charged right by the converter
• A timer on the Sears charger will top off the batteries automatically. No need to fret
• Disconnect the Sears charger at your leisure then maintain that charge level with the converter
• Your brain is doing the work of a hundred thousand dollar computer charger
• It's money in your pocket and extra battery capacity.

[NinerBikes]

lawrosa wrote:

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
It's tough to remain objective but try and get a feel if the batteries now seem to have more capacity when camping. You would be shocked to learn how many people are using "fully charged" batteries that have sixty to seventy percent of their original capacity.

TOP CHARGING

Get an inline AC power cord timer at the hardware store. When you return from camping, and the SMART charge system lies and shuts off, tickle the batteries with the 10-amp setting. You're at what, 3-1/2 amps now? See what the charger shows right after your converter flings a whopper reading at you. How many amps does the little charger say? This is a mini-BS detector. If the batteries need say an hour or so to bring them up, as the Beatles, sang, Let It Be. The object is to squeeze every nickel so tight the buffalo farts. It's not only cheapskate, it's incredibly GREEN. Well maintained good quality batteries last an incredibly long time -- with a minimum of bother.

This topping off, will reduce equalization by 90%. You may never need to equalize again.

LOL so what are you saying? I need layman's terms... No offense but sometimes your posts, although funny, seem written in code I do not understand... ha ha..

1. come home from camping. when converter shuts down to 13.6 and barely putting in 1 amp, SG may be low. so i'm being lied to...
2. Im at 3.5 amps yes more or less.
3. Not sure where the timer fits in...
4. When and what # will the converter throw so called whopper reading at me? Is the whopper reading the done charging scenario when actually I may need more?

Took charger off... SG still 1275... maybe slightly higher..

I hit CW button for last time now... Now I am going to let the converter do its thing over the winter.

I will not be doing anything till sunday. As im going to doctor now, and taking a drive tomorrow to see the tree in NYC... Spend the day there..

Be back sunday... Although I may have time later to read some posts...

Go camping. Come back, disconnect main ground from camper so all electric is isolated from recharging and set your solar panel voltage for 14.8V. Let charge in the sun until Specific Gravity reaches 1.275.

Check after 2 days. If your S.G. isn't 1.275, disconnect the solar panel and put your Sears recharger on it in 10 amp mode. Try 2 hours, and see if you drop down to 3.5 amps charging rate at end of 2 hours. Following day, read the specific gravity. Is it 1.275? Good! Store battery disconnected for 3 or 4 months. If it's not 1.275.... hit it again with good old Sear battery recharger for a couple more hours. Repeat until you see 1.275 SG and then store the battery.

My old Sears Manual battery recharger does 6 amps and will do up to 17.0V. Many the time it has cleaned up my very PIA Trojan T-1275 12V floor machine industrial battery with very stubborn 6% antimony plates, to the full 1.275 SG. This is a very stubborn to fully recharge battery, but done once every 7 to 10 days camping, it gets fully capacity back again.

Store a battery only when fully top charged. A good healthy battery should top charge with 14.8v if not sulfated.

Short of a manual charger... other methods include supervised recharging with a Power supply unit capable of 30 -40 amps and adjustable voltage input, something like the Mega Watt or MeanWell units, while dry camping on a gas powered generator like a EU2000i by Honda. Do a search here on MegaWatt or Meanwell PSU's for dry camping recharging.

[lawrosa]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
It's tough to remain objective but try and get a feel if the batteries now seem to have more capacity when camping. You would be shocked to learn how many people are using "fully charged" batteries that have sixty to seventy percent of their original capacity.

TOP CHARGING

Get an inline AC power cord timer at the hardware store. When you return from camping, and the SMART charge system lies and shuts off, tickle the batteries with the 10-amp setting. You're at what, 3-1/2 amps now? See what the charger shows right after your converter flings a whopper reading at you. How many amps does the little charger say? This is a mini-BS detector. If the batteries need say an hour or so to bring them up, as the Beatles, sang, Let It Be. The object is to squeeze every nickel so tight the buffalo farts. It's not only cheapskate, it's incredibly GREEN. Well maintained good quality batteries last an incredibly long time -- with a minimum of bother.

This topping off, will reduce equalization by 90%. You may never need to equalize again.

LOL so what are you saying? I need layman's terms... No offense but sometimes your posts, although funny, seem written in code I do not understand... ha ha..

1. come home from camping. when converter shuts down to 13.6 and barely putting in 1 amp, SG may be low. so i'm being lied to...
2. Im at 3.5 amps yes more or less.
3. Not sure where the timer fits in...
4. When and what # will the converter throw so called whopper reading at me? Is the whopper reading the done charging scenario when actually I may need more?

Took charger off... SG still 1275... maybe slightly higher..

I hit CW button for last time now... Now I am going to let the converter do its thing over the winter.

I will not be doing anything till sunday. As im going to doctor now, and taking a drive tomorrow to see the tree in NYC... Spend the day there..

Be back sunday... Although I may have time later to read some posts...