What size converter charger should I get?
Our vintage travel trailer doesn't currently have one, but it came with a marine battery that's rated at 85 Amp/hours. The smallest converter chargers I'm seeing are 35 amp. Is this small enough?
Forum Discussion
Tassel,
I learned most of what I know about batteries from two guys that had run submarines in WWII in the pacific. They came back, so I guess they got it right.
They said that you really can't charge a battery too hard if you do not over voltage the charge. With a modern 12V jar, that is about 16V. None of the good converters go over about 14.5. Because if they do, then you have to replace a lot of light bulbs and other stuff.
The modern 3~4 stage chargers like a 9245, cannot hurt a battery. It will charge it at the best rate that the battery can take and then, after a few hours, it will back down and ask the battery how it is doing. That is what you want. If you later can go to a pair of GC2s, that same 9245 will serve you well.
Please do not parallel 12V jars. Even if they were side by side on the assembly line, by the end of the third week, they will not like playing in parallel. If you are lucky, you end up with capacity * 1.7. It will more likely be 1.5.
Before the depression killed my boat business (no, it is not coming back) I used to have this go-round with owners all the time. They didn't like it that I was right.
Matt
I learned most of what I know about batteries from two guys that had run submarines in WWII in the pacific. They came back, so I guess they got it right.
They said that you really can't charge a battery too hard if you do not over voltage the charge. With a modern 12V jar, that is about 16V. None of the good converters go over about 14.5. Because if they do, then you have to replace a lot of light bulbs and other stuff.
The modern 3~4 stage chargers like a 9245, cannot hurt a battery. It will charge it at the best rate that the battery can take and then, after a few hours, it will back down and ask the battery how it is doing. That is what you want. If you later can go to a pair of GC2s, that same 9245 will serve you well.
Please do not parallel 12V jars. Even if they were side by side on the assembly line, by the end of the third week, they will not like playing in parallel. If you are lucky, you end up with capacity * 1.7. It will more likely be 1.5.
Before the depression killed my boat business (no, it is not coming back) I used to have this go-round with owners all the time. They didn't like it that I was right.
Matt
