DC to DC charger
Thinking of installing a Victron charger for those days on the road when solar is not available. Can the charger be used in conjunction with an inverter (2000 watts) to run the refrigerator on electri...
Forum Discussion
Hemi Joel wrote:theoldwizard1 wrote:Hemi Joel wrote:
I just use a pair of 8 gauge wires from the truck battery to the camper batteries. That eliminates the voltage drop of the 7 pin and puts a nice charge into the camper batteries whenever I drive.
It has been proven 100s of times, that with modern vehicles, large gauge wires will NOT give you a 100% charge on your auxillary battery bank.
Some charge, yes. Just not 100%.
That makes no sense at all. The alternator doesn't know how many batteries are connected to it. It senses voltage. Batteries that are connected equalize over time.
Yes, batteries will equalize or time. How many hours are you willing to wait ? For heavily discharged house batteries, it could be more than 10 hours !
Why ? Because the alternator and internal voltage "regulator" no longer determine the actual voltage output !. In an effort to save fuel the engine computer goes through calculations that MINIMIZE the voltage put out by the alternator.
Don't believe me. Start your vehicle and immediately check the voltage at the battery. Drive for 10-15 minutes and, with the engine running, check the voltage again. It will be close to 13.2V, just enough to prevent a battery from discharging. Not high enough to recharge a house battery.
