CJM1973
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Re: AGM Battery Charging with Solar
time2roll wrote: I would hit the middle on those specs. 14.7 absorption, 13.6 float. Probably two hour absorption time... maybe a little more for heavy use and less for actual storage between trips. Not sure if Victron adjusts for this automatically. Yes I agree undercharging is generally a bigger issue than overcharging. Thank you. That's what I was leaning towards. The Victron is highly adjustable. Now you got me thinking though. I'm wondering if I should change float parameters when the coach is in storage (let's say longer than a month). The only loads would be parasitic loads from the CO /Propane detectors, radio, and battery monitors. THoughts?829Views0likes0CommentsRe: AGM Battery Charging with Solar
I didn't mention this but it may be relevant. I've installed a DC to DC charger running from the the TV's starter battery. So between that (transit times to different campsites) and the coach's onboard 55 amp 4 stage charger (used at times with an inverter generator and shore power), I'm not worried too much about keeping the batteries topped off. I more concerned about what the "end stage" paraneters should be for battery longevity. Pianotuna, I'm going to heed your advice. Thanks.829Views0likes0CommentsRe: AGM Battery Charging with Solar
pianotuna wrote: Pretty much all lead acid jars need to be fully charged. It is a bit harder to "recover" an AGM that has been left partially charged. It will also be important to wire the batteries in a balanced manner. For an odd number of batteries only method #3 from the link below will work. correctly interconnecting multiple twelve volt batteries Thanks for the advice. I did read that AGM's are temperamental with subpar charging parameters. This is why I'm trying to identify the ideal charging characteristics of these AGMs. I think I'll stay with the battery manufacturer's recommendations.829Views0likes0CommentsRe: AGM Battery Charging with Solar
Dusty R wrote: Michigan ranks 47 out of the 48 Continental States in available Sunshine. Not understanding the response here??? Some people actually travel outside of Michigan on their RV vacations. In fact, 90% of our planned trips are somewhere other than my home state. I'm wondering if I should RV vacation in the 48th state. ;)829Views0likes0CommentsAGM Battery Charging with Solar
This is my first attempt ever at solar so I'm learning as I go. I've recently installed two 100 watt polycrystalline panels on the roof of my RV. I have a relatively new bank of AGM deep cycle 12 Volt batteries from Weize (three 100 amp hours). I purchased and use a Victron 712 battery monitor (which works great). I decided to buy a Victron Bluesolar 100/20 amp solar charge controller to harness the panel voltage. The problem I'm faced with is the recommended settings on that controller for my battery type and brand. I'm reading conflicting advice online. Weize has this stickered on each battery: Cycle use: 14.5 - 14.9V Stand-by use: 13.5 - 13.8V I've read that AGMs should be limited to 14.4V during cycle use (I'm assuming this is another name for asorbsion??) and 13.2V for Stand-by use (another name for float charge??) I've also read that undercharging weakens AGMs more than overcharging. Not sure if this a truly accepted statement. I'm looking for ideal charging parameters for the longest life of these batteries. In addition, I did purchase the temperature sensor for the Victron SCC. Any help with these controller settings is much appreciated.3.5KViews0likes13CommentsRe: Securing Generator To A Cargo Carrier On A Receiver Hitch
valhalla360 wrote: agesilaus wrote: 2) I would get nervous with a 100lb generator plus another 100lb of gas...that's a lot of weight and the back of a trailer can move around quite a bit on rough roads. ------------------------------------------ The gen weighs 80 pounds and the gas can 40, so 120 pounds not 200. And what are those carriers designed to carry, feather pillows? I usually see big ice chests full of water and cans. OP said 95lb generator and a couple cans of gas...that can get up pretty close to 200lb. I see people doing scary stuff too...doesn't mean I would recommend it. If things shift on the rack, that's a lot of torsion on the 2" receiver and some have a pretty sloppy fit in the receiver, so I've seen them flopping around. A bad weld or using the paper thin rear bumper for support and after a few thousand miles on rough roads (OP is heading to alaska), and a failure is a real possibility if not a solid design. The trailers receiver hitch is not oem. It was fabricated by a metal shop that specilizes in hitches. It was secured and reinforced to the frame rails by a professional fabricator/welder. It looks better than any class three hitch I've seen on most motor vehicles. I've seen some sketchy bumper mounted receiver hitches that are about as polar opposite as my frame mounted trailer hitch. So, quality is a mute point. It's a 95 lb generator and two 2.5 gallon cans of fuel (30 lbs). The cargo carrier is approx 55 lbs. Would be well under 200 lbs.2KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Securing Generator To A Cargo Carrier On A Receiver Hitch
Thanks for sharing. I do have the option of installing a receiver hitch on the front of my tow vehicle, a 1 ton GMC Savana 3500 extended passenger van. But, I'm not keen on keeping a covered generator and gas can on the cargo carrier in plane view. I would like to see how you fabricated the mounts to your cargo carrier. Do you have a pic of it? Just looking for ideas. I thought about fabricating some metal strapping up and over the top of the generator and bolting the ends to the cargo carrier's frame. That would take care of both the mounting issue and security issue. I could then apply a metal cage over top and cover with an oversized cover.2KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Securing Generator To A Cargo Carrier On A Receiver Hitch
agesilaus wrote: The 3500/4000 inverter champion is also very quiet so I would run yours on the cargo rack before building anything just to see how it goes. Goes inside and sit down for a few minutes to see if it is tolerable. I had my 2800/3100 inverter generator on the front of my trailer for deer camp and it worked out great. The Westinghouse is the same and truly is an Inverter generator. Can't use the front this time as the space is all taken by my tongue box and battery bank. So, I'm looking for security solutions on the rear with a cargo carrier. BTW, I was unaware that Champion manufactured an insulated inverter generator in a 3500/4000 series. The only one that I found was a 64 dBA construction frame genny (compared to 52 dBA on the Westinghouse). But I digress.2KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Securing Generator To A Cargo Carrier On A Receiver Hitch
agesilaus wrote: If you run the gen on the carrier the noise and vibration inside will not be very tolerable. I did it once for 5 minutes or so. This is a very quiet Westinghouse inverter generator. It's not an open frame generator. Similar to a Champion 3100/2800 Inverter generator. Noise is comparable to a Honda.2KViews0likes0Comments
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