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Topic: Battery Charging (Read 823 times) previous topic - next topic

Battery Charging

1. How long should it take on shore power to fully charge all (house and engine) batteries?

2. If engine batteries are at 30 percent, how long would it take a battery tender trickle charge to fully charge those (2) batteries?

Thanks in advance for all help and advice.

Re: Battery Charging

Reply #1 –
It depends on the AH of the batteries and the age of them.

Re: Battery Charging

Reply #2 –
I am not sure how yours is set up now or originally.  The house batteries will get charged by the inverter/charger or converter as yours might be if you are connected to a land line.  The start batteries as they were most likely originally set up will not get charged unless a combiner or second charger has been added.

If your house batteries (assuming 2 8Ds in good condition) are at 50% SOC a 75 amp converter/charger  with no other 12v loads might take 8-16 hrs.  If they have not been consistently recharged to 100% every time then that capacity may never be reached.

If your start batteries are at 30% they are hurting and a trickle charger (just a few amps) might have a hard time ever recharging them.

Lead batteries are at 50% SOC at 12.2 volts and done with what they should be doing and should be recharged promptly. 

Re: Battery Charging

Reply #3 –
Roger,

Thanks. I've got them to 50% but am going to try a higher-amperage charge to see what happens. I may be looking at new engine batteries, but will try to get them to take the charge. Fortunately, they were not discharged completely.

Re: Battery Charging

Reply #4 –
Quote from: RandallBrink –
Roger,

Thanks. I've got them to 50% but am going to try a higher-amperage charge to see what happens. I may be looking at new engine batteries, but will try to get them to take the charge. Fortunately, they were not discharged completely.

Subtract the price of a higher amperage smart charger from that of a PD9260 and all of a sudden it doesn't seem like such an extravagance.  Plus you get alternator backup, and if you can get your generator running a reasonable fast chassis battery charge after you've left the lights on.  And no messing with trickle chargers and booster switches.

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Re: Battery Charging

Reply #5 –
I will look into the converter charger, although there is the possibility that this is the one I retrofitted last year. Many thanks!

Re: Battery Charging

Reply #6 –
Quote from: RandallBrink –
I will look into the converter charger, although there is the possibility that this is the one I retrofitted last year. Many thanks!

Randall, you have that extra converter/charger mounted below, that is not plugged in. Just plug it into the 120 volt outlet where the male plug is hanging. That charger is hooked to only the engine batts, when we did all the repairs.

Also, unless you changed the invert/charger that someone had updated your coach with prior, the old one has an issue internally with the internal transfer switch.

Your boost switch was working fine, once we straightened it out, so you could flip it on for 24 hrs (max)

For others, his coach has 6 volt house batts, no 8 D's.

Chris

Re: Battery Charging

Reply #7 –
My '81 came with 4 6 volt house batteries also. I converted the charger inverter system to 24 volts with a Trace 4024 and used a step down to 12 volts for the house systems.

Re: Battery Charging

Reply #8 –
Quote from: gracerace –
Randall, you have that extra converter/charger mounted below, that is not plugged in. Just plug it into the 120 volt outlet where the male plug is hanging. That charger is hooked to only the engine batts, when we did all the repairs.

Also, unless you changed the invert/charger that someone had updated your coach with prior, the old one has an issue internally with the internal transfer switch.

Your boost switch was working fine, once we straightened it out, so you could flip it on for 24 hrs (max)

For others, his coach has 6 volt house batts, no 8 D's.

Chris
Chris,

Thanks—I totally forgot about that extra charger. I will keep that in my electrical notes for future reference. I was able to get my engine batts up to 100 percent with the battery charger and boost, so am set to get underway next week.

I appreciate the help.