When charging...

[DaveT]

When charging my batteries with a generator, is it better to go through the trailer's built in charger using the 120v shore power cable, or directly to the batteries via solar port or even battery clips?

Dt

[Nukeneck]

If you use an actual battery charger it would be faster. I read somewhere on this website that it takes about 3 full days to charge your batteries by using your trailer's inverter while the unit is plugged into shore power. That's probably with them being almost completely drained though.

[tnchuck100]

Originally Posted by Nukeneck

If you use an actual battery charger it would be faster. I read somewhere on this website that it takes about 3 full days to charge your batteries by using your trailer's inverter while the unit is plugged into shore power. That's probably with them being almost completely drained though.

Bad "I read somewhere" information. It's a converter, not inverter. An inverter changes 12VDC to 120VAC.

DaveT, your campers converter is an excellent battery charger. It is most likely a 3-stage will properly charge and maintain your battery.

[DaveT]

Thanks Chuck. I guess I was mostly referring to the efficiency of going through the TT converter instead of straight from the generator to the battery(ies).

[tnchuck100]

Originally Posted by DaveT

Thanks Chuck. I guess I was mostly referring to the efficiency of going through the TT converter instead of straight from the generator to the battery(ies).

The converter is much better. It has a smart charger. It can charge at a high rate (20-40 amps) when needed. The generator will likely only go 8-10 amps.

The generator is not "smart" when charging. It will do the job but can overcharge and boil out the water if not monitored.

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by DaveT

When charging my batteries with a generator, is it better to go through the trailer's built in charger using the 120v shore power cable, or directly to the batteries via solar port or even battery clips?
Dt

As far as I know, using any generator's 12v output is not an option to charge RV batteries; the current output is too low.

I found that my trailer's converter is a poor battery charger for low batteries because it does not stay in the 'bulk charging mode' long enough. My trailer's converter does fine for the 'absorption mode' so does well for batteries that need to be 'topped off' from moderately discharged and will fully charge low batteries over a long time (~18hrs or so). My trailer's converter is great for maintaining batteries at home in the 'float mode' indefinitely without over charging and water loss.

Using my generator's 120v power, my manual battery charger (Schumacher SE-1250) clipped directly to my batteries on the 30amp/50amp setting would either overheat the charger and shut off, or with fans cooling the charger, would reach 16v when I shut it off (I have no idea how high it might have gone). The other setting on this charger was 10amp, which charged the batteries slower than the trailer's converter.

I hope this 'Readers Digest version' of my experience is some help.

[Subaru297]

I would also recommend sticking with your converter over the built in generator charging circuit. If you have a high quality battery charger that would likely be the better option.

Generator to charger to battery......

However the built in converter won't charge your battery terribly fast either. Certainly not within normal campground generator run times.

http://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f3...ter-34790.html

The best option to maintain batteries is to upgrade your converter to something that will output the proper voltage that your batteries need or one that is programmable. You likely need at least 14.7 to 14.8 volts to properly charge your battery where most stock converters might get up to 14.4. And likely lower than that at the battery after voltage losses due to narrow wiring and long wire runs from the converter to the battery.

The absolute best way to maintain a battery is to add solar! With a good charge controller you can program it to the exact specs your battery requires.

Cheers

[rsday75]

If your converter is like mine, Jayco put a pretty good unit in and it will have the charge wizard. Check your manual, but you can push a button on the wizard part and force 14.4-14.6 volt bulk mode for 4 hours. This is ideal to get as much charge into the batteries as possible during the usually 4 hours generator limit at most campgrounds. It will keep the charger from dropping to 13.6-13.8 volts as the batteries start to get recharged.

[Mustang65]

As mentioned in other posts, the best way to charge your batteries is to use the TT's battery charging system. Unlike automotive batteries, Deep Cycle (RV/Marine included) do better (length of life) with a slow charge. The TT's charge controller is designed especially for the deep cycle batteries.

Also as mentioned the generator's 12VDC output is far less than that of the TT's charging system and the batteries determine the amount of amps that will be used, unlike the voltage that is pushed into the battery(s), which is determined by the charging unit.

Below is the basic charging pattern used by most TT smart charge controllers

Don

[Nukeneck]

Originally Posted by tnchuck100

Bad "I read somewhere" information. It's a converter, not inverter. An inverter changes 12VDC to 120VAC.

DaveT, your campers converter is an excellent battery charger. It is most likely a 3-stage will properly charge and maintain your battery.

My mistake on the Inverter/Converter lingo. The piece of equipment in the trailer is what I was referring to.