Appliance batteries and converter question

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Bob V - 11 Dec 2005 23:24 GMT

I live in No Idaho, and class A is parked until spring. If I plug into
120-volt shore power, will the onboard converter keep the DC appliance
batteries charged?

TIA,
Bob

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Will Sill - 12 Dec 2005 01:33 GMT

I see where "Bob V" <transition@yahoo.com> contributed:

>I live in No Idaho, and class A is parked until spring. If I plug into
>120-volt shore power, will the onboard converter keep the DC appliance
>batteries charged?

If it is a high-quality converter, yes. If not it may cook the
batteries. If you don't know which, I suggest a timer - set it for
"on" for an hour each day.

Will Sill
The Curmudgeon of Sill Hill

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Unk - 12 Dec 2005 02:51 GMT

>I live in No Idaho, and class A is parked until spring. If I plug into
>120-volt shore power, will the onboard converter keep the DC appliance
>batteries charged?
>
>TIA,
>Bob

Yes, but check them often for water. Many chargers will put a
constant 14VDC into them and boil them dry in short order.

To avoid this, swap out the converter to a PD9160 by Progressive
Dynamics. Get the Charge Wizard for stable charging and control.

unk

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RVer Don - 12 Dec 2005 07:14 GMT

> Yes, but check them often for water. Many chargers will put a
> constant 14VDC into them and boil them dry in short order.
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> unk

I have a PD9160 Converter with Charge Wizard which is connected to shore
power all the time. While this will reduce the need for water, they still
need to be checked occasionally. I usually check mine monthly and almost
always add a little water to each cell.

Don in Tracy, Calif.

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William Boyd - 12 Dec 2005 04:33 GMT

> I live in No Idaho, and class A is parked until spring. If I plug into
> 120-volt shore power, will the onboard converter keep the DC appliance
> batteries charged?
>
> TIA,
> Bob

Yes your onboard converter should keep up the house batteries. I had
the same thing with the class A I owned. But I also had a small
automatic charger that I connected the chassis battery to. I
obtained it from WalMart, it was called a ship to shore battery
maintainer. Make sure the water is up in all the batteries and they
are fully charged after you add water.
I think some of the systems are set up for the converter to maintain
all batteries, but my MH was an 87 and did not. I always kept ac on
my rig when winterized along with a small electric heater.
Of course I drained all water, blew out the lingering water and
pumped the pink stuff in as well as poured it in the "P" traps. Also
I made sure the water pump was used to pump the pink stuff in so it
got the water out of it as well. I say this because some people use
a hand pump to push the pink stuff in the system.

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William Boyd - 12 Dec 2005 04:40 GMT

>> I live in No Idaho, and class A is parked until spring. If I plug
>> into 120-volt shore power, will the onboard converter keep the DC
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
> water out of it as well. I say this because some people use a hand pump
> to push the pink stuff in the system.

Yes I was assuming you have one of the more modern three stage
converter. If not it would be cheaper to buy the Vector 1097 Smart
Charger and connect the ac to it rather than your converter.

Signature

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Bob V - 12 Dec 2005 06:22 GMT

:I live in No Idaho, and class A is parked until spring. If I plug into
: 120-volt shore power, will the onboard converter keep the DC appliance
: batteries charged?

Thanks all for your comments and advice. The motorhome is a 2002 Alegro, so
I'm assuming it has the three stage converter, but I'll check it out
tomorrow to make sure.

I did do all the water system winterizing.

-Bob

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Jud Hardcastle - 12 Dec 2005 15:54 GMT

> Thanks all for your comments and advice. The motorhome is a 2002 Alegro, so
> I'm assuming it has the three stage converter, but I'll check it out
> tomorrow to make sure.

It doesn't have to be a three stage--a two stage is okay as long as the
float voltage isn't too high. I believe 13.2-13.4 is the recommended
level for wet cells. Some of the older converters were higher than that
but could be modified easily. My 96 Allegro had been modified when I
bought it used--changing the converter went on the back burner when I
discovered that. Three years later with it connected nearly full time
and I haven't had any problems.

Signature

Jud
Dallas TX USA

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Rich256 - 12 Dec 2005 17:14 GMT

> :I live in No Idaho, and class A is parked until spring. If I plug into
> : 120-volt shore power, will the onboard converter keep the DC appliance
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
> -Bob

I go with Will on this. I would say regardless of what converter you have
put it on a timer. An hour a day should be more than necessary.

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William Boyd - 12 Dec 2005 17:34 GMT

>>:I live in No Idaho, and class A is parked until spring. If I plug into
>>: 120-volt shore power, will the onboard converter keep the DC appliance
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
> I go with Will on this. I would say regardless of what converter you have
> put it on a timer. An hour a day should be more than necessary.

YEP! That's old philosophy, not the best way to go especially if you
have one of the old timed chargers in the converter. They charge on
high for a period of time and then kick down. If you are starting
out with a full battery you will be boiling it for sure. Might as
well join the latest state of technology, it will be the cheapest in
the long run.

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Peter Pan - 12 Dec 2005 07:49 GMT

> I live in No Idaho, and class A is parked until spring. If I plug
> into 120-volt shore power, will the onboard converter keep the DC
> appliance batteries charged?
>
> TIA,
> Bob

I too live in No Idaho, and pulled the batts/have em on a trickle charger in
the garage. While the converter thing can work, I had a bad experience with
the batteries being cooked/boiled/shorted/etc and decided to just play it
safe this year. While pulling the batts out is a hassle, it is more of a
hassle having to pull dead ones out and replace em! :)

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William Boyd - 12 Dec 2005 14:22 GMT

>>I live in No Idaho, and class A is parked until spring. If I plug
>>into 120-volt shore power, will the onboard converter keep the DC
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> safe this year. While pulling the batts out is a hassle, it is more of a
> hassle having to pull dead ones out and replace em! :)

I have discovered one thing in life is that when we get at a certain
age our time becomes more valuable. Apparently I have reached that
stage, as I shelled out a considerable amount of money to have a
system with less maintenance. The AGM battery bank does not require
venting nor constant checking for water level. Of course I did
increase the size of my battery bank at the same time as upgrading
to the AGM units. The replacement of two gp27 MH batteries would be
about the same as what it cost me to upgrade to 225ah golf cart
2/6volt or a little less. But resulted in more AHours.
http://www.ebatteriestogo.com/Trojan_RV_Batteries.htm
One other thing that MH owners have to consider is the exercise of
the Generator. This should be done as recommended by the manufacture
of the gen set. With most units a monthly run is suggested so
removal of the battery bank is not consistent with gen maintenance.

Signature

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Peter Pan - 12 Dec 2005 16:45 GMT

> One other thing that MH owners have to consider is the exercise of
> the Generator. This should be done as recommended by the manufacture
> of the gen set. With most units a monthly run is suggested so
> removal of the battery bank is not consistent with gen maintenance.

Just an aside, I have one of those rechargable battery packs/booster/etc and
while it doesn't have enuf juice to start the RV, it DOES however start the
generator real nice (and the toad/other vehicles etc). For those of you that
have a portable/power pack and electric start gen, you can jump the
generator to start it, and let the converter charge your batteries. One
other aside, they make small inverters, and hooked to the portable power
pack, having portable AC, while not good for starting RV motors, is really
neat for lights etc when camping.

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Bob V - 12 Dec 2005 23:24 GMT

: > I live in No Idaho, and class A is parked until spring. If I plug
: > into 120-volt shore power, will the onboard converter keep the DC
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
: safe this year. While pulling the batts out is a hassle, it is more of a
: hassle having to pull dead ones out and replace em! :)

Well it looks like this might be the best way for me to go. I took a look
today and the cells in both batteries (two 6V golf cart batteries connected
in series) were slightly frozen. Pulled them and put them in the shop.
Going to let them thaw and then put a trickle charger on them.

Thanks,
Bob

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Will Sill - 12 Dec 2005 23:27 GMT

I see where "Bob V" <transition@yahoo.com> contributed:

>Well it looks like this might be the best way for me to go. I took a look
>today and the cells in both batteries (two 6V golf cart batteries connected
>in series) were slightly frozen. Pulled them and put them in the shop.
>Going to let them thaw and then put a trickle charger on them.

Charged lead-acid batteries don't freeze, normally. My guess - yours
are shot and will not revive. New ones from Sam's are around $50.

Will Sill
The Curmudgeon of Sill Hill

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Bob V - 13 Dec 2005 00:13 GMT

:I see where "Bob V" <transition@yahoo.com> contributed:
:
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
: Charged lead-acid batteries don't freeze, normally. My guess - yours
: are shot and will not revive. New ones from Sam's are around $50.

I was wondering about that myself, but if they had been topped off with
distilled water before winter, wouldn't that be all that's frozen? As I
said the cells were slightly frozen, not solid ice. Guess time will tell.
I was thinking about replacing the batteries anyway, as I just purchased the
unit in October, and I know it had been sitting since the first of the year.

Thanks,
Bob

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Rich256 - 13 Dec 2005 03:01 GMT

> :I see where "Bob V" <transition@yahoo.com> contributed:
> :
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> Thanks,
> Bob

Could be if you did not charge them immediatly after adding the water. They
needed some charging to mix the water in. Let us know what happens..

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Trekking Tom - 13 Dec 2005 02:19 GMT

>I see where "Bob V" <transition@yahoo.com> contributed:
>
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>Will Sill
>The Curmudgeon of Sill Hill

Dead Batteries freeze
Charged ones do not
once frozen they are ruined.

Tom

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