Advice on charging caravan batteries whilst in transit.
gdayjr said
12:34 PM Apr 29, 2021
I will be using an Iveco Daily E6 van as a prime mover when i hit the road.
I have a question for the more tech savy and experienced people in here.
The van specs bellow are for the electrical system.
Type: 12V Battery: 12V110 Ah (Smart-charging) Smart Alternator: 12V220 A Trailer: Wiring to rear of chassis
Q: Do i need to add a DC-DC charger to charge the caravan batteries when transiting between stops?
I am having twin 110 AH lipo batteries fitted. The caravan willl have 2x 170 W solar pannels.
I will be doing mostly free camping, so i need to utiliese what power imputs i have available.
There will also be a 2.2 KV generator installed as well.
Jaahn said
01:36 PM Apr 29, 2021
Hi Graham
From what i see in your specs, yes you do need a DC-DC charger. In fact you need the biggest amps one you can get to be able to recharge 220Ahr in a reasonable time. EG if you only had a 20A unit it would take 6 hours driving to recharge half that capacity again if they were half flat.
If it was mine I would be backing it up with double or more solar also and get free power while the sun shines driving or stopped.
Jaahn
gdayjr said
02:14 PM Apr 29, 2021
I don't think i will ever fully charge them while i am driving, i just wanted to know if i needed a DC-DC charger to do the job.
I will get it fitted by an electrician before i put the van into service and ready to hit the road.
I will see how i go, and if i need to. i can always use portable solar panels as an add on?.
Whenarewethere said
03:52 PM Apr 29, 2021
If you have a caravan I would use a DC-DC charger.
Stick your multimeter on the starter battery while the engine is running, should be close to 14.4 volts & then on the caravan battery still while the engine is running. If the voltage is less than 13.7 volts get a DC-DC charger.
Whenarewethere said
04:04 PM Apr 29, 2021
gdayjr wrote:
There will also be a 2.2 KV generator installed as well.
Most generators have a pretty pathetic DC charger. Better to get a decent 240v to 12v charger & plug that into the generator.
Aus-Kiwi said
05:12 PM Apr 29, 2021
Get Atleast a 30 amp charger . I fitted a smart 50 amp . The generator doesnt run very long before we have charged batteries on bad days . Most the time its charging much less amps being 7 stage smart !! Generators normally just supply 12v not really for charging !!
I will be using an Iveco Daily E6 van as a prime mover when i hit the road.
I have a question for the more tech savy and experienced people in here.
The van specs bellow are for the electrical system.
Type: 12V Battery: 12V110 Ah (Smart-charging) Smart Alternator: 12V220 A Trailer: Wiring to rear of chassis
Q: Do i need to add a DC-DC charger to charge the caravan batteries when transiting between stops?
I am having twin 110 AH lipo batteries fitted. The caravan willl have 2x 170 W solar pannels.
I will be doing mostly free camping, so i need to utiliese what power imputs i have available.
There will also be a 2.2 KV generator installed as well.
Hi Graham
From what i see in your specs, yes you do need a DC-DC charger. In fact you need the biggest amps one you can get to be able to recharge 220Ahr in a reasonable time.
EG if you only had a 20A unit it would take 6 hours driving to recharge half that capacity again if they were half flat.
If it was mine I would be backing it up with double or more solar also and get free power while the sun shines driving or stopped.
Jaahn
I don't think i will ever fully charge them while i am driving, i just wanted to know if i needed a DC-DC charger to do the job.
I will get it fitted by an electrician before i put the van into service and ready to hit the road.
I will see how i go, and if i need to. i can always use portable solar panels as an add on?.
If you have a caravan I would use a DC-DC charger.
Stick your multimeter on the starter battery while the engine is running, should be close to 14.4 volts & then on the caravan battery still while the engine is running. If the voltage is less than 13.7 volts get a DC-DC charger.
Most generators have a pretty pathetic DC charger. Better to get a decent 240v to 12v charger & plug that into the generator.