Hi, have Jayco van with two 100 amp batts installed, is it beneficial to charge them once and a while via a 25A smart charger. I am thinking this would give them a full test and cycle rather than charging via van or solar on the road. If so, do I just apply clamps straight to batts, and is it positive to one batt and negative to the second?
Bax, if you have solar installed and it is parked where the sun can hit the panels some time during the day you do not need extra charging whilst the van is stored.
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PeterD Nissan Navara D23 diesel auto, Spaceland pop-top Retired radio and electronics technician. NSW Central Coast.
When i have my van parked under cover at home i always plug it into 240 volt while it is parked up, so the battery is always fully charged for our next trip
With my van when it is parked at home having in on 24/7 for months on end does not appeal to me, about once a month I will put it on 240 and let it charge the battery right up .....
It depends on what your chargers are. If the solar charger and/or the 240 volt charger are proper multi stage chargers that drop to a suitable float charge after the battery is fully charged, and stays there for the duration, then they will maintain the battery fully charged and will not overcharge it over a long time. That is what the float charge stage is for.
However if either charger or both are simple chargers and do not drop back to a suitable float voltage OR there is a constant load that prevents them doing so, the battery may be overcharged. But IMHO drawing the batteries down gradually and then charging them up every now and then, just adds to the life cycles and leads to shorter overall life.
Jaahn
-- Edited by Jaahn on Friday 5th of August 2016 08:27:49 PM
