Stand Alone Charger

[Grodyman]

Hi all,

What is the best stand alone battery charger? I have had a couple of Shcumachers and I am really not impressed. Also, there seem to be several dozen Schumacher models, how the heck do you know which one to get, they all look pretty much the same?

Also, I am considering just buying a Progressive Dynamics PD9260 and using that as a stand alone charger.

Gman

[rlw999]

Matt_Colie wrote:

rlw999 wrote:
I don't see any Progressive Dynamics 9200 P series online, not even on PD's website. Where do you find them?

Though it would seem pretty easy to add your own plug.

Even the 9280 80A converter is rated at 1300W input power, so that should work fine on a 15A circuit, so shouldn't need a 20A plug.

RLW,
Here is the Progressive Dymanics url
Progressive Dynamics converters

They can be had form lots of on-line suppliers. Best Converter
Is just one and they often beat what you see on Ebay and have better service.

Matt

I know where to find Progressive Dynamics converters, I was asking specifically about the "Progressive Dynamics 9200P (P for Plug in model)" model that wa8yxm mentioned in his post.

[Matt_Colie]

rlw999 wrote:
I don't see any Progressive Dynamics 9200 P series online, not even on PD's website. Where do you find them?

Though it would seem pretty easy to add your own plug.

Even the 9280 80A converter is rated at 1300W input power, so that should work fine on a 15A circuit, so shouldn't need a 20A plug.

RLW,
Here is the Progressive Dymanics url
Progressive Dynamics converters

They can be had form lots of on-line suppliers. Best Converter
Is just one and they often beat what you see on Ebay and have better service.

Matt

[Gjac]

Is your WFCO a constant charger or a 3 stage charger? What is the max amp output of the WFCO in your trailer? How many AHs in your boat marine batteries? If you have 2 12v batteries in your TT with 150 AHs total, a 3 stage portable that charges at 30 amps is fine. Do you charge your marine batteries from shore power or an on board genset? If shore power only 30 amp output is fine it will just take longer to recharge than a higher amp output if batteries are depleted. To charge your batteries from a genset It would take too long and use too much fuel to fully charge them so the most practical way to charge from a genset when dry camping is to charge from 50%SOC to 80%SOC then fully charge when you come home using shore power. The last 20% takes a long time, kind of like the half life of uranium.

[Veebyes]

Our inverter/charger failed mid trip. Bought a stand alone charger so that we could carry on till an onboard replacement was acquired. Nothing fancy required. 20amp does the job but takes awhile if the battery bank is low.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS?
Shirley You Jest

[deltabravo]

Xantrex TrueCharge is a good 3 stage standalone charger

[Gdetrailer]

Grodyman wrote:


Well, lets just say faster than the WFCO converter. I purchased a Schumacher SC1281 and it seems to work ok, am trying to decide if I want to keep it or go in another direction. I don't want to modify the WFCO in case I sell the trailer.

NOPE.

Not gonna happen..

You ARE more than welcome to try though.

According to Schumachers own manual HERE , a 105Ahr battery will take 8 hrs to charge at 10A rate on a 50% discharged battery..

The "30A and 100A" ratings are INTERMITTENT use and ARE designed for STARTING YOUR VEHICLE, not for CHARGING A BATTERY.

Your WFCO is rated CONTINUOUS for the amperage rating given..

However, consider this, in order for any charger to charge at a greater rate you need several things to happen.

Batteries must be fairly depleted AND the "charger" MUST have a GREATER VOLTAGE to sustain a higher rate.

Being most converters and chargers for 12V batteries WILL top out at 14.4V, maybe the odd one that might push it to 14.7V the odds are you WILL have wasted yet more money.. The charge current goes hand in hand with the VOLTAGE delivered.

You can put 100 100A 12V chargers on one battery and yet maybe at the most see 10A if the chargers voltage is not high enough.

If you really wish to push some boundries, you need to contact the resident mad battery charging scientist Mexicowanderer on the forum..

And by the way, your WFCO CAN charge faster without "modifications" to the converter..

Simply UPGRADE the wiring from the converter to the battery..

Typical RV wiring while it can accommodate the current of the converter it is undersized which results in large voltage losses by the time the voltage gets to the battery..

With 12V, voltage loss is an issue, small ga wire plus long runs = voltage loss..

But, the way you are going about it, isn't going to make your batteries charge faster, but hey, your wallet WILL be much lighter in the process.. But feel free to knock yourself out trying.

[rlw999]

wa8yxm wrote:
Belive it or not I'm goping to recommend a Progressive Dynamics 9200P (P for Plug in model) they come with 20 amp plugs however (The neutral s turned 90 degrees)

Now a word of caution. Standard Lead Acid shoud be charged at around 30%C or Less

So a 100 amp hour battery charges at 30 amps or less a 220 amp hour GC-2 Pair or D-4 at around 65 amps Match the last two digits to the charge rate.

I don't see any Progressive Dynamics 9200 P series online, not even on PD's website. Where do you find them?

Though it would seem pretty easy to add your own plug.

Even the 9280 80A converter is rated at 1300W input power, so that should work fine on a 15A circuit, so shouldn't need a 20A plug.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

To determine whether a battery is or isn't having charging forced down its throat...

A good charger has a set voltage limit. Just like a car alternator.

Charging to "absorbed voltage limit" is the fastest safe way to recharge a flooded lead acid or good quality absorbed glass mat battery.

When it's cold the following voltage limits can be tweaked upward to compensate.

14.7 for high antimony flooded lead acid
14.4 for good quality AGM batteries

When my battery bank is low, it will accept 685 - 690 amperes. Keep in mind it is a 10-ton 2-volt 24 battery bank.

I start the chargers, set the timer and walk off. When the generator burps, I know the timer has shut off. Doesn't hurt a damned thing to slightly over-time the length of charge. Same thing as say a 7-hour drive versus a 4-hour drive.

The incredible longevity I get with my batteries proves irrefutably that my protocol is not incorrect.

[wa8yxm]

Belive it or not I'm goping to recommend a Progressive Dynamics 9200P (P for Plug in model) they come with 20 amp plugs however (The neutral s turned 90 degrees)

Now a word of caution. Standard Lead Acid shoud be charged at around 30%C or Less

So a 100 amp hour battery charges at 30 amps or less a 220 amp hour GC-2 Pair or D-4 at around 65 amps Match the last two digits to the charge rate.

[Grodyman]

So my rv batteries are (2) group 24 at 75ah each for 150ah capacity. Am I to understand that the maximum rate of charge for should be no more than 10% or 15 amps?

The Schumacher SC1281 has a 30 amp setting, is that too much? Should I get something in the 15 amp range?

Gman

[Grodyman]

Gdetrailer wrote:

Grodyman wrote:
I want to charge rv batteries off generator very fast, also use it to charge two marine batteries in a boat as well as automotive and lawn tractor batteries. Someone stole my 2/10/100 amp dumb charger.

Gman

Doesn't work that way.

You can't just FORCE a battery to charge "quicker" by using a higher amperage charger.

There is a electro-chemical process when charging and discharging and batteries will only take so much charge in without damage or other possible hazards like overheating or exploding.

HERE is some information to get you started on charging. There are lots of material out there that you might find helpful if you search for charging fla batteries..

Many of those 2/10/100A chargers attempt to force charging up to a certain point by boosting the output voltage and in the case of the 100A setting that is for STARTING surge, not for charging.

If you have been using portable chargers in an attempt to recharge your batteries "fast" that is why you are "disappointed" with them, no commercial made charger will do what you seek..

While one could "build" their own charger to force a higher acceptance rate, there is a fine line that is easy to cross that has the potential to blow your battery up and or kill you in the process. I would not recommend a DIY approach..

Batteries take time to charge, the more you take out of them the longer it will take to recharge, it is a fact of life.

Well, lets just say faster than the WFCO converter. I purchased a Schumacher SC1281 and it seems to work ok, am trying to decide if I want to keep it or go in another direction. I don't want to modify the WFCO in case I sell the trailer.

[Gdetrailer]

Grodyman wrote:
I want to charge rv batteries off generator very fast, also use it to charge two marine batteries in a boat as well as automotive and lawn tractor batteries. Someone stole my 2/10/100 amp dumb charger.

Gman

Doesn't work that way.

You can't just FORCE a battery to charge "quicker" by using a higher amperage charger.

There is a electro-chemical process when charging and discharging and batteries will only take so much charge in without damage or other possible hazards like overheating or exploding.

HERE is some information to get you started on charging. There are lots of material out there that you might find helpful if you search for charging fla batteries..

Many of those 2/10/100A chargers attempt to force charging up to a certain point by boosting the output voltage and in the case of the 100A setting that is for STARTING surge, not for charging.

If you have been using portable chargers in an attempt to recharge your batteries "fast" that is why you are "disappointed" with them, no commercial made charger will do what you seek..

While one could "build" their own charger to force a higher acceptance rate, there is a fine line that is easy to cross that has the potential to blow your battery up and or kill you in the process. I would not recommend a DIY approach..

Batteries take time to charge, the more you take out of them the longer it will take to recharge, it is a fact of life.

[Grodyman]

I want to charge rv batteries off generator very fast, also use it to charge two marine batteries in a boat as well as automotive and lawn tractor batteries. Someone stole my 2/10/100 amp dumb charger.

Gman