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tony rpod 180 ![]() Groupie ![]() ![]() Joined: 18 Aug 2018 Location: Arkansas Online Status: Offline Posts: 75 |
![]() Posted: 01 Mar 2020 at 7:42pm |
Just wondering, if you connect a converter to the camper battery, then plug a battery charger to it. Could you connect the charger to the battery also and constantly maintain full battery charge.
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GMC Canyon/RPoder
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StephenH ![]() podders Helping podders - pHp ![]() ![]() Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6417 |
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If I understand correctly, you are asking if the camper is plugged in and the converter working to charge the battery, could you then plug in an additional battery charger to maintain full charge. If that is correct, then please don't. If the camper is unplugged or the converter is switched off via the breaker in the power panel, then I suppose you could use a separate charger to maintain the battery. The question would be: why? Just keep the camper plugged in and let the converter handle the battery. It will do a great job. You do not need a separate charger. It might cause problems if you try to run both at the same time.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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Tars Tarkas ![]() Senior Member ![]() ![]() Joined: 14 Jan 2013 Location: Near Nashville Online Status: Offline Posts: 1452 |
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Guessing, do you mean if you connect an inverter to the battery, then plug in a battery charger, could you maintain a full battery charge? The answer is no. You're going to end up with less power than you start with because of loss due to resistance, if nothing else. In terms of maintaining battery power, you'd be better off doing nothing. TT
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2010 176
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lostagain ![]() Senior Member ![]() ![]() Joined: 06 Sep 2016 Location: Quaker Hill, CT Online Status: Offline Posts: 2595 |
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Tony, I think you're talking about a perpetual motion machine. I think if you check with the physicists and engineers on this board, they'll tell you it won't work.
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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
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StephenH ![]() podders Helping podders - pHp ![]() ![]() Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6417 |
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Okay. I see I missed the point. If you connect an Inverter, not a converter and a battery charger. That still presupposes that you have AC power available. In that case, my reply about a charger still applies. It makes no sense to hook up a 15A charger to the battery when you have a 55A converter already available to charge the battery. Now as for the inverter, if you already have AC available, why bother with an inverter? In any case, if you insist in using one, as long as your inverter draw is below the converter or charger capacity (say 300 Watt inverter (about 12A) and 55A converter, you should be able to keep the battery charged. If you go to a 1000 Watt (about 83A) Inverter, you would need one whopping charger to keep up. The RPod's converter would not be up to the task.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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tony rpod 180 ![]() Groupie ![]() ![]() Joined: 18 Aug 2018 Location: Arkansas Online Status: Offline Posts: 75 |
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Let me try again, We will be dry camping and don’t have solar, what ever the name of the thing is, it turns 12v into 110/120. Wondering if will it work if charger and converter/inverter/??? are connected to battery at same time.
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GMC Canyon/RPoder
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offgrid ![]() Senior Member ![]() Joined: 23 Jul 2018 Online Status: Offline Posts: 5290 |
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So, energy from the 12V dc battery passes through an inverter that changes it to 120V ac. About 15-20% of the energy you start with is lost as heat doing that. Then you send that energy through a converter that changes it back to 12V dc and sends it back to the battery. That conversion process loses another 15-20%, also to heat. By the time you’re through with that whole loop only about 65-70% or so of the energy you started with makes it back to the battery. So it’s a good way to discharge a battery not keep it charged. You may as well just run an electric heater, that will have the same effect.
To keep your battery charged, you need an external source of energy. That could be a pedestal, solar, a generator, your tow vehicle engine, or even you pedaling an excercise bike with a alternator connected, but it has to be something other than the battery itself. |
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
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mcarter ![]() podders Helping podders - pHp ![]() ![]() Joined: 07 Apr 2016 Location: Greenbrier, TN Online Status: Offline Posts: 3419 |
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You can't charge the battery with the battery.
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Mike Carter
2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
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Tars Tarkas ![]() Senior Member ![]() ![]() Joined: 14 Jan 2013 Location: Near Nashville Online Status: Offline Posts: 1452 |
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No. No, it will not work. TT
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2010 176
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StephenH ![]() podders Helping podders - pHp ![]() ![]() Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6417 |
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Agreed. You need some form of energy input. That could be solar or a generator. Even a small generator would work just to keep the battery charged if you don't need to use any other energy intensive devices (e.g. refrigerator on AC, water heater on AC, Air Conditioner). You could get by with something like the Harbor Freight TailGator which is small and light and relatively quiet for a non-inverter generator. It is, however, 2 cycle and takes a gasoline-oil mix instead of straight gasoline. It is much less expensive than a solar setup. I just got a solar suitcase (see my mods for details). An inverter generator costs more, but is quiet and you can get one powerful enough to run your AC if needed. If you get a generator, one thing that will help it to last a long time is to always get non-ethanol gasoline to use in it. Regardless of what the bottles of some gasoline treatments say about making ethanol gasoline safe for small engines, ethanol in the gasoline will lead to problems if it is not drained from the carburetor every time as the ethanol will attract water and gum up and clog the carburetor jets. Non-ethanol gasoline with stabilizer will not gum up the jets, even if left in the tank. My Generac iX2000 has gone for 3 or 4 months without being started and it starts up after priming with only a few pulls.
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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