Battery chargeing

[offroad71]

I will be dry camping this summer. I have a Yamaha EF3000iseb generator. Which would be better to keep the batteries charged 1. The trailer converter/charger 2. The charger on the generator 3. A charger plugged into the generator? Can't run the generator but two hours at a time, a couple times a day. Your opinion's would be appreciated

[dieselguy]

Well, I'd suggest checking off #2 as chargers on gensets themselves are notoriously lacking in function.

[DQDick]

I'm with Dieselguy. #1 would be my choice, but a couple of questions come to mind. Why only 2 hours at a time? Do you have an inverter? What else do you intend to power during your 2 hours? How many batteries and what type do you have?

[RichR]

Battery chargers work best-I use a battery charger to keep my batteries charged when hunting.The charger in the converter does not keep up with usage,and the charger on the gererator does not charge fast enough.$50 battery charger from Walmart is what I have used for 10 years.

[TAKPAK]

As mentioned, it would help to know what batteries you have. If you have the "smart" inverter in your RV, then it would work fine. Or, a high capacity portable charger would work too, but might as well use what you have, if it is a smart charger/inverter. Why only two hours at a time? Another option would be solar. You can get portable panels that you can set up at the site to maintain a charge. Another option, and this is a tough one, is to figure your amp draw. Then you can calculate how long it's going to take to charge back up. If you used, say 10 amps for one hour, then you would need a charger that would do 10 amps charging and run it for one hour (approximately). Generally, the largest chargers you will find for retail customers will be a 2/10/50 amp unit. Two amps trickle, 10 amps normal, and 50 amps for starting. You can NOT use the 50 amp setting for more than about 2 or 3 minutes, or it will overheat the charger. Simple science for batteries is, what you take out is what you have to replace. The size of the charger is what dictates how fast you can do it. Don't know if this has helped....or confused the issue.

[Art-n-Marge]

I've always wondered about this configuration and if it would work. When boondocking, plug in your 110 volt battery into your available inverter for power, then connect the charger terminals to the batteries. Does this mean you have a perpetual battery charging system, in that the charger that uses power can keep up with and recharge the batteries that are supplying its recharge power?

I guess it would be in the numbers. If the charger uses more power to operate and less power to recharge the batteries, then the batteries will eventually discharge. I would hate to idle the TV for two hours to recharge the batteries (option 1). I have read numerous places that idling our newer diesel technology engines in our TV is not a good idea and will actually ruin the engines. I recall stopping at truck stops during trips and hearing lots of diesel trucks running all night so the residents sleeping in their big rigs could run the A/C when asleep in hot weather. One place I stopped, had rows of big trucks, all engines running and the drone from A/C units was constant. Truckers at rest trying to stay cool during a hot summer evening. I don't think we can do this with our "little" modern diesels.

I suppose the best option for the OP is to use the generator to provide 110v to a battery charger which recharges batteries faster than the trickle charge from a TV or a generator for the two hour timeperiods, or start looking for solar panels and the electronics that go with that.

[Artemus Gordon]

I have the same generator set up. Assuming the campground is limiting your generator usage, I would just connect via the 30amp and let the built in system charge the batteries. I ran our 3000iesb for two weeks 24/7, so I know it will perform well !

[offroad71]

Campground regulations only let you run two hours at a time,three times a day. As far as batteries two 12 volt deep cycle.

[offroad71]

Sorry forgot, I have the Xantrex AC to DC Converter (XADC) 80amp.

[8.1al]

Your 80 amp converter will do a better job than a portable charger