Hello Guest!
« previous next »
Pages: [1]   Go Down

House battery's

  • 8 Replies
  • 13806 Views
*

Dave

  • ***
  • 48
    • View Profile
  • OwnPC: Yes
  • NewUsed: New
  • PurchDate: January 2015
  • Model: 2552
  • ModelYear: 2015
  • Slide: Yes
  • Location: Florida
House battery's
« on: April 23, 2016, 11:18:27 am »
Are the house battery's charged while driving?   My understanding is the ford alternator charges the house battery's while driving. The inverter does not have to be turned on.
Logged
*

TomHanlon

Re: House battery's
« Reply #1 on: April 23, 2016, 12:16:31 pm »
True
Logged
*

Ron Dittmer

  • *******
  • 5647
  • Ron and Irene
    • View Profile
    • My 2007 2350 Phoenix Cruiser
  • OwnPC: Yes
  • NewUsed: New
  • PurchDate: June 2007
  • Model: 2350 Ford
  • ModelYear: 2007
  • Slide: No
  • IntColor: Cherry Green&Gray
  • ExtColor: Full Body Gray
  • Location: N/E Illinois
Re: House battery's
« Reply #2 on: April 23, 2016, 01:24:28 pm »
I agree with Tom.

My wife and I practice certain rules regarding the inverter.  We turn it on to charge the batteries when on shore power and when we want low wattage 110v power.  Otherwise it is always turned off because being on doing nothing consumes more battery power than you realize.  Especially our older Tripp-Lite model.  I assume the later (current-day) Xantrax has an appetite of it's own.  Regardless of the inverter, it's okay to leave it on all the time as long as you plug-in at least every-other night.  Because of the places we travel to, we never have the privilege of shore power.  So we follow that practice.

When we are camped for multiple days (motor home not driven) without shore power, we charge the batteries via the generator.  Idling the Ford V10 would do it too, but much less efficiently.  It's works good if the chassis a/c or heater is desperately needed as well.  To keep the generator run times shorter, I use a different battery charger for faster charging.  I plug into the outside outlet and hook it up to the batteries directly.  It's no big deal.  I got into much better detail about all this HERE.
« Last Edit: April 23, 2016, 01:46:15 pm by ron.dittmer »
Logged
Ron (& Irene) Dittmer
*

2 Frazzled

  • *******
  • 1434
    • View Profile
    • Spirit of the Woods
  • OwnPC: Yes
  • NewUsed: New
  • PurchDate: May 2013
  • Model: 2552
  • ModelYear: 2013
  • Slide: Yes
  • IntColor: Sunlit & Cherry
  • ExtColor: Sunlit
  • Location: On the road full time (prev. Maryland)
Re: House battery's
« Reply #3 on: April 24, 2016, 06:11:13 am »
We ONLY turn our inverter on if we have no other power source and need 110 power. The converter automatically charges our battery when plugged into shore power. We don't touch the inverter switch. As stated above, the truck charges the battery when we have it running and we can always charge with the generator - again, without turning on the inverter switch. The magic inside the Phoenix handles all that charging stuff without our help... thankfully!

My understanding is the INVERTER takes battery power and transfers it to 110 power, so always going from battery to outlets with nothing to do with power going INTO batteries.

Ron's Trip Lite works differently.
Logged
John, Holly, and sometimes Chloe.
Travel Blog: Spiritofthewoods.net
*

Ron Dittmer

  • *******
  • 5647
  • Ron and Irene
    • View Profile
    • My 2007 2350 Phoenix Cruiser
  • OwnPC: Yes
  • NewUsed: New
  • PurchDate: June 2007
  • Model: 2350 Ford
  • ModelYear: 2007
  • Slide: No
  • IntColor: Cherry Green&Gray
  • ExtColor: Full Body Gray
  • Location: N/E Illinois
Re: House battery's
« Reply #4 on: April 24, 2016, 09:11:19 am »
2 frazzled John, Are you saying the Xantrax is only an inverter, not also a converter?  Do all PCS with the Xantrax, have a separate converter?
Logged
Ron (& Irene) Dittmer
*

Barry-Sue

  • *******
  • 1165
    • View Profile
  • OwnPC: Yes
  • NewUsed: New
  • PurchDate: 10/17/11
  • Model: 2551
  • ModelYear: 2012
  • Slide: Yes
  • IntColor: Cherry
  • ExtColor: Classic Umber
  • Location: Michigan
Re: House battery's
« Reply #5 on: April 24, 2016, 09:58:17 am »
Ron,

In the newer units, like our 2012, it is equipped with a separate inverter and converter.  They are both Xantrex.  The inverter is a Xantrex PRO Inverter XM 1800.  The converter is a Xantrex AC to DC Converter (XADC).  

This separate arrangement was a step up for us from our 2008 Tripp-Lite.  We use ours just like 2Frazzled, we only turn it on when needed.  Works great!!!
Logged
Barry and Sue 
Current   2012 2551 w/Slide
Previous 2008 2350 w/Slide
*

Ron Dittmer

  • *******
  • 5647
  • Ron and Irene
    • View Profile
    • My 2007 2350 Phoenix Cruiser
  • OwnPC: Yes
  • NewUsed: New
  • PurchDate: June 2007
  • Model: 2350 Ford
  • ModelYear: 2007
  • Slide: No
  • IntColor: Cherry Green&Gray
  • ExtColor: Full Body Gray
  • Location: N/E Illinois
Re: House battery's
« Reply #6 on: April 24, 2016, 11:22:45 am »
I am always learning something new with the current-day PC.

It is surely a much better arrangement to turn on the inverter ONLY when needing inverted power.  Not for any other reason.  That is ideal.

With a separate converter, I wonder how it's output compares to the step-down 40 amp external charger I use.  I would love to have my external charger built-in like that.

It is so good to read that Phoenix has done better going to the Xantrax setup.  All these years I had wondered why they switched from a 2000 watt Tripp-Lite to an 1800 watt Xantrax.  It finally makes sense in my head.  A separate inverter and converter is the way to go for operational simplicity and improved battery care.

Thanks Barry for that revelation.

Ron
« Last Edit: April 24, 2016, 11:25:57 am by ron.dittmer »
Logged
Ron (& Irene) Dittmer
*

fandj

  • ******
  • 345
    • View Profile
  • OwnPC: Yes
  • NewUsed: New
  • Model: 2552
  • ModelYear: 2016
  • Slide: Yes
  • IntColor: Graystone
  • ExtColor: Nightscape - full body
  • Location: Virginia
Re: House battery's
« Reply #7 on: April 24, 2016, 11:33:11 am »
For those that camp without electrical hookup and depend on the batteries to supply their electrical needs it is important to monitor battery  condition not only to let them know how much charge is left in their battery but to extend the time between battery replacement.  This link provides information on "state of charge" measurement and proper charging voltage and current to recharge the 6 volt GC batteries.  

http://www.interstatedealers.com/pdf/201535.pdf

As I have not taken delivery of my PC yet I am not sure what Phoenix supplies.  Some monitors only show different color lights.  In my opinion this is of limited benefit and at times may be misleading.  At a bare minimum a meter showing voltage provides some indication of battery condition.  The battery voltage "at rest" where it is not being drawn down or being charged provides useful information in determining how much capacity is left before recharging is required.  While being charged the voltage reading gives an indication of how close the converter, chassis alternator, or solar panel is charging the battery compared to the battery manufacturers recommendation.  Voltmeters for this purpose are relatively cheap and simply plug into one of the 12 volt outlets in the coach.  The one I use is typically available from Walmart, Amazon, and probably several other sources.  This link takes you to the Walmart site. 

 A battery monitor such as a Victron or Trimetric are a step up in keeping track of the battery and charging system.  They keep track of amp hours going into and coming out of the battery.  The amp hours and other efficiency factors the meter uses provide a more reliable estimate of state of charge than just a voltmeter but are more costly and difficult to install. 

http://www.walmart.com/ip/15137663?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222227009075049&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=t&wl3=40839218672&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=78652684352&veh=sem


« Last Edit: April 24, 2016, 06:23:47 pm by fandj »
Logged
*

Dave

  • ***
  • 48
    • View Profile
  • OwnPC: Yes
  • NewUsed: New
  • PurchDate: January 2015
  • Model: 2552
  • ModelYear: 2015
  • Slide: Yes
  • Location: Florida
Re: House battery's
« Reply #8 on: April 27, 2016, 01:09:08 pm »
according to the factory my 2015 2552 has a Parallax 45 amp converter. That takes care of house battery charging when on shore power or generator. g
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up
« previous next »