What source are most of using to keep your house batteries charged up, besides a gen set.
2500 watt heart inverter with built in charger
Ace
2500 watt Trace sine-wave inverter with built-in charger and solar panels with a Trace C-40 controller.
I am using Xantrex Prosine 2.5 Inverter/Charger
have you had any problems with your solar usbusin? That is a direction I was thinking of as well
I have a 1000 watt heart inverter with built in 3-stage charger that seems to work great. I use a Link 1000 Inverter & Charge Control Battery Monitor to keep tabs on everything.
If you don't have a inverter charger a Iota charger works just as good for around 150 dollars but with out electricity from a generator or shore power nothing will work except solar. good luck
I use a 3500/6000watt inverter made offshore. I use a Progressive Dynamics multi-stage charger to keep the batteries up.
Excellent charger, available in a variety of capacities. I leave mine plugged in all the time.
PS Get the charge-wizard with it, if you get one.
Solar is planned for future (3-4 years)
Mark
Plain ole Battery Tender when parked, but alternator when driving.
Magna 4024 with charger when on shore power and the alternator when driving.
Melbo
Quote from: busshawg on December 09, 2008, 01:36:55 PM
have you had any problems with your solar usbusin? That is a direction I was thinking of as well
On our bus we had (6) 80 watt, 4.71 amp Solarex solar panels (28.3 Amps / 480 Watts max. solar charging) and a Trace C40 3-stage, 40-amp controller.
On our truck conversion we have a 2500 watt Trace Sine-Wave Inverter with a Trace C-40 Controller and 240 watts of solar panels. (Would like to get one more solar panel as 240 watts is marginal for us in the winter in Arizona).
We had 14 years of service on the solar system on our bus and we have 7+ years on our truck conversion. Absolutely no problems. Get good equipment and it will pay for itself. The C-40 controller is a 3-stage and that is what you need for proper battery charging.
You can go to the two blogs shown at the bottom to see the bus and truck conversion specs.
Hope that helps.
We are using a 45 amp power center that has 3 charging rates and a
desulfating cycle. Seems wot work well, keeps our 4 6 volt golf cart batteries
wel cared for. The plus side is that it doesn't boil or over charge the batteries,
unlike the older power centers.
Blessings,
David
Not sure I understand your question.....keep them charged up WHEN ????
While going down the road?
I have the high amp DD alternator charging both the house and starting batteries at the same time. They are connected to the alternator with a heavy duty relay. When activated by a switch (can only be activated with the engine running) on the dashboard, the relay ties both sets of batts to the DD alternator.
While parked hooked to 120V landline?
3,000W Prosine inverter, with a 3 stage charger, charges the 24V house batteries. For the set of 12V house batts I have a 3 stage portable charger hooked to the batts and plugged into a 120V duplex in the bay.
I can run all 120V appliances off the inverter when dry camped (which is usually only a couple days max) and when it's time to recharge we run to our next destination and the DD alternator is charging the batts.
Hope this helps,
Chris Christensen
1974 GMC 4905 w/ 6V92 & V730 auto
we've got an inverter/charger for when plugged in, connected to the starter batteries to use the alternator when moving, and soon, 2 solar panels setting in the garage waiting on me to figure out how to mount them on the roof and get a wire down to the batteries.
Thanks for the great responses, lots of info. I am planning on doing a lot of dry docking , so what I'm getting from this is that I should probably go solar, thanks again
Have fun
"so what I'm getting from this is that I should probably go solar"
Definitely!! If you're going to be boon-docking your neighbors will love you if you don't have to start up the generator to charge the batteries. There is nothing like peace and quiet. Isn't that why we boon-dock; to get away from it all?
Just my opinion. Your neighbors opinion may vary. And, lots of board members may have a different opinion.
I would say if you have house batteries forget solar. House batteries usually means a large electrical load and the amount of solar you can put on your bus probably wont change your generator run time. So you end up with the capital investment of generator and solar panels. If you have a propane/diesel bus conversion and you don't have house batteries / generator, then do go solar to keep your start batteries topped up, go for it. Or if you want solar to show you're 'Green', go for it but for straight economics I don't think you can make it work. I don't think you will pay for the solar with the generator fuel you save.
Lee,
We can dry camp in the Arizona desert for 2 - 2 1/2 months in the winter and rarely have to run our generator. In 7 1/2 years we have only 60+ hours on our generator.
So, solar panels keep our three group 31 batteries charged quite well. I'm not saying it is cost effective. We just like a quiet surrounding. And, we definitely don't have solar to show we're "Green". Again, peace and quiet.
My opinion and mine only.
Quote from: usbusin on December 10, 2008, 12:31:41 PM
Lee,
We can dry camp in the Arizona desert for 2 - 2 1/2 months in the winter and rarely have to run our generator. In 7 1/2 years we have only 60+ hours on our generator.
Wow! :) :)
The solar panel will be paid for out of the extended life of your batteries, because they are getting topped right up.
If there has been a heavier discharge than your solar array will restore, bang the bigger part of the charge in with the generator, and let the solar panels finish the job, when you're spinning the generator for only a few amps.
I'd be thinking the cost effective balance point rests with a modest solar array, with the generator expected to take care of more dramatic charging needs?
As often is found, a mixed breed makes for a more well rounded animal?
happy coaching!
buswarrior