My newish caravan has a power tech dc regulated power supply 240v ac input and 13v dc output I have been told that to install a house battery all I have to do is attach the battery to the dc output.
and it will run the 12v components of the van when there is no ac input but will also charge the battery when there is ac input.
Is this true.? The information came from the same person who failed to mention several small irritating quirks in the van I bought, so I am a little wary of the advise.
Do any of the wise ones positive or negative (pun intended) suggestions.?
I can photograph the unit if this will help.
Smith
Smith said
05:25 PM Oct 20, 2019
decided that a picture may be worth many of my words
That unit is not a battery charger. It will sort-of put some power into the battery when on 240 but the battery is never properly full charged so will never have its full capacity and will slowly die. Perhaps not even slowly.
So NO do not use that with a battery. Get a proper charger unit.
Jaahn
Whenarewethere said
06:51 PM Oct 20, 2019
Your Mac needs a new battery!
Whenarewethere said
06:56 PM Oct 20, 2019
Jaahn wrote:
Hi smith
That unit is not a battery charger. It will sort-of put some power into the battery when on 240 but the battery is never properly full charged so will never have its full capacity and will slowly die. Perhaps not even slowly.
So NO do not use that with a battery. Get a proper charger unit.
I have one of their smaller chargers & it works well.
Whenarewethere said
06:59 PM Oct 20, 2019
While at it, the cables to the battery look too light, run some 4awg etc depending how long the run is.
Smith said
08:33 AM Oct 21, 2019
Will it work if I put in a battery charger , and solar , to the battery then attach all of that to the 12v wires through the output terminals do you think ?
I think the unit is designed to convert 240v to 12v to run the 12v components in the van.
The Mac is ok I did not reset the camera time and date when taking the photo , due to laziness .
Smith
Whenarewethere said
09:06 AM Oct 21, 2019
The Powertech is a simple power supply. In the long run it will kill your battery. So personally I would get rid of it.
So you get your setup right & not waste money, what loads are you running off 12 volts? What size battery do you have? How long are you camping remotely in any one period?
If you are connected pretty much most nights to 240 you will not need solar.
If 2 nights off solar the car maybe enough to charge the battery.
If 3 or more nights then add solar.
Depending on which solar regulator you use & battery charger you use they can be connected in different ways.
Other people will be able to give better advice than me as I have only got experience on my own setup.
But it is better to start off knowing the loads & your style of travelling before people can make more worthwhile recommendations.
Jaahn said
10:26 AM Oct 21, 2019
Hi Smith
You have just been given the best answer. It might seem a bit tough but having some idea of what you want to do in the future and then counting the loads and doing the simple sums will mean you will most likely get where you want to go and not waste money and effort on things that do not work well and will be an annoyance.
My first suggestion is to read the threads in the Techie's Corner and there is also a sub forum there Solar forum. While it is hard to follow some threads and some people talk on and on and on ... off the original topic, you will find most of the ideas you need to start with. Then ask some more informed questions about what you need.
But to get started if you want to run a battery then you need a charger that has 3 stages min, so the battery is fully charged for good life. The last stage is 'float' where the voltage drops lower and will run the van things OK off the charger. This applies to any 240V charger and solar regulator or DC to DC charger or a combined unit that does several of these jobs. Do some research and reading.
Jaahn
,
Smith said
05:12 PM Oct 22, 2019
Thank you all, wise words as always
Smith
Dick0 said
06:32 PM Oct 22, 2019
Hey there Smith,
This GUIDE should help you in deciding how to tackle the project.
Very good information in setting up/wiring for auxiliary battery charging.
No doubt, some Ex-Spurts on the forum will challenge this guide most thoroughly.
That's why I always have the popcorn and comfy sofa ready at all times.
Hi Dick0. Would like to see that guide but it wont open???
Smith said
03:44 PM Oct 23, 2019
Fantastic guide , I also could not open it but just typing in Design Guide for 12v Systems into google land got me there .
At least I think it's fantastic or will be after I digest it all , which may take some time.
If there is no redundant information how come I forget so much?
Smith
Dick0 said
03:50 PM Oct 23, 2019
vince56 wrote:
Hi Dick0. Would like to see that guide but it wont open???
My newish caravan has a power tech dc regulated power supply 240v ac input and 13v dc output I have been told that to install a house battery all I have to do is attach the battery to the dc output.
and it will run the 12v components of the van when there is no ac input but will also charge the battery when there is ac input.
Is this true.? The information came from the same person who failed to mention several small irritating quirks in the van I bought, so I am a little wary of the advise.
Do any of the wise ones positive or negative (pun intended) suggestions.?
I can photograph the unit if this will help.
Smith
decided that a picture may be worth many of my words
Hi smith
That unit is not a battery charger. It will sort-of put some power into the battery when on 240 but the battery is never properly full charged so will never have its full capacity and will slowly die. Perhaps not even slowly.
So NO do not use that with a battery. Get a proper charger unit.
Jaahn
Your Mac needs a new battery!
Agree.
You will kill the battery quickly.
https://www.victronenergy.com/chargers/blue-smart-ip22-charger
I have one of their smaller chargers & it works well.
While at it, the cables to the battery look too light, run some 4awg etc depending how long the run is.
I think the unit is designed to convert 240v to 12v to run the 12v components in the van.
The Mac is ok I did not reset the camera time and date when taking the photo , due to laziness .
Smith
The Powertech is a simple power supply. In the long run it will kill your battery. So personally I would get rid of it.
So you get your setup right & not waste money, what loads are you running off 12 volts? What size battery do you have? How long are you camping remotely in any one period?
If you are connected pretty much most nights to 240 you will not need solar.
If 2 nights off solar the car maybe enough to charge the battery.
If 3 or more nights then add solar.
Depending on which solar regulator you use & battery charger you use they can be connected in different ways.
Other people will be able to give better advice than me as I have only got experience on my own setup.
But it is better to start off knowing the loads & your style of travelling before people can make more worthwhile recommendations.
Hi Smith
You have just been given the best answer. It might seem a bit tough but having some idea of what you want to do in the future and then counting the loads and doing the simple sums will mean you will most likely get where you want to go and not waste money and effort on things that do not work well and will be an annoyance.
My first suggestion is to read the threads in the Techie's Corner and there is also a sub forum there Solar forum. While it is hard to follow some threads and some people talk on and on and on ... off the original topic, you will find most of the ideas you need to start with. Then ask some more informed questions about what you need.
But to get started if you want to run a battery then you need a charger that has 3 stages min, so the battery is fully charged for good life. The last stage is 'float' where the voltage drops lower and will run the van things OK off the charger. This applies to any 240V charger and solar regulator or DC to DC charger or a combined unit that does several of these jobs. Do some research and reading.
Jaahn
,
Smith
Hey there Smith,
This GUIDE should help you in deciding how to tackle the project.
Very good information in setting up/wiring for auxiliary battery charging.
No doubt, some Ex-Spurts on the forum will challenge this guide most thoroughly.
That's why I always have the popcorn and comfy sofa ready at all times.
At least I think it's fantastic or will be after I digest it all , which may take some time.
If there is no redundant information how come I forget so much?
Smith
Here is a MS-Word document of the guide.