Battery charger
Submitted: Tuesday, Dec 20, 2005 at 17:20
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pafc
I have just converted to a 12v fridge and dual battery set up. 60l engel and exide extreme battery and ARB dual battery system. Ill be leaving to
Perth day after Christmas to visit friends for a week and heading back via the coast. I will try to
camp in the bush mostly but will need to stay at caravan parks to do washing, top up the battery and other stuff, only for 1 night. My question is what battery charges do you guys use and what is the minimum amp charger should I purchase.
cheers, Alex.
Reply By: Rosco - Qld - Tuesday, Dec 20, 2005 at 19:31
Tuesday, Dec 20, 2005 at 19:31
G'day Alex
For my 2 bob's worth I would suggest an 8 Amp jobbie would do the job. Many would recommend a much more expensive multiple stage one and that's fine, but if you're not trying to bring a deep cycle back from the dead it's probably not necessary.
However from what you've said you probably won't need one as you'll be on the go more or less each day.
If you've got $$$$$ to spare fair enough, go the top one. For my mun muns I've had an 8A one for yonks which seems to work
well for me. I did buy a reasonably good one, from memory. But it still didn't cost an arm and a leg.
Cheers
Rosco
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Reply By: Original Banjo (SA) - Tuesday, Dec 20, 2005 at 19:58
Tuesday, Dec 20, 2005 at 19:58
Have a look at post 28956.....
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Reply By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Tuesday, Dec 20, 2005 at 21:00
Tuesday, Dec 20, 2005 at 21:00
If you're in a caravan park, just get a powered site and run the Engel directly off 240V.
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Follow Up By: pafc - Tuesday, Dec 20, 2005 at 21:48
Tuesday, Dec 20, 2005 at 21:48
Not sure how long the battery will last, I'm new at the 12v thing. I used to have a 3 way fridge and didn't have to worry about battery at all. How long does an alternator take to charge a flat battery?
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Follow Up By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Tuesday, Dec 20, 2005 at 22:03
Tuesday, Dec 20, 2005 at 22:03
Alex,
I'll give you some ballpark figures which will vary with lots of factors, but just to give you an idea:
Your 60litre Engel will draw about 3-4 amps every hour it is running.
Your second battery (Exide Extreme) has a capacity of about 70 amp hours, so it will run your Engel fridge fine overnight, but in summer weather, it will be struggling to run the Engel for a second night without running the vehicle.
Your vehicle will need to run for at least 2 hours a day for the fridge to be OK on the second night. Ideally a couple of hours more than this would be good.
Your Engel can run directly off 240 volts, so you should do this if you are camped in a caravan park.
Easiest way to monitor your battery is with a $10 digital multimeter. When it reads 12.7 volts it is likely to be fully charged. When it reads 12.0 volts it only has about 10% left.
Cheers
Phil
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Follow Up By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Tuesday, Dec 20, 2005 at 22:04
Tuesday, Dec 20, 2005 at 22:04
And I forgot to add, that purchasing a battery charger for your intended use is a waste of money.
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Follow Up By: pafc - Tuesday, Dec 20, 2005 at 22:21
Tuesday, Dec 20, 2005 at 22:21
Thanks Phil great info, I have a multi metre and since fitting the fridge to my Rodeo I have been checking the battery, your figures are very helpfull. Is the car charging the battery enough to keep the battery fully charged when fridge not running and do you have a low voltage cut off for your fridge.
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Follow Up By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Wednesday, Dec 21, 2005 at 11:32
Wednesday, Dec 21, 2005 at 11:32
Yes, The car will keep an Exide Extreme pretty much "fully" charged when the fridge is not running. Your alternator will be putting out 14.2 volts most of the time.
Yes, I have a low voltage cutout. Its an electronic kit from Jaycar Electronics and with a bit of fiddling, I have made the cutout adjustable. About 11.7 volts might be a suitable cutout for your aux battery. There are lots of different commercial cutout devices out there. Simplest option is to go with a common brand one like the ones made by Projecta, Pirana or Engel.
Cheers
phil
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Reply By: Member - Oldplodder (QLD) - Tuesday, Dec 20, 2005 at 21:23
Tuesday, Dec 20, 2005 at 21:23
Same here, why not run it off 240v?
Also, I find with
mine the 2nd battery (N70ZZ) lasts 2 to 3 days.
(up to 4 in cooler weather)
Are you going to be stationary longer than that?
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Reply By: 4145derek - Tuesday, Dec 20, 2005 at 21:31
Tuesday, Dec 20, 2005 at 21:31
First of all not to get into any trouble...
I am Derek Bester I buy and sell dual battery systems and chargers.
For an overnight stop aspecially if it is hot your fridge will draw around 3 - 4 amps on average. 5pm to 8am = 13 hours = 52 amp hours used.
Now if your Battery is fully charged whcih it may be depending on how may stops you made in the day and how often you opened the fridge to get a cold one, the 8amp unit will only just do the job provided you don't sleep-in.
However... a more powerfull charger is only slightly bigger but it does come with more features and is less likely to break down or damage your battery. Some chargers the ones I sell have a power supply override switch and can be used as a 15 amp power supply as
well.
Feel free to contact me at djbester@bigpond.net.au and I will send to a data sheet on my $295.00 charger.
Projecta also have a 14 amp unit but no override switch.
Arlec do the cheaper 6, 8 and 12 amp units bu make sure to read the fine print. Some chargers may say 8 amps but the fine print says 4 amps RMS. In other words a 4 amp charger.
Never the less enjoy your holiday and Merry Christmas.
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