charging battiers

[Saltynuts]

Hi Can any techies out there help me with a question? I am going to buy a 2000si generator that comes with a 12 volt battery charger. My question is would it be quicker to charge the rv battery with the built in charger or should I buy a 120 volt charger and plug it into the generator and charge it like that? Thanks for your reply. Salty

 

[LJAZ]

I have heard that it is quicker to charge with a battery charger than a generator. As I understand it, it's because the battery charger can initially charge at a higher voltage and taper off gradually as the battery charge comes up. That may be a bit oversimplistic but I'm no electrician.

As to how much quicker - I really have no idea.

 

[chupp21]

I did a test with my generator and an amp meter a while ago. I found that using the power converter built into the trailer was just as fast as stand alone charger. The 12 volt charger that comes built into the generator was a bit slower but almost the same. I believe they were all about 8 amps, but that varies depending on the state of discharge. When I charge I just plug the trailer power cord into the generator. Also the power converter has a float mode, so you can leave the trailer plugged in all the time when in storage.

 

[webslave]

The biggest advantage to using the trailer's converter or a stand alone charger is the ability to "float" the charge as the battery tops off. I'm not sure, but, I would imagine the "12 volt charger" built into most generators is not as sophisticated as the converter or a good stand alone unit. I would think you would have to pay much closer attention to the gererator only charge.

Most of the RV friendly generators (either red or blue) are quite capable of powering the RV and charging the battery through the converter; I would fire up the generator and let the converter do the charging. One connection (the RV power cord), you don't have to have access directly to the battery terminals and minimal risk of over-charging (cooking) the battery.