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Charge house battery without solar

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  • Charge house battery without solar

    I'm currently working on a campervan conversion on a Nissan NV2500 and I'm looking to get a house battery (Deep Cycle AGM or LifePo4) but I'll waiting a bit before I get the solar panels.

    Would it be possible to connect a MPPT solar charge controller (Renogy Rover 40amp) to charge the house battery and connect the charge controller PV input to an DC charger connected to the van's cigarette lighter? If not, is it possible to connect an AC charger to the PV input?

    Thank you

  • #2
    No and No.

    But if you get a battery isolator you can connect the house battery to the vans charging system.

    WWW

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    • #3
      OK, thank you. Was looking into getting a diode battery isolator, I guess I'll go with that instead

      Comment


      • #4
        As WWW states No, because a Solar charge controller only works with solar. So using a DC power source will not work.

        The best way to charge the house battery would be from the alternator using an isolator. That is the way most RV's charge the batteries.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by thezenvan View Post
          OK, thank you. Was looking into getting a diode battery isolator, I guess I'll go with that instead
          a cheap diode isolator will leave your house battery nearly a volt undercharged (diode drop)
          Powerfab top of pole PV mount (2) | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
          || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
          || VEC1093 12V Charger | Maha C401 aa/aaa Charger | SureSine | Sunsaver MPPT 15A

          solar: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Solar
          gen: http://tinyurl.com/LMR-Lister

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          • #6
            Originally posted by SunEagle View Post
            As WWW states No, because a Solar charge controller only works with solar. So using a DC power source will not work.

            The best way to charge the house battery would be from the alternator using an isolator. That is the way most RV's charge the batteries.
            thezenvan,
            The best ways to charge the RV's House Batteries is:
            a) Solar Panels
            b) Portable Generator
            c) AC Charge Controller from a pedestal (if available).

            All of the above devices are connected to the House Batteries via proper DC Disconnects and Overload Protection.

            We do not ever use our engine alternator to charge the House Battery Bank because ...
            a) The alternator's voltage is way too low, it takes forever to recharge the House Batteries and then they sulfate ( < 100% SOC )
            b) You will run out of gasoline - now you are stranded !
            c) You will accidentally leave a Manual Isolator Switch Closed while camping and you will kill your Starting Battery - now you are stranded !
            d) During a long trip an Automatic Isolator Relay can boil your House Batteries = low electrolyte = bad news

            The engine's alternator was not designed for a proper 3 Stage Charging of a Deep Cycle Battery Bank.
            The Bulk Voltage will be way too low while camping.
            And then the Float Voltage will be way too high while driving.

            The Engine Starting Battery is charged via the engine's alternator and it is never, ever drained during camping.
            Keep the two electrical systems completely separate, to prevent from being stranded.
            You have been warned !!!
            Last edited by NEOH; 09-02-2017, 01:17 PM.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by Mike90250 View Post

              a cheap diode isolator will leave your house battery nearly a volt undercharged (diode drop)
              Yes, unless 3 diodes are used as a second + rectifier set, so both batteries see the same voltage. Bruce Roe

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by NEOH View Post

                thezenvan,
                The best ways to charge the RV's House Batteries is:
                a) Solar Panels
                b) Portable Generator
                c) AC Charge Controller from a pedestal (if available).

                All of the above devices are connected to the House Batteries via proper DC Disconnects and Overload Protection.

                We do not ever use our engine alternator to charge the House Battery Bank because ...
                a) The alternator's voltage is way too low, it takes forever to recharge the House Batteries and then they sulfate ( < 100% SOC )
                b) You will run out of gasoline - now you are stranded !
                c) You will accidentally leave a Manual Isolator Switch Closed while camping and you will kill your Starting Battery - now you are stranded !
                d) During a long trip an Automatic Isolator Relay can boil your House Batteries = low electrolyte = bad news

                The engine's alternator was not designed for a proper 3 Stage Charging of a Deep Cycle Battery Bank.
                The Bulk Voltage will be way too low while camping.
                And then the Float Voltage will be way too high while driving.

                The Engine Starting Battery is charged via the engine's alternator and it is never, ever drained during camping.
                Keep the two electrical systems completely separate, to prevent from being stranded.
                You have been warned !!!
                Uh. Actually my RV was designed so that the alternator can charge either my house battery system or the starter battery. I have measured the voltage and it is more than enough to do the job for either. My gas tank is also 75 gallon so I do not believe I will run out anytime just charging the batteries.

                I can also use the RV's "on board" generator to do the job or plug into the grid or connect my solar charging system. They all work.

                I understand your desire to warn someone that using the alternator may not work especially if the system is not properly designed for the batteries. But to say don't use an alternator to charge your house batteries is a little one sided and misleading.

                Comment

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