Does this do what I think it does?

[dakotamouse]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4626961790&fromMakeTrack=true

Bear with my terrible tech talk but If I have one of these and it is connected to my battery and I am able to plug in somewhere then........

My battery will charge and I still can use all my 12 volt stuff cause it's being run through this converter? So I wouldn't have to have seperate interior lights for 12 volt and direct current cause my lights would be running off the battery which is getting charged? Is that how she goes or am I lost....... ?


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4616952478

And then this one? Is this then just kinda like a breaker box for it all?

[Ma3tt]

Everything that guy has is for teardrops! A sneeky advertising ploy or did I not buy enough stuff for my teardrop?

[dakotamouse]

Yeah he has a lot of stuff for teardrops but these electrical things seem to be like the converter thingy that we have in our camper but I know those go for a lot of money so I'm wondering if this is the same or what or worth it or?

[gratis]

The way these things actually work is you wire your battery to the converter. The converter senses what source to take power from or supply power to. That means it will charge your battery when needed when plugged in, but will not use the battery for power unless you are not plugged in.

Confused yet?

When properly hooked up these converters pretty much make power plug and play. You don't have to install manual override switches, separate fuse panels, wiring blocks, a charger and all that stuff. When I did the math it ended up being a lot cheaper then cobbling together an electrical system from components.

Some people will claim you need a high dollar converter to charge your deep cycle batteries properly. I have used the Centurions in several campers. They do the job and there will be a lot nicer wiring job in the end. You do need a bit of electrical knowledge to wire everything up correctly though.

This is a more appropriate teardrop converter for a far better price:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/NEW-RV-110-V-12V-CENTURION-POWER-CONVERTER-CAMPER-BUS_W0QQitemZ4551488102QQcategoryZ50070QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Just remember to size the AC side properly if you are using an Air unit. Most of these have two AC circuits for this purpose. One fuse for Air and one for the rest of the stuff.

[GeorgeTelford]

Gratis it is not just a "claim" it is a fact, unless the convertor is a 3-4stage charger it doesnt charge the battery.

If you spend all your time on a campground they are OK for mostly wild camping they are a waste of money (to be honest even on campground you can easily do better for the money)

[dakotamouse]

Thanks for the info guys. I'll run this one past the hubby when he gets home.

[gratis]

6 Years camping with and without plugs. No problems to report due to uncharged batteries.

Some people spend $1000 on their DC system and agonize over batteries. Some people don't.

I challenged myself to find a fuse box for two 120 AC breakers, a fuse box for 6 DC circuits, a grounding bus, even a single stage 12 AMP charger (This one is actually a 2 stage I believe), dedicated DC power supply and various switches that will hold up to switching battery amperage for the price of the one I linked to. To be fair you would still need breakers and auto fuses with the converter. $39 + $7 sipping is hard to beat. I also liked the all in one package.

I am sure a 3-4 stage charger or a converter with a charge wizard would be better. I am also sure that 80% of people buy the marine/starting deep cycle too when the really need a true deep cycle.

I just remembered something about my setups. I have always had the hot charging wire form the tow vehicle hooked up. This would use the alternator to charge the battery en-route too.

[GeorgeTelford]

Hi Gratis

Having the hot wire connected via the tow vehicle is even worse, an alternator cannot put more than 65-70% charge into a battery, if its fully charged before you started the journey with hot wire connected it will soon BE DOWN to 65-70% on the journy.

But heh if it works for you thats great, it would be better with a decent charger though, over twice as long from the same battery.

[gratis]

Why do camper manufactures hook up their systems like this? If they know it is going to be detrimental to the battery. I know the charge level meter and voltage meter verify a full battery but they are not that accurate.

I am just curious. I am wondering if the better converters somehow provide switching for this?

I admit to only having used the cheap Centurion Converter/Chargers as they always seem to come in the campers I have owned.

BTW I do also have a 3 stage digital charger at home, I just never had to use it on anything but the boat battery. I may have to do some testing this summer if I can afford to haul the monster someplace this summer.

[GeorgeTelford]

Hi Gratis

Why do camper manufacturers do it?

Because they dont know any better
Because they mistakenly believe, like many people that it charges the battery
Because in most instances it doesnt matter, if you use campgrounds a lot with hook up you would never know.

But regardless of why they do it, the facts remain the same a single stage convertor doesnt fully charge a battery, I have tested UK versions and after 4 weeks the battery still not much above 90%

When I did the fully charged battery test and then drove with the battery connected an hour and a quarter "extra charging" via alternator took 52 mins off the discharge test.

[asianflava]

Here we go again.

[GeorgeTelford]

Asian

What should I do? leave people in the dark or try to let people know the reality?

What is a forum about if not sharing knowledge?

[asianflava]

Yes but make your point and move on. If someone rebuts your position, make one or 2 posts to support your arguement and let it go. We don't need another excruciatingly long and confusing thread about the same thing. They just go back and forth (I don't blame you because it takes 2) and confuse the person who asked the original question.

What you post is valid and valued information. If someone is wants to hook their trailer battery up to the alternator, they are going to do it, no matter how many posts you make on the topic. When the battery fails prematurely, they will remember your post and know why. First hand experience is the best way for someone to change their opinion. Not hammering away at their posts.

[GeorgeTelford]

Good point

[gratis]

I was actually interested in the replies. I am glad he did refute the points because I had not heard anything about these issues until now.

Thanks George!

Sorry to anyone else who had to read something that was already covered.