Generator or inverter

[Murray]

Hi there has anyone thought about connecting there generator to the
battery then pluging a inverter in to the trailer for apliances.

[chasd60]

Hi there has anyone thought about connecting there generator to the
battery then pluging a inverter in to the trailer for apliances.

You can plug your trailer into the generator and have both AC and DC

[wavery]

Hi there has anyone thought about connecting there generator to the
battery then pluging a inverter in to the trailer for apliances.

Hi Murray,

I'm not sure what you are getting at here.

I have a 2500w inverter that I connect to my 2- group 29 batteries at every camp-out. It gives us ample power to run our microwave, a TV (if desired) and any other 110v appliances that we might like to use.

We also have a Honda EU2000i generator. During daylight hours, we use the generator for any 110v usage. We use the inverter during quiet time, when generators are not allowed to run. While the generator is running, I always have my 25A battery charger hooked up to the batteries to keep them topped up so I have all the power that I need for my inverter usage.

I hope that answers your questions. You might like to look at my Webshots album (link at the bottom of this page) to see my inverter set up.

[Russinator]

Wavery and/or anyone who knows the answer. When you plug the eu2000 into your trailer doesn't that charge your batteries? I keep our PU in the garage and plugged in to 110, thinking that keeps the battery fully charged. Am I wrong? Russ

Hi Murray,

I'm not sure what you are getting at here.

I have a 2500w inverter that I connect to my 2- group 29 batteries at every camp-out. It gives us ample power to run our microwave, a TV (if desired) and any other 110v appliances that we might like to use.

We also have a Honda EU2000i generator. During daylight hours, we use the generator for any 110v usage. We use the inverter during quiet time, when generators are not allowed to run. While the generator is running, I always have my 25A battery charger hooked up to the batteries to keep them topped up so I have all the power that I need for my inverter usage.

I hope that answers your questions. You might like to look at my Webshots album (link at the bottom of this page) to see my inverter set up.

[wavery]

Wavery and/or anyone who knows the answer. When you plug the eu2000 into your trailer doesn't that charge your batteries? I keep our PU in the garage and plugged in to 110, thinking that keeps the battery fully charged. Am I wrong? Russ

It depends on the converter that is installed in your camper. Some inverters have a 3-stage charger built in. That is rare. Most converters will keep a charge in the battery but not a full charge.

For instance, the converter in my 2002 Coleman only puts out 12.8V. That is hardly enough to charge the battery but it is enough to keep it at a level that everything will work. Once I unplug from a power source, my battery will not last long at all. That's why I plug in my 3-stage battery charger, directly to my battery. I get a full charge that will last for a couple of days without having to even think about conserving.

[Murray]

Thanks for the replys Im just trying to decide what I should do, I bought
an Eu1000i and of course its not enough juice for all the appliances so Im wondering if it make more sence to buy a 2500 w inverter and hook my generator directly to the battery and go that route or should I just
go and buy a EU2000i and try to confince my wife that its the original
one that we bought.

[AustinBoston]

Wavery and/or anyone who knows the answer. When you plug the eu2000 into your trailer doesn't that charge your batteries? I keep our PU in the garage and plugged in to 110, thinking that keeps the battery fully charged. Am I wrong? Russ

As Wayne says, it depends on the converter.  One way to tell would be to partly drain the battery, then plug the pop-up in and immediately measure the voltage at the battery.  If the voltage AT THE BATTERY is 13.0 volts or more (14.4 is close to ideal, as long as it doesn't stay there past battery full charge), it will charge your battery in a reasonable time.  Measuring the voltage at other points (such as a 12 V fixture in the camper) is not adequate, because many converters have separate outputs for the 12V supply and the battery charge circuit.

Austin

[Russinator]

Thanks for the input and info. I will check into it.

From here on out, I will make sure it's fully charged.

Russ

[kampingkoge]

Another question ... I always disconnect my battery when charging it with my smart charger and genset.  Is this really required?  Or do you charge your battery and leave it connected to the camper?

[wavery]

Another question ... I always disconnect my battery when charging it with my smart charger and genset.  Is this really required?  Or do you charge your battery and leave it connected to the camper?

I can't think of any reason to disconnect your camper battery while charging. The only thing might be if your battery is located in a confined space. Then you would need to remove the battery and charge it out in the open.

[tlhdoc]

Another question ... I always disconnect my battery when charging it with my smart charger and genset. Is this really required? Or do you charge your battery and leave it connected to the camper?

If my camper is plugged into the generator, I disconnect the battery from the camper.  I am not sure if the converter would like to be charging the battery at the same time the battery charger is charging the battery.

[zamboni]

As Wavery said, most camper converters are merely 2-stage - they will charge the battery, but not to "full".

Thus, if you are dry-camping, and plug your camper into your gen, it will not really recharge your battery.  The Honda gen's have an optional 12-V lead to directly charge a battery... but I am not sure how FULLY those will do it.

Many campers out there use the IOTA brand converters.  These all have a small phone-sized plug on them.  You can buy a $30 "IQ4" 3-stage adapter and plug it into them.

This will turn your mediocre 2-stage into a permanent 3-stage charger that will maintain a FULL charge on your battery.

However, when you are dry camping, this still will not allow your battery to FULLY charge QUICKLY.  For that, if you look at the instruction manual that came with your converter, you'll see a small phone-plug "loop" wire taped to it.

Unplug your IQ4 and plug that loop in.  It will turn your converter into a "1-stage BULK charger" that will put all of its effort into charging your battery to the max.  The danger is you can damage your battery if you leave thus "bypass" plug in.  But, it is the best way to charge your battery AND drive your 110v appliances at the same time from your generator.

If you have an AGM battery, then you have the best of both worlds.  Unlike normal lead-acid batteries, an AGM battery can accept a charge at up to 4x its load rate (normal batteries are 1/2 or 1/4).  Thus, you can literally (if you have the power) do a FREAKING FAST RECHARGE of your AGM battery (AGM= Absorption Glass Matt).

Since I have an AGM battery, when dry camping, I plugged my camper in (converter, on the 110v output of my Honda 2000), and also plugged the 12v leads directly to my battery.  This gave it a much quicker charge - since I could not find my "bypass" lead.  I've since found it, which I'll use next time instead.

[AustinBoston]

If you have an AGM battery, then you have the best of both worlds.  Unlike normal lead-acid batteries, an AGM battery can accept a charge at up to 4x its load rate (normal batteries are 1/2 or 1/4).  Thus, you can literally (if you have the power) do a FREAKING FAST RECHARGE of your AGM battery (AGM= Absorption Glass Matt).

Another advantage to AGM batteries is that you do not need to vent them to the outside (normal lead-acid batteries give off potentially explosive hydrogen gas when charging and must be vented).  This means that theoretically you could plug it into a cigarette lighter inside your car and charge it while driving.  In practice, most cigarette lighter/accessory sockets are fused too low for this.

Austin

[wavery]

Another advantage to AGM batteries is that you do not need to vent them to the outside (normal lead-acid batteries give off potentially explosive hydrogen gas when charging and must be vented).  This means that theoretically you could plug it into a cigarette lighter inside your car and charge it while driving.  In practice, most cigarette lighter/accessory sockets are fused too low for this.

Austin

You can also mount the AGM batteries standing on end or upside down and you never have to service them (other than keeping them clean). That may not sound like a big deal but it could make a huge difference if you want to stick it in an inside locker or under the camper floor.