Progressive Dynamics PD9130 wiring Q?

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J

jr345jr

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Joined
Mar 23, 2018
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Hey,

Quick background. We borrow a 1997 Kit Companion 20MT from time to time. In the process of upgrading to a PD9130 with Charge Wizard pendent. The owner has kept it plugged in for the past nine months. The 22 year old 30 amp MegneTek 900 series converter/charge has been putting out a constant 12.8 volts so the two year old, Armor Plate maintenance free, deep cycle batteries may be shot. They seem to hold a stable 12.6 volts at 40 degree outside temp after being bench charged so hopefully they're okay.

Reading through the Progressive Dynamics FAQs, they indicate there should be a fuse within 12 inches of the battery since the converter/charges is more than 18 inches from the battery. The install instructions don't mention this. Existing 8 gauge wire.

The trailer currently doesn't have a fuse in this location. Is adding a fuse within 12 inches of the battery a standard practice? Needed?

Thanks.
 
I don't know if it's a standard practice......But it's a good idea.

If the hot wire should wear though the insulation and ground out it could get ugly very quickly.
 
Follow up Q:

The existing unit positive is wired to the DC fuse panel bus bar, then to a second bus bar, then to the battery bank (two 12vdc deep cycle lead acid). 8 gauge wire. Only ten feet between unit and first battery.

For faster generator charging, can/should we upgrade to a 45 amp converter/charger?
 
Not sure what amp rating your current converter sends to the battery So a little hard to say if you would be improving your situation.

That said...........

If it not broken are you sure you want to fix it.

 
Current converter/charger is 30 amp.  Typo on the model number. Corrected to PD9130!
 
On my FW, the battery hot goes through the back wall of the battery bay into the cargo bay.  On that wall in the cargo bay are several breakers, including the main hot from the battery.  That fuse then feeds breakers for slides, landing gear, and sends power about 10 ft to the main fuse box and converter.  The breakers look like this.

https://smile.amazon.com/Fastronix-Automatic-Reset-Circuit-Breaker/dp/B07NSD3KYH/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1Q29T48L9LEWO&keywords=rv+breaker&qid=1575776362&sprefix=rv+breaker%2Caps%2C221&sr=8-5
 
Crawled under the trailer and identified the auto resetting circuit breakers. I was envisioning an automotive type replaceable fuse instead of the auto reset circuit breaker. Thanks.
 
You can upgrade the 9130 to a 9145 as long as the wiring to the battery is capable of up to 45A (or fused/breakered at an amp rating that matches the wire size. A very short length of 8 gauge should be fine with a peak load of 45A. However, it isn't going to have much effect on the total charging time because rarely will the battery accept 45A or even 35.  You only get the max charge rate when the battery bank is deeply discharged, and even then it soon changes to a lower amp rate (read up on 3-stage charging and how it works). 


How much charge rate is "enough" depends on the amp-hour capacity of the battery bank. Most battery manufacturers recommend a charge rate of about 0.3C, where C is the total amp-hour (AH) capacity of the battery bank. You can go a bit higher, maybe 0.4C with a top quality charge management system, but 0.2-0.3 is safest. Especially as the battery ages.  So, a 35A max charge rate is ok for about a 100-120 AH battery bank. A 45A charge is right sized for a 150 AH battery bank.
 
Thanks for the info Gary. Since we have two deep cycle, lead acid flooded cell 12v batteries, would the 45 amp charger be more beneficial?
 
"two deep cycle 12v batteries" doesn't tell me much - could be anywhere from 150AH to about 230 AH, but I see zero risk in using a 45A instead of 30A. The 8 gauge wire is sufficient but the circuit breaker may well be limited to 30A or thereabout. You may need to replace it with a 45-50A breaker to avoid the occasional "nuisance" breaker trip when the batteries are low and the charger pumps out high amps.

I once replaced a Magnetec 950 with a 90A Iota DLS after expending my battery bank to 330 AH. The breaker was integrated with the BCC (battery charge control) and a PITA to replace, so I just added a bypass to enable the charger to use full amperage if needed. If the 50A breaker tripped, I went to the battery bay and engaged the bypass switch and reset the 50A breaker.  After about 30 minutes the charge rate dropped enough that I could switch the bypass  off again.  We didn't boondock much so that happened only a couple times a year and wasn't a big deal. If I was boondocking more so that deep discharges were more frequent, I probably would have come up with a more convenient solution.
 
Ended up getting an Iota DLS45 with IQ4 module. Couldn't find a Progressive Dynamics 9145 or 9245 anywhere close by. The PD units on Amazon seem to be "grey market" so decided to buy local from an RV solar electric supplier in Monroe, Oregon. 

Installed the Iota tonight and two new auto reset circuit breakers. Cleaned up the wiring (old 8 gauge wire sheath was rubbed through in two spots!)

Batteries now charging at 13.58 volts float stage with the new Iota. Hopefully they'll recover a bit. Bench charged them four days ago. After charge they went from 12.64 -12.61 volts in three days. Tonight they were at 12.58 volts. Ambient air temps  are pretty steady in the garage at 55-60 degrees.
 
I just bought a PD9260 off of Amazon.  Came in a PD box, brand new, wrapped unit, including the remote pendant and an instruction manual.  Installed in about 10 minutes(replacing another PD unit, a 9155)and now all my lights and batteries are happy again.
Best part was I ordered it on a Tuesday at about 12:30pm and had it in my hand by 10:30am on the Wed before Thanksgiving.
 
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