supermanotorious
Well-known member
Interesting. I will likely charge each 6V individually assuming I have the time.
byrogie said:Those instructions are for using all 12 volt batteries, so series/parallel makes 24 volts. You have 4 x 6 volts, each 2 connected in series to get 12 volts., and then connected parallel to give you 12 volts with 2 times the amps.
When all is connected you will get the same reading on all batteries, 6+ volts individually, and 12+ volts measured as a pair or group (main posts + and -). Main posts are the ones that lead into the main trailer wiring. These posts will be used for charging from your converter and should be used when using an external charger.
A "battery tender" is a maintainer, not great as a charger. Do you have a good 3/4 stage converter? If so, plug the trailer in and let it work. If not, replace with new.
That 7300 is the same panel that is in my coach, don't believe it is a smart converter at all. If you have your coach plugged in when you hook up you XC10, it will think your battery bank is fully charged. I've been working on my power problems a bit too, and I haven't seen my 7300 go into a float charge yet. I'm going to upgrade my converter to one of these.supermanotorious said:I have a Schumacher XC10 microprocessor controlled 3-stage charger. The converter/charger model in the coach is pictured in the first post in this thread. I believe it is a newer charger but I have no idea how it functions (single stage, 3-stage, etc). So for now I am charging with the XC10. I just want the batteries to be fully charged and I'm interested/curious/concerned as to why when the "bank" is fully charged, each individual battery has taken an additional charge for about 12 hours each. Maybe its not an issue, maybe it is. I only linked the Battery Tender site as it seemed to be the most knowledgeable regarding the use of a charger on a battery bank. I would assume the same concepts apply to 6V batteries as they do 12V batteries for this purpose.
Why not just leave the XC10 connected to the full bank all the time ? If it's a smart charger it will very the voltage to maintain your bank, it will just take longer.supermanotorious said:Thank you for the suggestions. I knew the converter output could fool the XC10 so I disconnected the converter using the push/pull switch in the coach for charging off the XC10. My budget is absolutely tapped at this point so I will look at higher amperage chargers when I have more scratch. For now, I will likely disconnect and individually charge the batteries using the XC10 and starting several days before any trip.
92GA said:Why not just leave the XC10 connected to the full bank all the time ? If it's a smart charger it will very the voltage to maintain you bank, it will just take longer.
byrogie said:Your schumacher is only 10 amps, will take a long time to charge your bank. You need more power!
You can do an upgrade to your converter, or get a stand alone converter as a charger. Others on this forum have similar setups and can comment on how much power you need.
I would guess at least 55 amp... Make sure it is 3/4 stage, and a reputable brand conducive to your situation.
Just because the Schumacher says fully charged, doesn't necessarily mean it is. Check with SG, specific gravity.
I say again, look/treat as ONE battery, for use and charging.