Battery Health

[Overtime]

I have been digging into why my house batteries failed so soon after I purchased my 2019 Quantum C Class. Here is what is found:
The original batteries weren’t “good” batteries. I replaced them with 2 virgin lead deep cycle batteries that weight around 10#s more per battery (not all Powertron batteries are created equal)
The converter is 50A WFCO and has 3 charging modes. I noticed that it would go into equalize or bulk mode at 14.4V but only for a short time. After talking with the rep, the bulk mode is triggered by the DC load on the converter and not on time. It is only in bulk (or equalize, or absorption) mode as long as the converter DC current is greater then 10 ADC.
Given this, i am going to install a Quick Charge battery charger directly to the house batteries that will equalize the house batteries at 14.5V until the charge current falls to around 2 amps. This will take from 8-12 hours giving the batteries a good charge and absorption.
I am going to hard wired the charger on the AC side too. This will allow the batteries to charge when the isolation switch is off and the generator is on auto triggered by a low voltage set point.

[16ACE27]

You didn't take into account the abuse the batteries suffered on the dealer's lot before you bought the RV.

Bulk and absorption modes are not the same thing. If the load of charging current by the battery bank is less than 10 amps in bulk mode the converter is smart enough to switch to absorption mode, and then to float mode when the battery is fully charged. Adding a separate charger with a different charging profile in parallel to the converter will not only affect how that charger operates/reacts to battery voltage, but also affect how the converter charges and may not accomplish what you are trying to do.

Good luck with your experiment.

[Overtime]

Originally Posted by 16ACE27

You didn't take into account the abuse the batteries suffered on the dealer's lot before you bought the RV.

Bulk and absorption modes are not the same thing. If the load of charging current by the battery bank is less than 10 amps in bulk mode the converter is smart enough to switch to absorption mode, and then to float mode when the battery is fully charged. Adding a separate charger with a different charging profile in parallel to the converter will not only affect how that charger operates/reacts to battery voltage, but also affect how the converter charges and may not accomplish what you are trying to do.

Good luck with your experiment.

Thanks, good point the batteries were abused for sure. Talking with the Quick Charge folks I can either unhook my converter and use a 50A charger or parallel a 10A charger for the extended equalize feather. I am trying to decide if it is worth the $300 more for the 50A