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  1. #21
    Long Hauler Paul & Deb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by surfintom View Post
    I wonder if your WFCO was junk or if they all are.
    I wouldn't be too quick to dump your WFCO converter. They are capable 4 stage units and should give you years of service ..... until they fail. Mine just died after 4 years and I replaced it with a Progressive Dynamic.
    Paul "Poppy" and Deb Cervone
    2022 Imagine XLS 22MLE
    2021 Imagine XLS 17MKE - SOLD ; 2015 Grand Design Reflection 337RLS - SOLD
    2016 GMC Denali 3500HD SRW Duramax/Allison CC 4x4; Tire Minder TPMS

  2. #22
    Site Sponsor surfintom's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SouthTX View Post
    Those are *nice* units, but over-kill (and over-priced) for my needs. If I had solar, I'd have one for sure.
    I have solar. Here's the charge controller. Can it provide the battery status to help me understand if the WFCO is functioning properly?

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Tom and Kathy
    Fort Collins, CO
    2018 Reflection 29RS
    2016 RAM 2500, 6.7 Turbo Diesel,
    Crew Cab, Standard Bed, Hitch Prep
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  3. #23
    Big Traveler
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    Quote Originally Posted by SouthTX View Post
    Those are *nice* units, but over-kill (and over-priced) for my needs. If I had solar, I'd have one for sure.
    I would want to use this strictly for battery monitoring to avoid over discharging.
    MidwestCamper

    Jim & Dawn
    Near Milford, Michigan
    2017 Imagine 2600RB
    2015 GMC Sierra 1500 Double Cab 4x4

  4. #24
    Site Sponsor surfintom's Avatar
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    It sounds like John and Poppy have similar setups - including the venting. I'm leaning that way. Thanks guys.
    Here are the things as I understand them.
    It seems like there's disagreement WRT DoD for both wet and AGM GC batts. I belive you can take GC batts down farther than the 12V counterparts and they won't die. BUT the more often you take them below 50%, the more your shorten their lives. Hence 50% is a smart target and a batt meter/monitor is a smart investment.
    The WFCO charger may work fine, but should be monitored as they do more harm than good when they go bad.
    I asked about my solar charge controller as a batt monitor. It's called a digital volt meter, but I'm not sure it is. I read the manual and I don't think there's a mode that displays the current batt voltage, but I could be missing something.
    Thanks again. I gotta go. Playing golf in a couple hours and it's already up to 40 degrees here in Colorado!
    Tom and Kathy
    Fort Collins, CO
    2018 Reflection 29RS
    2016 RAM 2500, 6.7 Turbo Diesel,
    Crew Cab, Standard Bed, Hitch Prep
    B&W Companion Hitch


  5. #25
    Site Sponsor sande005's Avatar
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    For my old 2-6v system, I did blow the fuse on the charging line from the WFCO to the batteries once. The head mechanic at the dealership said that it was because with the greater capacity of the batteries, if deeply discharged, the charger was trying to supply more current than the fuse could take. He advised, rather than a new charger and heavier wire, to replace the fuse with an automatic resetting circuit breaker. Their store happily sold me one that fit the fuse socket. Then if the breaker did trip, after cooling down it would reset, and charging would continue - usually at a lower rate, since the batteries weren't needing the high amount subsequently. I never had a problem after, so didn't do a deep dive into the subject to see if that was the real cause or not.
    2017 Imagine 2670MK
    2012 F-150 SCrew, Eco, 4x4 6.5 box
    Max. Tow, HD Payload, Airbags, ProPride hitch
    (Previous: Jayco 26.5RLS Fifth, Revolution Pinbox)

  6. #26
    King Pin
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    I replaced my functioning WFCO converter last week with a Progressive Dynamics converter that is specifically designed for lithium batteries. While going through the literature that came with the PD unit, there was a chart which stated approximate charging times based on the state of the battery and the mode the converter/charger was in. The chart had two times; the first was to go from a dead battery at 10.5V to 90% State of Charge (SOC) and the second time was to go from 90% to 100% SOC. Now I realize that none of us would ever run a lead acid or AGM battery down to 0% SOC. Right? But the second set of times to get from 90% to 100% SOC was eye opening for me. Here is the data.

    Time to go from 90% to 100% SOC

    Boost Mode (14.4V) - 2 Hours
    Normal/Absorption Mode (13.6V) - 38 Hours
    Float/Storage Mode (13.2V) - 40 Hours

    The boost, absorption and float mode voltages are the same between the WFCO and Progressive Dynamics converters. On some versions of the Progressive Dynamics converters, there is a device called a "Charge Wizard" which will allow the user to manually shift the charger to Boost Mode. Without this feature, you can count on about two days for your batteries to go from 90% to 100% and that's if you don't deplete them again during that period. So I guess running a generator for 2-3 hours while boondocking will not get you to the 100% SOC that we'd like if we don't have a way to force the converter into boost mode.



    Jim

  7. #27
    Long Hauler DaveMatthewsBand's Avatar
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    lol

    Glad I have lithium.

    I go from 70% to 100% every morning in a few hours. No generator, just solar.

    So worth it.



    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Resistance is Not Futile, It's Voltage Divided by Current.


  8. #28
    Site Sponsor Cate&Rob's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TucsonJim View Post
    I replaced my functioning WFCO converter last week with a Progressive Dynamics converter that is specifically designed for lithium batteries. While going through the literature that came with the PD unit, there was a chart which stated approximate charging times based on the state of the battery and the mode the converter/charger was in. The chart had two times; the first was to go from a dead battery at 10.5V to 90% State of Charge (SOC) and the second time was to go from 90% to 100% SOC. Now I realize that none of us would ever run a lead acid or AGM battery down to 0% SOC. Right? But the second set of times to get from 90% to 100% SOC was eye opening for me. Here is the data.

    Time to go from 90% to 100% SOC

    Boost Mode (14.4V) - 2 Hours
    Normal/Absorption Mode (13.6V) - 38 Hours
    Float/Storage Mode (13.2V) - 40 Hours

    The boost, absorption and float mode voltages are the same between the WFCO and Progressive Dynamics converters. On some versions of the Progressive Dynamics converters, there is a device called a "Charge Wizard" which will allow the user to manually shift the charger to Boost Mode. Without this feature, you can count on about two days for your batteries to go from 90% to 100% and that's if you don't deplete them again during that period. So I guess running a generator for 2-3 hours while boondocking will not get you to the 100% SOC that we'd like if we don't have a way to force the converter into boost mode.



    Jim
    Jim,

    Another way around this is to size your battery bank so that normal usage is 30% of nominal capacity. This is what we do on the boat and live between 80% and 50% state of charge. This takes about two hours of generator run time per day which we do with an hour at breakfast and an hour a dinner.

    Rob
    Cate & Rob
    2015 Reflection 303RLS

  9. #29
    King Pin
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cate&Rob View Post
    Jim,

    Another way around this is to size your battery bank so that normal usage is 30% of nominal capacity. This is what we do on the boat and live between 80% and 50% state of charge. This takes about two hours of generator run time per day which we do with an hour at breakfast and an hour a dinner.

    Rob
    That makes a lot of sense Rob. In other words, with enough battery capacity, you don't need to try for 100% SOC. So from what I'm understanding, when you're running for those one hour periods, you're in boost mode?

    Jim

  10. #30
    Site Sponsor Cate&Rob's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TucsonJim View Post
    That makes a lot of sense Rob. In other words, with enough battery capacity, you don't need to try for 100% SOC. So from what I'm understanding, when you're running for those one hour periods, you're in boost mode?

    Jim
    Hi Jim,

    My offshore battery recharging is far less sophisticated than a multi-stage charger. I have a marine alternator/generator mounted to my 120V generator. This puts out up to 80 amps at about 13.6V at whatever amperage the battery bank will take. Watching the charge amperage is interesting . . . governed entirely by what the batteries will accept. They start out accepting the full output of the alternator and this drops steadily although the voltage remains constant until after about an hour, the bank will take only about 30 amps.

    I don’t have a solar charging system, but I have to think that these too would often be limited by what the batteries will accept rather than what the panels can put out . . . same as my alternator.

    When I return to shore power, I connect a 3 stage plus equalize charger (a “converter” in RV terms) and this process will take a couple of days to get the bank up to 100% and equalized.

    Rob
    Cate & Rob
    2015 Reflection 303RLS

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