Thread: start v deep cycle battery running engle - test

Originally posted by matbor+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(matbor)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-drivesafe
When you come back to your camp site at the day, if you have an inverter and a battery charger, you can hook the inverter up to the auxiliary battery in the vehicle and run an extension cord over to the camp batteries, to power the battery charger and charge the camp batteries over night.

Interesting idea, but how well does it work ?? 12v to 240v and then back to 12v to charge the battery, must be a easier way than that !![/b][/quote]

It depends on how you do your math

Going 12 to 240 and back to 12 will not be all that efficient but there is a major advantage.

But first, connecting batteries with different charge levels is not all that efficient but works and as for the theory that the batteries will be irrevocably damaged because the lower charged battery will pull the voltage out of the higher charged battery, this is what happens but other than loosing some capacity, I’ve never come across any problems where people have done it on a regular basis.

Now back to the inverter/ charger set up and I’ll use weeds arrangement as the exempt.

The main advantage is that you can charge the camp battery up from the vehicle’s auxiliary battery, over night and by the time you are ready to go for your drive in the morning the auxiliary battery will be low while the camp battery will be fully charged. You can’t get this result by simply connecting two batteries together in parallel.

Using this system, if you know that you will be doing at least 2 hours driving each day, you wouldn’t need the solar panel in the first place.

Another advantage is that if the is going to be a fair distance from the vehicle to the camp battery, use another 240v extension cord. This works out heaps cheaper than having to have long heavy gauge 12 dc cables.

Let us know if you do.

I was told of the set up by one of my customers about 10 or so years ago.

He had an F150 and trailer and would go up to the Gulf country every year for a month or so, Barra fishing.

He had two auxiliary batteries in the back of the F150 which he charged up while driving to and from his fishing hole.

He used the inverter / charger set up to charge a third auxiliary which was powering a large fridge back at the camp site which, as he put it, as he drained the beer, he replaced it with Barra.

It worked a treat for him.