I am also needing to replace a dead univolt. Which inteli-power would be best for my '78 Sovereign? The univolt is located between the battery boxes under the gaucho.
Hi tcrum, Welcome to the forums. A 45amp inteli-power will work fine. It really depends on how you will be using the trailer. You will get a faster charge with a higher amp unit but do you need that. I picked one up from BestConverter - Converters, Inverters, Electrical Supplies, Electronics and I haven't had any problems. Shop around prices and service will vary.
Welcome to the forums. Replacing the Univolt up front between the battery boxes is pretty straightforward. Once the couch is out of the way, access is great, unlike those in bathroom cabinets. I have photos at Univolt Replaced with Inteli-Power 9280.
The general consensus is that you might want to go a little larger than 45 amps for two batteries, 60 is very popular. I have nothing but good things to say about either of my Inteli-Power converters.
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I've also got a question: If I am going all electric on my '71 Overlander, meaning I have an electric heater, electric microwave, computer, Television, use electric for the refer and will probably go with a dual elec/gas water heater, is the Intellipower 45 amp good enough? We will be taking our long maiden voyage in the spring--ie. month long.
Thanks!!
I've also got a question: If I am going all electric on my '71 Overlander, meaning I have an electric heater, electric microwave, computer, Television, use electric for the refer and will probably go with a dual elec/gas water heater, is the Intellipower 45 amp good enough? We will be taking our long maiden voyage in the spring--ie. month long.
Thanks!!
Is everything you listed baring the water heater going to be 120VAC?
Personally I went with the 60 amp for the faster charge time.
re: "You will get a faster charge with a higher amp unit" - not likely. An RV converter will not push the voltage up high enough to get much current into a battery for any length of time. That, plus the fact that you should avoid running your batteries below 12v (measured after resting at least a half hour) means that battery charge currents for a 1 or 2 battery RV bank seldom go above 20 amps for any length of time.
The higher capacity converter ratings do provide for being able to charge the battery as well as run most 12v appliances concurrently.
When you get an Intelli-Power, make sure you get the Charge Wizard. Some have it built in and others need an external dongle with smarts.
The 'all electric' idea opens up a can of worms because it gets into anticipated energy needs, sources, reserve times, and such things. Of course, if it means 'always on grid' then you don't have to worry about batteries that much.
re: "You will get a faster charge with a higher amp unit" - not likely. An RV converter will not push the voltage up high enough to get much current into a battery for any length of time. That, plus the fact that you should avoid running your batteries below 12v (measured after resting at least a half hour) means that battery charge currents for a 1 or 2 battery RV bank seldom go above 20 amps for any length of time.
The higher capacity converter ratings do provide for being able to charge the battery as well as run most 12v appliances concurrently.
In my situation I do boondock and if my solar is not keeping up I will run the battery down below 12VDC. Since this a basically a battery charger the more amps(not volts) you can push the faster the charge. I could be wrong.
I did start the sentence with personally. The statement is based off my personal experiences and nothing more.
Quote:
Originally Posted by silverleeper
Personally I went with the 60 amp for the faster charge time.
Last time I talked with Best Converter, I believe he was recommending Iota converter for replacing my UniVolt.
After a quick conversation with Randy, I ordered, received and installed an IOTA DLS-55 w/IQ4 this last week (nice guy, good price, fast shipping). I don't have the pictures with me, or I'd post a few showing the burn marks where the Parallax 7355 mainboard burned up while exploding one of the Interstate batteries. I really like that proportional speed fan.
re "Since this a basically a battery charger the more amps(not volts) you can push the faster the charge. I could be wrong." - I tried to explain. You can't get amps without volts to push them. The volts in RV converters are limited in order to avoid overvoltage in various appliances (among other things). The voltage of a discharged battery will rapidly increase during the first phase of charging (as will its impedance). As the battery voltage comes up to the charge voltage, the amount of current you can push through the wiring decreases.
See Lead-Acid Battery State of Charge vs. Voltage for some nice graphs. Also keep in mind that about 20 amps charge current for a 100 AH battery is usually considered a maximum recommended level.
Some automotive battery chargers will put the voltage up to 16v or higher in order to push a charge into a battery very fast so a car can be started quickly. This is convenient but is rather hard on batteries (and could be disaster to some equipment in the car).
Yes you can run batteries flat. If you do this on a regular basis, don't expect to get much life out of your batteries. The 50% SoC goal is a rule of thumb for cost effectiveness in battery bank capital costs and replacement costs over time.
Jim: Does the Iota converter also provide sulfation inhibition technique storage maintenance like the charge wizard based things do?
I have an intel 45 amp and it works great with no problems. I had a 50 amp box put in my trailer which I have a seperate plug in cord for. I have never used it, but if I go to a camp ground and I need extra power I will plug it in. I have two seperate receptical boxes for pluging in appliances. I could use electric heaters, power tools or what ever else I want to run. I won't have to worry about tripping breaker boxes. It is out of site and in a safe place.
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