Which model of wfco do I have?

[doughpat]

Originally Posted by lsbrodsky

Yes, but it takes good sun to really fully charge a lead acid battery.
Larry

Ok—thanks. That changes my priority of things. I live in the high desert—sun intensity is not a problem. I think it may make more sense to add solar before upgrading the converter.

[rmkrum]

I’d fix the solar system first. Ours is a kit from AMSolar that I installed myself. Highly recommended.

I’m running 150 watts of solar (one big panel on the roof) with an MPPT controller in the high desert of California. Usually unplugged in storage.

I run one FantasticFan on low to ventilate the Airstream all day. Batteries stay charged and use little water all year round.

Plan to upgrade the OEM stock converter eventually, because on our last trip with shore power available most nights, battery water consumption went up significantly on the old battery boiler fixed output converter. Solar controller also checks temperature at the batteries, and is what I depend on for proper charging nowadays.

Just check battery water levels at least once a month if you have flooded lead acid (conventional) batteries installed.

[AirMiles]

Originally Posted by doughpat

A bit of a newbie question here: if you have solar (and a good controller such as the victron 100/30), does that bypass the wfco and go straight to the battery? In other words, if I keep the wfco converter (for now) will I be able to reap the quick-charging (I.e. 14.X v) benefits of solar?

Yes, Solar charges the batteries through the EXCELLENT Victron 100/30 solar controller which allows complete customization of charging parameters. You can easily program the Victron to charge exactly as recommended by the battery manufacturer. If you add the $50 Victron Smart Battery Sense module, it will add temperature and voltage compensation (I have and recommend this) to the Victron 100/30. If you choose to buy the BMV-712, it will give temperature compensation, but not voltage compensation. But the BMV-712 will give you other battery monitoring functionality. I prefer the "compensation" vs "monitoring". I was told, you cannot use both the BMV-712 and the Smart Battery Sense module together, its one or the other. That's why I chose the Smart Battery Sense Module. And yes, you keep your WFCO in place to charge with your generator or 120V when the solar does not provide enough charge.