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Old 07-15-2015, 03:17 PM   #1
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1969 21' Globetrotter
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Inverter charger broken

I have an inverter charger from AIMS. It completely died this morning out of the blue. It's just passed a year but I'm pretty sure they're still going to repair it. But that involves sending it in.

I live full time in my globetrotter and I'm connected to shore power until October. I was just unsure of an inexpensive way of charging my batteries to power my DC appliances while my unit is being repaired?
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Old 07-15-2015, 05:15 PM   #2
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Go to Sears or Walmart and buy a cheap battery charger, one that will charge up to a 40 amp rate. Hook it up as needed to bring your battery back up when it gets a bit drained.
Don't leave it on all the time as it can overcharge the batteries. Its always a great backup to have. I've had my Sears model for over a decade... looks like hell but works great.
I used it in a campground to recharge my vehicle when some part of the electrical system is left on and drained the battery enough it would not turn over... give it a couple hours on that charger and away you can go.

Chuck
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Old 07-15-2015, 05:37 PM   #3
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I second the recommendation for a battery charger, but you probably don't need the 40-amp rate. Generally on automotive chargers the high rate listed is a very short-burst capacity for starter boost. Even the built-in ones generally don't need to charge at their high rate for very long unless you have a large battery bank.

The main thing to look for is one that says it's automatic, so if you forget and leave it plugged in it'll dial back the charge rate once the battery is fully charged.

Here's one from Wal-Mart.
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Old 07-15-2015, 06:02 PM   #4
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This is mine, regularly comes in handy.

http://www.amazon.com/Deltran-Batter...Battery+Tender
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Old 07-15-2015, 06:33 PM   #5
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Do you travel with the coach or are you stationary?
If you are stationary you don't need a battery at all. As long as you are plugged in to shore power. Most modern converters will do you just fine without a battery.


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Old 07-15-2015, 07:59 PM   #6
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Thanks for the suggestions. Could an automatic battery charger be left on for a couple of weeks and charge while having power drawn from the battery at the same time? My only DC appliances that really get regular use right now are my fantastic fan and an Atwood on demand water heater?
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Old 07-16-2015, 08:31 PM   #7
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Trickle charge

Most of these chargers have the trickle charge option which is designed for leaving on a battery that is basically being stored... The newer multi-stage chargers will do a better job by ratcheting down the voltage drive to meet the needs of the battery's condition based upon its current state of charge. These cost a bit more but do not require babysitting. They are very similar to the charger built into the charger/inverter. As I said earlier my charger is over 10 years old and has seen a lot of use and abuse and still works like a champ.
It does not have all of the new tech to do automatic multi-stage charging. Most of the new ones you would buy today would have those features simply they are so inexpensive to include to any charger but a very basic one.

Sears, WalMart, Pep Boys, AutoZone, and all of the other automotive chain stores should offer at least on charger if not more... Sears has one of the largest selections. Stop asking and just go buy one before your battery dies! Every time you drain a battery you take life out of it... the deeper you draw the more life you remove. It can take thousands of shallow cycles but only hundreds of deep cycles. Drawing it down to flat can shorten its life significantly.

Chuck
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Old 07-17-2015, 05:11 AM   #8
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Question

"AIMS. It completely died this morning out of the blue."

Well that's a bummer....especially since AIMS has a good reputation & $$$$$.

How about a couple hundred dollar spare...no inverter, but a 3 stage could stay plugged in 24/7.

Bob
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