battery charger

[ALANSD]

Before I go out and buy a new charger for my cars, and motorhome.....
my old one is a "cliplight" simple 12v charger that shuts off when the battery is fully charged. After having it quite a few years it stopped charging.
I checked the wiring inside and it was putting out 12v to the small circuit board (led for on and "charge") but only 2v at the wires to the battery. I bypassed the circuit board and now get 13.5v output at the wires. Isn't this too high? Should I throw it in the trash and buy a new one?
It is a 10amp charger by the way.

[74Argosy24MH]

FWIW- a little 1 1/2 amp charger/maintainer I have is 13.3v. My starter/charger on 12v fast is 15.6v, on start is 18.8v. A 12v battery is really 2.1 to 2.2v per cell, closer to 13v.

John

[ALANSD]

well it sounds like mine will be useable as is. I will have to put a timer on it so it doesn't overcharge.
I ran my Airstream over to a mall just to drive it, and by the time I got back my coach batteries read ok on the panel, and were up to 12+v on the volt meter. I think it might help if I use a heacier cord to run the power out to the AS when it is in my driveway. I have been using the extension cord from my electric lawn equipment- but I went to an RV type heavy duty extension cord today. Next I need 30amp service in my garage.

[davidz71]

Alan,
I use a 10 amp/2 amp for my vehicles but will not use either setting on my camper batteries. Right now a BatteryMinder purchased from www.batterymart.com for $39.95 is keeping a maintenance charge on the batteries before I leave out next Fri. for a 3 day hunt.

[Pick]

I purchased a similar charger from our local Interstate Battery distributor for $29.95.

[ve3czn]

If your battery is a 12 vdc unit it requires more than 12 volts to put ant current into the battery.
A small charger will work as well as a larger one . The different is how much the charger can deliver.
It is like having a large pail of water and taking onlly as much as you need from it.

A 50 Amp charger is capable of delivering 50 Amps, but you can draw 5 amps from it as well.

The charge that is in the battery will determine the amount of current running into the battery. A small charger will take longer to charge the battery . A 5 to 10 amp should suffice. A timmer is not necessary . The battery will limit the current into the battery because it will rise to the voltage level of the charger and reduce the current flow into the battery.

Eg two cars of equal power head on head will go no where. but if one is just a bit stronger then one will move.

Rae

[ve3czn]

A battery has two things. Voltage (pressure) and Current (quantity of electricity)

If uo have a battery that is down to 11.00 volts you require a charge of greater voltage eg 13.6 to put any current into the battery.

As the battery charges the voltage will rise to the charge level and will reduce the amount of current going into the battery.

Both a 3 Amp and a 20 Amp charge will charge the same battery. The difference is the delivery capability of the chargers.
The battery condition will require a specific amount of charge. The larger charger can deliver more than the smaller one.

As the battery charger will limit the current as the voltage rises.
I have both 3 amp/10 amp/ and 50 amp supplies and can use any or all.

Rae Baker
Electronic Service Lab.

[BMW Sid]

My univolt died. It hummed, but was only putting out 2V. I bought a different unit, Intelli-Power PD9145A 45A Electronic RV Converter/Charger
which seems to be doing OK, but have not had a chance to actually camp with it.
I got ahold of the service guy at that place, and bought a re-worked unit for less than half what a new unit was. It has a "charge wizard" in it, and charges at 3 different levels, decreasing as the battery comes up, till shutting down when full.

[BMW Sid]

I replaced my univolt with an Intelipower unit. As I was awitching the wires, I see a large blue wire that was labled on the connector board "to car battery circuit #5 agu 40" (or something close to that) BUT! before I re-connected that wire, nothing up front, the ammeter, water pump, water level
indicators, would work! I then hooked the big blue wire up, and all that stuff works!
It seems the center conductor was supposed to be the 12 volt supply to the trailer, but it is not wired that way. That is part of the confusing part.
I have the original manual, and the plug diagrams don't even mirror eachother, which confuses me even more........it dosn't seem I am charging the trailer battery from the tow vehicle, either.
Originally, when I first bought this trailer, I had a "professional" hook up the brake control and running lights, which should have included the battery wire. It has been years since then, and all this time, I just thought the problem was the univolt, but now suspect that was only part of the problem.
Do the wires in the cord that plugs into the tow vehicle connect at diffent places than at the front? The brakes work OK, all the trailer lights too. Seems like one of them conundrums to me...