Converter / Charger = Made In U.S.A

[Harrysheets]

What is a good 12V Converter / Charger which is made in the USA?

So far I could only confirm Progressive Dynamics and possibly Iota.

I need to buy a 12V 55A model and prefer one made in the US or Canada.

Scott

[Bruce B]

Good luck finding something other than Progressive actually made in this country!
I haven’t looked at Progressive in a few years, do they actually manufacturer a real multi-step, temperature compensated converter these days? When I went looking for a US built replacement converter 5 years ago, I ended up using a charger manufactured by Charles. It had the requisite internal capacitance to work as a converter if I ever shut off the battery, something we never do, and it has good charging algorithms including temperature sensing.
Charles recently closed the division that made the device so obviously, that won’t work and getting it installed was not a simple plug and play exercise.
I hate purchasing Chinese anything when a US alternative is available. I believe that charging the batteries correctly is more important in this case...
Of course, even if you do have a multi step converter/charger you still subject the trailer batteries to incorrect charging voltage every time you tow so...
Bruce

[Woosch]

I put the PD4655 in our unit last year from bestconverter.com. Had a question about something during the install and got a quick answer from Randy. We have been very happy with it.

[tjdonahoe]

My original converter is temperature compensated , our 13 31’ Classic....origial batterieswere just replaced..5 years...not bad..replacedwith more interstates converter is good

[Harrysheets]

Thanks for the feedback. I will probably buy a PD9260. The Parallax gets you the temp compensation but I'm not sure how valuable it is. Scott

[ke6gkv]

hello Scott, i also used a pd 9260; 1.5 years so far and everything works great. kurt

[HeltzelEricE]

I replaced the original 55A with a PD9260 from Randy at Bestconverter over a year ago. Works great. A little sound once and a while when cycling, but after researching looks like it’s typical. Usually it’s silent. Still much better than the constant hum of the old converter.

[Abraham]

Originally Posted by Bruce B

Good luck finding something other than Progressive actually made in this country!
I haven’t looked at Progressive in a few years, do they actually manufacturer a real multi-step, temperature compensated converter these days? When I went looking for a US built replacement converter 5 years ago, I ended up using a charger manufactured by Charles. It had the requisite internal capacitance to work as a converter if I ever shut off the battery, something we never do, and it has good charging algorithms including temperature sensing.
Charles recently closed the division that made the device so obviously, that won’t work and getting it installed was not a simple plug and play exercise.
I hate purchasing Chinese anything when a US alternative is available. I believe that charging the batteries correctly is more important in this case...
Of course, even if you do have a multi step converter/charger you still subject the trailer batteries to incorrect charging voltage every time you tow so...
Bruce

Why do you say that 'towing subjects trailer batteries to incorrect voltage'?
Are you talking about something other than lead acid 12v batteries, or what?

Abe

[ranjerme]

In process of upgrading solar system on my 05 34' Classic.

Going from factory wired system (2 X 100w on roof) with old Go Solar controller and 4 different sized AGM batteries (from the dealer with no comment on the Parallax not being sufficient to charge) to the following:

PD9260C from bestconverters (after speaking with Randy) to replace the old Parallax 9455 single stage charger.
Trimetric TM 2030 monitor and SC 2030 charge controller
Four Crown 110 AH AGM batteries
New wiring all around.

Looking forward to installing in the coming week.

Got the new solar leads run to the battery bank in front (the original dealer had wired the panels through the fridge wire), This was the trickiest part but after much research and digging, was able to go from under the fridge cabinet in a channel under the floor to the other side behind a panel next to the garbage. Was worried about how I would wire heavier wire in but it seemed to go ok with no new holes needed. If anyone wants more info, let me know.

[absteen]

We have a 2017 FB International with a Parallax 5300 series power center. While I can't find anything that says where it is made, it appears to be very well built. It has a 3 stage charging system to maintain the battery charge. I just checked, and the battery cells are still full up. No boil over issues. So far, so good

[rmkrum]

Tow vehicle charge line voltage varies all over the map for several reasons. The engine alternator regulator mainly sees the tow vehicle starting battery voltage. After a start, it pumps up to 13.8 volts or more to the battery to charge it quickly. Then it backs off to keep in charged.

In the meantime, way at the end of the trailer umbilical and it’s relatively small wire, sits the AS house battery. It probably sees less voltage, because of the long wire, and may or may not get a regulated charge because of this voltage drop.

It’s not really incorrect voltage, but it won’t necessarily be right for its state of charge. Not much to do about it, but live with it.

On my rig, the solar controller also complicates things because it is closely monitoring battery voltage, and at times, will pump current toward the tow vehicle side.

Bottom line, it’s not worth worrying about on the road. Just make sure batteries water levels are ok, and drive on...

[JCWDCW]

Once the house batteries are fully charged there is no voltage line loss no matter what the size of wire; the loss only happens when there is current flowing, so comments about wire size are irrelevant to this question, unless the TV voltage is too high.
If the alternator on the TV is only putting out 13.8 volts ( usually the limit of the regulators) it is very unlikely you would overcharge the house batteries during a typical run.... plus there is nearly always a draw on the batteries from fridge and other phantom uses in the trailer.
JCW

[Bruce B]

Originally Posted by Abraham

Why do you say that 'towing subjects trailer batteries to incorrect voltage'?
Are you talking about something other than lead acid 12v batteries, or what?

Abe

In a perfect world, batteries are charged with temperature compensation and at differing voltages according to state of charge. When hooked up to the tow vehicle, you are simply subjecting them to the voltage that the tow vehicles charging system dictates. That voltage is determined by the needs of the starting battery and its state of charge. It is not temperature compensated or multi step in nature.
It works to a degree but it is not the healthiest thing in the world for a house battery.
If you have AGM batteries, the voltages are just wrong.
It all adds up to shorter battery life in your Airstream...
Most battery manufacturers publish data on exactly how and at what voltages their products should be charged to, there is no mystery here.
Bruce

[Bruce B]

Originally Posted by tjdonahoe

My original converter is temperature compensated , our 13 31’ Classic....origial batterieswere just replaced..5 years...not bad..replacedwith more interstates converter is good

Our 6 year old 4D AGM battery still has 90% of its capacity per the recent load test I performed. We have great voltage as the battery is discharged too. With replacements pushing $800 I'd love to get a few more years out of it. I have no reason to expect that I won't eithe other than the fact that we abused it terribly for the first year with that garbage Parallax converter...
On our boats we have seen 9 years with AGM banks that are properly cared for and we use them!
Bruce

[Wayne&Sam]

Originally Posted by Bruce B

8D age battery

What is that?

[Bruce B]

Originally Posted by Wayne&Sam

What is that?

Sorry about that. I got spellchecked!
What I intended to say was that our battery is a size 4D and that it is a Lifeline AGM.
We do a fair amount of boondocks camping in cold weather and I wanted more capacity so when we purchased the trailer I swapped out the little group 27 for the 4D. This gives us something like 200 amp hours of capacity. As our trailer came with factory solar, it came with an AGM type battery and as we've been pleased with the type on our boats, I stayed the course...
Bruce

[Abraham]

Originally Posted by Bruce B

In a perfect world, batteries are charged with temperature compensation and at differing voltages according to state of charge. When hooked up to the tow vehicle, you are simply subjecting them to the voltage that the tow vehicles charging system dictates. That voltage is determined by the needs of the starting battery and its state of charge. It is not temperature compensated or multi step in nature.
It works to a degree but it is not the healthiest thing in the world for a house battery.
If you have AGM batteries, the voltages are just wrong.
It all adds up to shorter battery life in your Airstream...
Most battery manufacturers publish data on exactly how and at what voltages their products should be charged to, there is no mystery here.
Bruce

Since AGM batteries are a recommended replacement in automotive use, I don't understand how 'the voltages are just wrong' when used in a travel trailer and charged by the TV.
The charge rate of the TV alternator is determined by the state of charge of ALL the batteries that are connected to the charge circuit, including the batteries in the trailer when hooked up. Voltage will equalize among all batteries that are in parallel.

[Bruce B]

Originally Posted by Abraham

Since AGM batteries are a recommended replacement in automotive use, I don't understand how 'the voltages are just wrong' when used in a travel trailer and charged by the TV.
The charge rate of the TV alternator is determined by the state of charge of ALL the batteries that are connected to the charge circuit, including the batteries in the trailer when hooked up. Voltage will equalize among all batteries that are in parallel.

If you download the user manual for Lifeline AGM batteries and read it you can see what I am referring to.
The reality is, battery charging requirements are complex, especially house banks that are subjected to deep discharges. When properly cared for, battery banks can last a long time and provide lots of energy right down to the maximum maximum 50% discharge level.
From what I’ve observed, most Airstreamers simply replace batteries once in a while and suffer the consequences of poor system design and poor battery management. If it works for you that is fine. There is such a small bank in most Airstreams that there is a very good argument against spending the money on batteries and components necessary to care for everything properly.
As most of us just cruise from one campground to another with minimal time spent running on batteries alone, it isn’t that big a deal.
We can spend a couple of days unplugged using heat, lights and still make coffee using the inverter. That was my goal and we do it regularly.
For the record, you could regulate the charge between the tow vehicle and the trailer pretty easily and that would take care of any concerns about battery mismanagement from hooking to the tow vehicle.
Bruce

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by Harrysheets

... The Parallax gets you the temp compensation but I'm not sure how valuable it is. Scott

FWIW, here is my thread describing how our Parallax with temp compensation shorted out and darned near burned down our rig.

[Harrysheets]

I could see how charging from the TV complicates the process. We often take long initial drives from Minnesota to the West with batteries of the trailer already topped off. Does it make sense to add a switch to disable charging from the TV in conditions when the house batteries are fully charged? Scott