[Archived]

We are still being confused.

If you batteries are at 13.5 you are right where they belong when in float, meaning fully charged and just getting a charge from the inverters to maintain their health.

If you have a new voltage regulator that has nothing to do with your inverters so why try to shut inverters off, let them do their job which it sounds like they are doing.

If going down the highway and your engine driven alternator is charging the house batteries for a 12 volt system I would expect you would see house DC voltage at around 13.8 to 13.9.

[Deleted User]

Why are you plugging into 110 volt. That might make only one leg going into the coach hot with voltage.

That will not operate everything you need to run including the inverter battery chargers.

A 110 volt outlet is usually 15 amps and that might run one inverter while the charger is operating.

If both inverters are set up to charge then it will draw too much current.

[Archived]

Jeff, we are not picking on you and we definitely can get your issues sorted out, but the internet is a difficult place to communicate as needed to get to solutions.

Here are some things I think we know. The coach has an alternator that charges the 12 volt house battery system when the engine is running. It needs a voltage regulator to keep the charging voltage to the correct level and depending on the battery type my guess is a safe voltage is 13.8, maybe 13.9. That is not a bulk or absorption charge voltage but it is a safe maintenance voltage.

When your coach has the availability of shore or generator power the inverters become battery chargers and the inverters are to be viewed as your primary means of maintaining your house batteries. They should always be powered. If you do not have full time shore or generator power your batteries will lose their charge so you have to shut the batteries down.

Your type of batteries will determine the charging voltages and the inverters must be programmed or set to provide those voltages for the various stages of charging. If you have AGM batteries for example bulk and absorb charge voltages are going to be about 14.25, and float voltage is going to be about 13.6 when fully charged. The battery manufacturer will list those values and you set your inverters to meet those requirements.

If you have wet cell or gel cell batteries the charging voltages may be different.

If you overcharge batteries by exceeding the manufacturer’s requirements it is likely the batteries will fail. If you undercharge the batteries by charging with a lower voltage than specified the battery plates will get a sulfide coating and the amount of energy a battery will store will be reduced and its life shortened.

Using inverters all the time is the best way to provide batteries with the greatest life. As Buddy points out however you need sufficient shore power and if it is limited you also have to adjust the programming on inverters to only draw as much power as you can afford to provide.

Keep the discussion going.

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I did domestic disconect. Figuring only load would be the fridge. But I see what you are saying about only feeding one inverter with one leg of power.

I have two freedom 25’s no settings.

[Archived]

Your inverter DOES have a means of adjusting settings and charging current. As long as shore power is available you should never have to shut anything down.

[Art]

Jeff I will give you 2 new remotes for your Freedoms, They has the capability to change the shore power settings by pushing a button from 10amps to 30 Plus amps shore so if your batteries are low it will only use the amps you have it set on. Your old remotes can do the same thing but much harder, have to pull them out and change dip switches, the new remotes much better, same size same screw holes easy install. I bought them when I 1st bought coach then when I up graded my refrigerator I installed new Magnum pure sine wave inverters.

[Per]

Jeff: Are you planning on installing 50amp/240volt RV outlet on your garage wall? You mention plugging into your garage’s 110. That solves lots of problems and challenges. When it gets cold out, you’re going to need more than 110 volts (providing I presume 15amps).