Electrical Charging solution 18.58-2 OB

[Brad77]

Hey guys,

I need a solution.....hopefully this will be Easy!

I need to find a way to use the existing setec charger in my expanda to also provide charge to my spare AGM battery that I use to run the fridge in the car.

Is there a way I can 'plug' into the expanda system to use either 240 or the solar to also charge my second battery?

Thoughts?

Cheers

Brad

 

[mikerezny]

Hey guys,

I need a solution.....hopefully this will be Easy!

I need to find a way to use the existing setec charger in my expanda to also provide charge to my spare AGM battery that I use to run the fridge in the car.

Is there a way I can 'plug' into the expanda system to use either 240 or the solar to also charge my second battery?

Thoughts?

Cheers

Brad

Hi @Brad77,
can you supply a few more details? This will help in getting a better and hopefully an easy solution for you.
1: What battery is or batteries are currently installed in your expanda: capacity in Ah and type, possibly AGM or GEL
2: What model setec is installed? What version and what capacity (either 20A or 35A)?
3: What capacity are your solar panels?
4: What model solar regulator is installed. How is it connected to your battery?
5: What is the capacity of the spare AGM battery? and how is it currently being charged?
6: What type of fridge is installed in the car? Do you have either the maximum current draw or the average current draw?

With just the details you have provided:
In my opinion, the easiest 240V solution would be to use another 240V charger dedicated specifically to charge the spare battery when you are on the grid. When you are off grid, get a portable panel and solar regulator dedicated specifically to charge the spare battery.

But there are possibly also many other solutions.

cheers
Mike

 

[Brad77]

Hi @Brad77,
can you supply a few more details? This will help in getting a better and hopefully an easy solution for you.
1: What battery is or batteries are currently installed in your expanda: capacity in Ah and type, possibly AGM or GEL
2: What model setec is installed? What version and what capacity (either 20A or 35A)?
3: What capacity are your solar panels?
4: What model solar regulator is installed. How is it connected to your battery?
5: What is the capacity of the spare AGM battery? and how is it currently being charged?
6: What type of fridge is installed in the car? Do you have either the maximum current draw or the average current draw?

With just the details you have provided:
In my opinion, the easiest 240V solution would be to use another 240V charger dedicated specifically to charge the spare battery when you are on the grid. When you are off grid, get a portable panel and solar regulator dedicated specifically to charge the spare battery.

But there are possibly also many other solutions.

cheers
Mike

Hi Mike,

The van has a 100ah Gel battery and my other battery is 100ah AGM.

Using the setec 20A ( I think......whatever they put I the current expandas).

Solar on the roof is 150 watts.

Not sure about the solat controller........the standard one that jayco use.

Average draw of the companion fridge in the car is 24 ah per day.

Trying to avoid lugging around my portable solar panel.

Cheers

 

[Drover]

To save the waffle of others and sorry to be blunt but a dumb idea, far better and way more efficient to use a proper DC to DC charger in tug then it's plug and forget. If you wanted to use your Setek that would mean your plugged into 240 so the other easier option is just use a 240 charger and plug it into the tug battery.......I have an old portable panel fixed on the roof of tug so no stuffing around but the setek would be flat out keeping the van running it doesn't need anymore load.......

Also with an AGM and a GEL on the same charging circuit the charger wouldn't be happy.

 

[Bellbirdweb]

To save the waffle of others and sorry to be blunt but a dumb idea, far better and way more efficient to use a proper DC to DC charger in tug then it's plug and forget. If you wanted to use your Setek that would mean your plugged into 240 so the other easier option is just use a 240 charger and plug it into the tug battery.......I have an old portable panel fixed on the roof of tug so no stuffing around but the setek would be flat out keeping the van running it doesn't need anymore load.......

Also with an AGM and a GEL on the same charging circuit the charger wouldn't be happy.

I agree. I have a DC-DC charger to look after the auxiliary battery in the tug, but when on a powered site, I run a battery charger to charge the aux battery in the tug and let the setec look after the batteries in the van.

Also with Gel in the van and AGM in the tug, they require different charging voltages, you'll either be overcharging the gel or undercharging the AGM if you try and do both with 1 charger

 

[mikerezny]

Hi Mike,

The van has a 100ah Gel battery and my other battery is 100ah AGM.

Using the setec 20A ( I think......whatever they put I the current expandas).

Solar on the roof is 150 watts.

Not sure about the solat controller........the standard one that jayco use.

Average draw of the companion fridge in the car is 24 ah per day.

Trying to avoid lugging around my portable solar panel.

Cheers

Hi,
@Brad77,
ok, thanks for the quick reply.

I agree with the previous replies.
Having AGM and GEL batteries means you would be best advised to not share the Setec OR your rooftop panels and solar controller.

cheers
Mike

 

[Brad77]

Thanks guys. Appreciate the advice!

 

[Drover]

Been thunking a bit more and the Setek cannot charge 2 seperate individual batteries even if they were the same type.......

 

[Bellbirdweb]

Been thunking a bit more and the Setek cannot charge 2 seperate individual batteries even if they were the same type.......

They would need to be connected in parallel via an Anderson plug.

I have 2 Andersons, 1 for the fridge and another going to the house batteries from the sux tug battery.

If I connect it whilst we are stationary it charges all 3 batteries from setec and solar but my tug is a Lead Acid 100AH so it works, but I rarely need 300AH of battery.

 

[mikerezny]

They would need to be connected in parallel via an Anderson plug.

I have 2 Andersons, 1 for the fridge and another going to the house batteries from the sux tug battery.

If I connect it whilst we are stationary it charges all 3 batteries from setec and solar but my tug is a Lead Acid 100AH so it works, but I rarely need 300AH of battery.

Hi,
it is a wee bit more complicated than this.

From one part of the Setec III manual:
The unit is rated to charge a single 12V (up to 6 cells) lead acid battery at 100Ahr Capacity.

Yet, according to another part of the manual:
This product is suitable for charging 12V-Sealed Lead-Acid (SLA) batteries including Valve- Regulated Lead-Acid (VRLA) batteries both Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) and Gel batteries. One or two batteries with max.100Ah capacity each can be charged. Charging current is limited to 10A (ST20-II) and 15A(ST35-II).

Also, from the manual:
To charge at the maximum battery charge current above, ensure the load current plus battery current is equal or less than the maximum output current. The charging current will be reduced in situations where the difference between the rated output current and the load current (the available charging current), is less than the maximum charging current.

Also note that the battery current sense is provided in the “Batt +ve” battery output. For this feature to work, the load “+ve” and battery “Batt +ve” should not be cross connected. (Appliances should not be connected to both the “Batt +ve” and “+ve” terminals of the power supply. Appliances should be connected to the “+ve” and “-ve” load terminals)

cheers
Mike

 

[Bellbirdweb]

Hi,
it is a wee bit more complicated than this.

From one part of the Setec III manual:
The unit is rated to charge a single 12V (up to 6 cells) lead acid battery at 100Ahr Capacity.

Yet, according to another part of the manual:
This product is suitable for charging 12V-Sealed Lead-Acid (SLA) batteries including Valve- Regulated Lead-Acid (VRLA) batteries both Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) and Gel batteries. One or two batteries with max.100Ah capacity each can be charged. Charging current is limited to 10A (ST20-II) and 15A(ST35-II).

Also, from the manual:
To charge at the maximum battery charge current above, ensure the load current plus battery current is equal or less than the maximum output current. The charging current will be reduced in situations where the difference between the rated output current and the load current (the available charging current), is less than the maximum charging current.

Also note that the battery current sense is provided in the “Batt +ve” battery output. For this feature to work, the load “+ve” and battery “Batt +ve” should not be cross connected. (Appliances should not be connected to both the “Batt +ve” and “+ve” terminals of the power supply. Appliances should be connected to the “+ve” and “-ve” load terminals)

cheers
Mike

All of that is correct, and would become an issue if you were trying to charge everything from flat to maximum capacity.

In my case, rarely would the batteries be all completely flat, thus would almost never reach the maximum charge capacity of the charger, but if you were engineering a solution, you would need to take into account the worst case scenario, and in that case the setec would be unable to supply sufficient charge current to fully charge all of the batteries.

The instructions are actually contradictory as you have pointed out, where it says its rated for 1 x 100AH battery but later states it can handle 2 x 100AH batteries. It easily handles the 2 batteries, as that is my setup, and it works flawlessly.

 

[Drover]

As I said...............why would you bother, with one battery in van and then you would connect it in series to one in the tug, say 5 mts of 8 B&S cable and stuffing around changing charging set up when you connect and disconnect the tug unless you wired it up in a less than perfect way and with tug battery being drained seperate to the van battery, yuck what a monster of a set up that would be........damn getting into bench top waffle.......................( Not commenting on OP this time just the general idea.)

 

[mikerezny]

All of that is correct, and would become an issue if you were trying to charge everything from flat to maximum capacity.

In my case, rarely would the batteries be all completely flat, thus would almost never reach the maximum charge capacity of the charger, but if you were engineering a solution, you would need to take into account the worst case scenario, and in that case the setec would be unable to supply sufficient charge current to fully charge all of the batteries.

The instructions are actually contradictory as you have pointed out, where it says its rated for 1 x 100AH batter but later states it can handle 2 x 100AH batteries. It easily handles the 2 batteries, as that is my setup, and it works flawlessly.

Hi @Bellbirdweb,
completely understand and agree with you.

That bit I posted from the manual was more about pointing out the inconsistency in the manual.

cheers
Mike

 

[mikerezny]

As I said...............why would you bother, with one battery in van and then you would connect it in series to one in the tug, say 5 mts of 8 B&S cable and stuffing around changing charging set up when you connect and disconnect the tug unless you wired it up in a less than perfect way and with tug battery being drained seperate to the van battery, yuck what a monster of a set up that would be........damn getting into bench top waffle.......................( Not commenting on OP this time just the general idea.)

Hi @Drover,
completely agree with you. It does seem to violate the KISS principle.

cheers
Mike

 

[Dobbie]

Yep....I'm rapidly coming the conclusion that the KISS principal was invented for me...but that I sometimes forget about it. When I do forget and try to reinvent the wheel, I go around in circles and lose sight of the fact that camping is about fun and relaxation....or, at least, it is for me!

It's a strange feeling not really caring if I can improve things while I'm away....cos I've been doing it for years and our setup as is suits us almost completely. The bits I miss I'll leave to another day.

As an adjunct, I have now fully completed my shed lighting ....using a battery not quite beyond its use by date, a battery box I forgot I had, adding an Anderson plug and cig socket, rejigging a 49 watt panel no longer used, salvaging an old regulator and finally wiring up some LEDs that were bought years ago and never used.

and it all works....cost of $3 for some better battery lugs.

That is an example of me ignoring the KISS principal....but I had fun doing it.

 

[Bellbirdweb]

Yep....I'm rapidly coming the conclusion that the KISS principal was invented for me...but that I sometimes forget about it. When I do forget and try to reinvent the wheel, I go around in circles and lose sight of the fact that camping is about fun and relaxation....or, at least, it is for me!

For me, part of the relaxation is actually playing with all of the stuff on the van, but I acknowledge not everyone gets the same level of enjoyment from it that I do.

 

[mikerezny]

Yep....I'm rapidly coming the conclusion that the KISS principal was invented for me...but that I sometimes forget about it. When I do forget and try to reinvent the wheel, I go around in circles and lose sight of the fact that camping is about fun and relaxation....or, at least, it is for me!

It's a strange feeling not really caring if I can improve things while I'm away....cos I've been doing it for years and our setup as is suits us almost completely. The bits I miss I'll leave to another day.

As an adjunct, I have now fully completed my shed lighting ....using a battery not quite beyond its use by date, a battery box I forgot I had, adding an Anderson plug and cig socket, rejigging a 49 watt panel no longer used, salvaging an old regulator and finally wiring up some LEDs that were bought years ago and never used.

and it all works....cost of $3 for some better battery lugs.

That is an example of me ignoring the KISS principal....but I had fun doing it.

Hi @Dobbie,
In its simplest form, the KISS principle can be a relatively simple process.
The complexity for me comes in trying to implement it within a set of personal constraints.
BUT, if I can do this and still achieve the basics of the KISS principle, then I get much more personal satisfaction.
So I understand where you are coming from.

For example, I need a solution to storing grey water so the Penguin can be self-contained and compliant.

Simple KISS: buy a 20l grey water tote AND find a place to store it

Constrained KISS: 1: spend as little as possible, 2: recycle whatever I already have lying around.
Had a 20l plastic container, heaps of garden hose and fittings, only had to buy a 19mm irrigation elbow: 45c
AND it fits really neatly in the front boot of the Penguin.

Much happier with the Constrained solution.

cheers
Mike

 

[Bellbirdweb]

Hi @Dobbie,
In its simplest form, the KISS principle can be a relatively simple process.
The complexity for me comes in trying to implement it within a set of personal constraints.
BUT, if I can do this and still achieve the basics of the KISS principle, then I get much more personal satisfaction.
So I understand where you are coming from.

For example, I need a solution to storing grey water so the Penguin can be self-contained and compliant.

Simple KISS: buy a 20l grey water tote AND find a place to store it

Constrained KISS: 1: spend as little as possible, 2: recycle whatever I already have lying around.
Had a 20l plastic container, had heaps of garden hose and fittings, Only had to buy a 19mm irrigation elbow: 0.45c
AND it fits really neatly in the front boot of the Penguin.

Much happier with the Constrained solution.

cheers
Mike

You me and @Dobbie all have a similar solution to the grey water

 

[mikerezny]

You me and @Dobbie all have a similar solution to the grey water

Hi @Bellbirdweb,

then it must definitely be a good solution!!!

cheers
Mike

 

[Drover]

Then leave 20lt drum in back of truck as you very rarely need to use it but it's good PR, bit like my Greywater tubes under Big Mal, really look the part, waves the free camp flag for the green bloods but I rarely have to use it.............works really well when needed, set and forget, truly KISS.