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Adding AC-DC charger in my system and recommendation for one

Magion

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Joined
Oct 5, 2022
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4
Hello all,

I would like to ask for opinion on AC-DC charger in my system.

What I have:
- Camper Van with 120amp alternator feeding my DCDC via starter battery.
- 2x 100Ah LifePo4 battery wired in parallel
- Renogy 50Amp DC-DC charger with MPPT
- 100Watt solar panel

My goal:
I live in Pacific Northwest and lots of campsites we go to are in forest so I do not have too much sun available hence only 100Watt solar for those days when we have sun. I have just finished the install but still not sure about how to charge my batteries after coming back from short trip or when at site with shore power available.

One of my coworkers recommended installing power convertor to step down ac to dc and then feed the Renogy DCDC charger with it. We are a tech company and I have some power convertors on hand (15amp). The issue is they only produce the 15amps at 13.8VDC. Will the Renogy DCDC step up voltage to charge my batteries fully?
Another option is purchasing AC-DC charger and installing it permanently in my system . I am assuming it would go directly to batteries? As I was thinking about possible scenarios, what if I was at a campsite, had battery charged by AC-DC but in the same time I would be running fridge and lights? Would this be an issue, would it not disrupt the charging process?

As far as the actual AC-DC chargers go I am looking at Renogy one that is rated 20amp:
https://www.amazon.ca/Renogy-Alliga...9e-1e769a033461&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_atf_m

or there is some Victron made ones but they only come with 15amp:

I really did search the internet but I could not find too many answers about implementing ACDCs

Thank you in advance for your input!
 
I’m planning to go with the east add a mains AC dc charger if I need to in the future

I have a 200Ah battery so a 10A charger would fully charge the battery in 20hrs with no load, 13.3hrs at 15A and 10hrs for a 20A charger. To be honest any would do the job easily

I’ve been looking at the Victron charger because it can be easily monitored as part of a complete Victron system

Does the renogy unit fit in with your other charger neatly?
 
All my components are Renogy but in this case I don't see any benefit of having Renogy ACDC charger. There is no Bluetooth nothing just a simple charger with led for status.

I will shoot them email to see what they say about it
 
I had a similar need and went with a Victron IP22 30a charger. They can be had for ~$200. IP22 is not a sealed unit like the IP67 and so it has a small fan which allows for a higher current output. It does what is it supposed to and is smart; i.e. bluetooth connection, and has worked well for me. The tradeoff is more power but not as tolerant as far as being water resistant.
 
The issue is they only produce the 15amps at 13.8VDC.
Is the output voltage adjustable?
Please provide a product link to the converter.
Assuming the converter output is constant current/constant voltage...
If you you can adjust the voltage down to 13.4 or less just hook it up to the busbars.
Your battery will be almost fully charged, but you will need to top it off with solar or alternator periodically to maintain the cell balance.
 
Last edited:
Thank you guys, I listened and just ordered the Victron energy blue smart IP22 30amp.

I noticed the above mentioned Progressive dynamics too, they seem to make some very interesting high amp chargers but I think for my application and at this price point the Victron one is what I want - excited to put my hands on it

Both Renogy and Victron confirmed overnight that yes one can be charging batteries and having draw in the same time.
 
Thank you guys, I listened and just ordered the Victron energy blue smart IP22 30amp.

I noticed the above mentioned Progressive dynamics too, they seem to make some very interesting high amp chargers but I think for my application and at this price point the Victron one is what I want - excited to put my hands on it

Both Renogy and Victron confirmed overnight that yes one can be charging batteries and having draw in the same time.

Curious to know the strategies of these chargers.

My rv charger will not charge at 14.4 (rebulk) unless battery voltage is below 11.9 when 120V power is applied to the charger or you do it manually by pressing a button on the optional pendant.
 
Curious to know the strategies of these chargers.

My rv charger will not charge at 14.4 (rebulk) unless battery voltage is below 11.9 when 120V power is applied to the charger or you do it manually by pressing a button on the optional pendant.
My assumption is the Victron AC dc charger will be working to exactly the same charge strategy as their MPPT and DC2DC chargers. They are programmable through the same app
 
Curious to know the strategies of these chargers.

My rv charger will not charge at 14.4 (rebulk) unless battery voltage is below 11.9 when 120V power is applied to the charger or you do it manually by pressing a button on the optional pendant.
If a charger can have custom settings thru a communication protocol, then it can be set to charge even when there is a draw. This is done thru CV functions of a charger. Basically for LFP, a float voltage (CV) is set that is slightly under the bulk setting (CC) and the charger will attempt to maintain that voltage.
 
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