EPEVER Tracer 4215bn aux battery charging with load function

[hugemoth]

Would there be any problem connecting the load terminals of the controller to a lead acid RV battery in order to keep it charged when the main LiFePo4 battery reaches full charge? Alternatively could a small inverter be attached to the load output, a battery charger plugged into the inverter to charge the RV battery?

 

[Crowz]

I only use the load output on my 4215bn's to run low wattage lights. Its not really setup to handle large loads. For anything heavy I would use a relay triggered from the load output if anything.

 

[hugemoth]

I only use the load output on my 4215bn's to run low wattage lights. Its not really setup to handle large loads. For anything heavy I would use a relay triggered from the load output if anything.

The manual says the load is rated for 40 amps and I figure about 10 amps to charge the RV battery. I'll attach a 300 watt inverter and plug in a 8 amp smart charger to see if it works.

 

[Crowz]

My manual shows charge 40amps and load 20amps max. Back in the day it was recommended to not go much over 10 amps for long term use so I stuck with that and mine are very old now and still going strong.

 

[hugemoth]

My manual shows charge 40amps and load 20amps max. Back in the day it was recommended to not go much over 10 amps for long term use so I stuck with that and mine are very old now and still going strong.

Interesting. Mine is a couple months old and says "rated load current 40 amps" and "rated load power 1040 W". Wonder if they changed some internal components?

 

[Crowz]

No clue. It even mentions the load terminals are for lights

 

[mikefitz]

The load terminals connect to the battery being charged by the controller. There are internal switches that allow programmable operation of the load output, example low voltage cutoff and time on periods.
By connecting a battery to these load terminals you are, in effect, connecting this battery in parallel with the main lithium battery..
It's probable you would exceed the current limitation of the unit and cause damage.
Even a small inverter connected to the load output could cause damage due to inrush current.

In summary, any connection to the load outputs, connects to the main lithium battery , but the current capability is limited, and exceeding this limit will cause damage.

 

[hugemoth]

I was hoping to program the controller to turn on the load once the LiFePo4 battery reached full charge but the programming won't allow it. It will turn on based on time of day, when PV voltage drops to a set level, or manually. Yes it is designed to turn on lighting.

The old PWM 80 amp controller I was using with lead acid batteries was programmable to turn on or off at any voltage and it did work to charge an auxiliary battery when the main battery was full. I'll throw a few parts together from my electronics junk drawer that will do the job independently from the controller.

 

[Rednecktek]

I do it to maintain my ATV and lawnmower batteries, although since I also run lights through there I added in a cheapie PWM controller so I can set the low voltage disconnect to cut off the batteries before the MPPT cuts off the lights. For $7 the controller is an added layer of lousy weather protection.

MPPT Load -> PWM Load -> ATV @12.4V
MPPT Load -> Lights string @ 12.0v
MPPT default @ 11.5v