blasetheodore
New Member
- Joined
- May 4, 2022
- Messages
- 3
Hi all. I'm dipping my toes into all of this, and could use a kind soul willing to offer feedback. Thanks in advance to anyone willing to read...
I'm adding a backup generator to my solar rig, and I'm nervous to mess it up by not knowing something. (see full setup details in my sig.)
I plan to feed a 900w Inverter Genny > AC120v > Victron IP65 charger (12v/15A) > 100ah LiFePOS4 battery.
From my layman's understanding, that should get the job done. However I'm unsure about:
1. Charger's Amp rating:
Victron claims 95% efficiency for the charger, so lets say 12A. I read somewhere that you should be supplying at 20-30% of the battery capacity, which I'm well under at 12%. The person who said it seemed smart, but didn't explain, so I don't understand. If true, I don't know if its a problem (gear damage), or just inefficiency (wasted power), or just annoyance (time loss.)
2. Generator load:
I am super unconfident on core skills here. If the charger is pulling 15A, that means the generator is at about 180w, or roughly 20% load? Do I have that right? I read somewhere that generators seem to optimize fuel efficiency around 70% load. Anything reasonable to be done here?
3. Back flow concerns:
I'm not quite clear on how I'd wire this in correctly. Just feed it straight to the battery? Do I need diodes or anything to prevent back flow?
The current setup has a 1kw DC>AC inverter thats also connected straight to the battery. Does that need a diode or anything?
4. Load while charging:
It would be nice to allow for load on the battery while it charges, but thats not a constraint. Mostly I just need to know the rules I have to obey. Any mistakes here that would cause damage?
Thanks to anyone who made it this far for your patience.
All the best,
Blase
I'm adding a backup generator to my solar rig, and I'm nervous to mess it up by not knowing something. (see full setup details in my sig.)
I plan to feed a 900w Inverter Genny > AC120v > Victron IP65 charger (12v/15A) > 100ah LiFePOS4 battery.
From my layman's understanding, that should get the job done. However I'm unsure about:
1. Charger's Amp rating:
Victron claims 95% efficiency for the charger, so lets say 12A. I read somewhere that you should be supplying at 20-30% of the battery capacity, which I'm well under at 12%. The person who said it seemed smart, but didn't explain, so I don't understand. If true, I don't know if its a problem (gear damage), or just inefficiency (wasted power), or just annoyance (time loss.)
2. Generator load:
I am super unconfident on core skills here. If the charger is pulling 15A, that means the generator is at about 180w, or roughly 20% load? Do I have that right? I read somewhere that generators seem to optimize fuel efficiency around 70% load. Anything reasonable to be done here?
3. Back flow concerns:
I'm not quite clear on how I'd wire this in correctly. Just feed it straight to the battery? Do I need diodes or anything to prevent back flow?
The current setup has a 1kw DC>AC inverter thats also connected straight to the battery. Does that need a diode or anything?
4. Load while charging:
It would be nice to allow for load on the battery while it charges, but thats not a constraint. Mostly I just need to know the rules I have to obey. Any mistakes here that would cause damage?
Thanks to anyone who made it this far for your patience.
All the best,
Blase