EU2000i to charge AGM?

[Haraald]

Hi All, I want to use my Honda EU2000i to charge a 200Ah AGM battery bank occasionally, I'm thinking through an Iota smart 75amp charger. Anyone know if this will work before I spend $1500+ ? I read conflicting things all over the net, including about whether the Iota's are smart enough to handle the hot temps of summer trucking. I was told to get Northstar AGM batteries, but they seem to require a lot of amps to work?

Many Thanks

 

[jeffjeeptj]

My IOTA did not play well with my Odyssey/diehard platinums. The IOTA was 2004 vintage. Perhaps they have added a charge curve for AGM, now. Also, stay away from the 4step add on unit (iirc, IQ4), since that does an equlization charge that AGMs do not need or tolerate.
The eu2000 is a great generator, just be careful of ethanol fuel.
I suspect Northstar has some excellent literature that should include recommended battery chargers. Get one of those units that Northstar recommend. I wound up buying a genuine Odyssey charger rated for the largest Odyssey i own.

 

[Arclight]

Hi All, I want to use my Honda EU2000i to charge a 200Ah AGM battery bank occasionally, I'm thinking through an Iota smart 75amp charger. Anyone know if this will work before I spend $1500+ ? I read conflicting things all over the net, including about whether the Iota's are smart enough to handle the hot temps of summer trucking. I was told to get Northstar AGM batteries, but they seem to require a lot of amps to work?

Many Thanks

75A is too big for most 200A battery systems. Typical bulk charge current would be more like 20-40A (1/4-1/10 the C20 capacity in amps). Do you have a specific charging reccommendation from your AGM vendor?


Arclight

 

[Haraald]

Well I'm just really confused now because I've read on several marine and RV forums that AGMs require high-amp chargers; the marine guys don't go below 100 amps and they use their EU2000 to charge 400ah banks in like an hour.

You guys are right, both Odyssey and Northstar only sell chargers around 20 amps; and include charts with charge times of 5 hours +

I really don't care if my battery lasts the absolute 'maximum' amount of cycles and I really don't want to fiddle with the charger every time the temperature outside changes or whatever or sit there with my generator running 5 hours it doesn't have to... is it really that big of a deal if I just use a big charger?

 

[comptiger5000]

A 75A charger for 200AH of batteries should be fine. AGMs will take pretty high charge rates without issue. And if the batteries aren't really low, they won't pull 75A from the big charger anyway.

I've given a 55AH AGM the full blast of a 150A alternator (minus probably 40 amps that were being used by other electronics) when it was pretty well drained. 30 minutes of that was enough that when I threw a charger on it, it went straight to absorb and not bulk charge. Battery never got more than slightly warm.

The generator and the big charger is the best bet, IMO. Lets you get a decent chunk of power replenished quickly so you don't burn a ton of fuel doing it. It'll still take a few hours to get the batteries 100% topped off though, so a generator isn't the ideal power source for that.

 

[comptiger5000]

A 75A charger for 200AH of batteries should be fine. AGMs will take pretty high charge rates without issue. And if the batteries aren't really low, they won't pull 75A from the big charger anyway.

I've given a 55AH AGM the full blast of a 150A alternator (minus probably 40 amps that were being used by other electronics) when it was pretty well drained. 30 minutes of that was enough that when I threw a charger on it, it went straight to absorb and not bulk charge. Battery never got more than slightly warm.

The generator and the big charger is the best bet, IMO. Lets you get a decent chunk of power replenished quickly so you don't burn a ton of fuel doing it. It'll still take a few hours to get the batteries 100% topped off though, so a generator isn't the ideal power source for that.

 

[Joe917]

Are you using any solar? Charging a 200ah battery with a generator is probably the most expensive, heaviest and least efficient option.
As for "fiddling with the charger " if your charger does not have temperature compensation built in don't buy it.

 

[Haraald]

A 75A charger for 200AH of batteries should be fine. AGMs will take pretty high charge rates without issue. And if the batteries aren't really low, they won't pull 75A from the big charger anyway.

I've given a 55AH AGM the full blast of a 150A alternator (minus probably 40 amps that were being used by other electronics) when it was pretty well drained. 30 minutes of that was enough that when I threw a charger on it, it went straight to absorb and not bulk charge. Battery never got more than slightly warm.

The generator and the big charger is the best bet, IMO. Lets you get a decent chunk of power replenished quickly so you don't burn a ton of fuel doing it. It'll still take a few hours to get the batteries 100% topped off though, so a generator isn't the ideal power source for that.

What batteries and charger do you use specifically by brand? I'm so desperate at this point I've given up trying to calculate everything and I just want to buy a system that's worked for someone else lol

 

[Ducky's Dad]

You guys are right, both Odyssey and Northstar only sell chargers around 20 amps; and include charts with charge times of 5 hours +

Odyssey used to sell 40amp and 50amp chargers that were specifically designed/intended for their big batteries (i.e., 2150/PM1). When they switched charger manufacturers from Schumacher to the new guys, there was a delay in bringing out the new high-amp chargers, and they are probably still more than a year away according to my recent conversations with Odyssey.

 

[jeffjeeptj]

I was not clear. It is not just the amperage. The AGMs like certain voltages, too. The IOTA had its own voltage curve that did very well with liquid acid/lead batteries, just not good for the Odysseys. As Duckysdad pointed out, Odyssey had a different line of chargers and discontinued that line. I have a 50amp, 3 bank Odyssey charger. Takes no fiddling, in fact, it is just clamp on, plug in, push charge button. I have used it with my eu2000. The Honda barely knows it is there.
The charger was marketed as the Odyssey Ultimizer, also available in one bank version