Need the solar/power pros to weigh in

[luthj]

It could take 24 hours or more. The battery will take very little current at first, but it will eventually go up, then gradually taper down. Don't stop charging for 24 hours or until the return amps drop under 1A, ideally a bit lower. This needs to be done at the absorb voltage, or the recovery charge voltage if your battery has that specification. Some chargers have a programmable equalize function. You can usually use this to set a specific time and voltage. Avoid using the equalize function on a sealed battery unless you confirm exactly what the voltage is and that is not too high for the battery specs.

 

[shade]

I wouldn't pick it, but the G3500 manual says it will charge up to a 120Ah battery.

 

[TantoTrailers]

FWIW I picked the charger when I first started building the trailer not knowing anything about anything and it’s in a specific spot that I built for it so I was really hoping I didn’t have to swap it out. I need to check the size specs of the other options. I’m running out of physical room!

That being said, I have 3 weeks at least before my next trip opportunity so this thing can run a while. Should I let it run at 3.5A till full then run repair mode? In the meantime I will research the 15000 dimensions.

 

[TantoTrailers]

This does help, but every time I have left for a trip the 3500 was pulsing green...was this a false indication or is it possible it was charging the battery full but it is sulfates like others have stated is a possibility I need to rule in or out?

btw thank you for the kind offer of borrow!! Love this community!

 

[TantoTrailers]

Now this is a flat out question about the 3500 vs the 15000...will it simply charge it faster or will it charge it more efficiently resulting in a higher overall SOC? If it’s just time then I really don’t care because I hardly ever camp where I have a hookup so I don’t ever bother with it outside of the garage. In the 12k miles so far I have hooked up once or twice out in the field. Always on the charger in the garage.



re-reading your reply about the pulsing light stopping and clicking, I’m not sure I have ever seen it stop pulsing with the 3500.

 

[TantoTrailers]

Looks like the 15k unit would just fit in the space I have for the shore charger...damn...

 

[TantoTrailers]

Alright so that will most likely happen. Victron BMV on the way as well.

 

[Photobug]

I have a NOCO 7200 which I have had for a few years. It has worked for me to charge my cheap FLA battery stored in my truck shell. Having read reviews about it though from those who know more about these things, I question its quality. Some reviews found problems with theirs and opened it up to find poor quality soldering. Also while it is smart the lack of controls is limited.

What i like about the NOCO system is it has multiple connectors making it flexible to take from battery to battery or to use it in different ways without making your own cables. My unit can also do 12 or 24 volts. I can change the voltage or battery chemistry but then I just watch the lights blinking not really knowing what is going on inside the battery. So it works for me.

One thing is the NOCO charger does not fit in my current power box. Unless I needed the 12 or 24v out of the same charger i would go with a Victron Charger. smaller form factor, would actually fit into my power box build. It comes with a 5 year warranty so they have faith in their build quality, Bluetooth app to monitor what is happening with your battery. I would probably add my own cable to get the Noco's ability to go from battery to battery. Prices are similar.

https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Datasheet-Blue-Smart-IP67-Charger-120VAC-EN.pdf

 

[shade]

I have a NOCO 7200 which I have had for a few years. It has worked for me to charge my cheap FLA battery stored in my truck shell. Having read reviews about it though from those who know more about these things, I question its quality. Some reviews found problems with theirs and opened it up to find poor quality soldering. Also while it is smart the lack of controls is limited.

What i like about the NOCO system is it has multiple connectors making it flexible to take from battery to battery or to use it in different ways without making your own cables. My unit can also do 12 or 24 volts. I can change the voltage or battery chemistry but then I just watch the lights blinking not really knowing what is going on inside the battery. So it works for me.

One thing is the NOCO charger does not fit in my current power box. Unless I needed the 12 or 24v out of the same charger i would go with a Victron Charger. smaller form factor, would actually fit into my power box build. It comes with a 5 year warranty so they have faith in their build quality, Bluetooth app to monitor what is happening with your battery. I would probably add my own cable to get the Noco's ability to go from battery to battery. Prices are similar.

https://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Datasheet-Blue-Smart-IP67-Charger-120VAC-EN.pdf

After a lot of digging around, the 25A Blue Smart IP67 model is what I'd get if I wanted on-board AC charging. At $140, it's not a bad deal. The IP22 model would actually work better, but it's currently only available for 220VAC. If you download the VictronConnect app, you can take a look at the available options by using the Demo mode.

 

[Photobug]

After a lot of digging around, the 25A Blue Smart IP67 model is what I'd get if I wanted on-board AC charging. At $140, it's not a bad deal. The IP22 model would actually work better, but it's currently only available for 220VAC. If you download the VictronConnect app, you can take a look at the available options by using the Demo mode.

As said my NOCO works for me for now. Camping season is over for me here, 20f or colder here each night. In the spring I will re-evaluate my AC charging needs. I contacted Victron and they will be updating their firmware to allow user set parameters for battery charging early next year.

Questions:
What features do you like in the IP22 model you like?

Where do you see the 25a IP67 for $140?

 

[shade]

As said my NOCO works for me for now. Camping season is over for me here, 20f or colder here each night. In the spring I will re-evaluate my AC charging needs. I contacted Victron and they will be updating their firmware to allow user set parameters for battery charging early next year.

Questions:
What features do you like in the IP22 model you like?

Where do you see the 25a IP67 for $140?

Blue Smart IP22 Charger | Victron Energy

The Blue Smart IP22 Charger is the new professional battery charger with built-in bluetooth. Find a Victron Energy dealer near you.

www.victronenergy.com

The IP22 goes up to 30A, and allows connections to up to three batteries. One could be installed to charge both start & house batteries. Unfortunately, it's not available for 120VAC.

Since I don't need a portable option, I ordered a 20A bench-top power supply that can do anything I'll probably ever need.

$140 - Blue Smart IP67 Charger 12/25 120V

 

[TantoTrailers]

Blue Smart IP22 Charger | Victron Energy

The Blue Smart IP22 Charger is the new professional battery charger with built-in bluetooth. Find a Victron Energy dealer near you.

www.victronenergy.com

The IP22 goes up to 30A, and allows connections to up to three batteries. One could be installed to charge both start & house batteries. Unfortunately, it's not available for 120VAC.

Since I don't need a portable option, I ordered a 20A bench-top power supply that can do anything I'll probably ever need.

$140 - Blue Smart IP67 Charger 12/25 120V

Can that charger be left on indefinitely like the NOCO chargers while trailer is in the garage? I winter camp but sometimes its a month between outings. Now I might need to swap my Renogy Rover for a damn Victron MPPT so I can have the whole view of the system!! damnit!

 

[luthj]

A good battery monitor is all you need. There is no reason to swap the solar controller, unless you determine it is not charging the batteries properly.

At this point you need to fully charge the battery, and them monitor the system (current, voltage, etc). You shouldn't trust the dumb lights on the chargers, nor should you trust voltage only SOC measurements. Your best friend is a volt meter, learn what voltages are appropriate for charging and resting, watch the current for a few charge cycles. With a properly setup SOC meter (with shunt or equivalent) you can actually determine if your are getting a good charge.

Even without an SOC meter, you can simply track the voltage during charging, and occasionally verify its getting to the correct level for the prescribed amount of time. It easy for things like bad connections, shade, etc to dramatically reduce charging.

As far as charger size goes. You can charge a 500AH battery with a 1A charger, it just takes a very long time. Some smart chargers will error out after so many hours if the battery is very large. In that case you just reconnect the charger and resume the charge.

I will reiterate again. DO NOT TRUST RANDOM LIGHTS. You need to physically verify the voltage the battery is seeing. Current measurements are also helpful. Many chargers are simply not set up properly, and its incumbent on you to know what the battery needs, and confirm it is getting it. Simply looking at the lights flashing will provide little or no useful info, unless you know what votlages/stages etc those correspond to.

Personally I prefer automatic chargers with three stages. 1st stage is constant current until the absorb voltage is hit. Second stage hold absorb for a set period of time (hours). Third stage is float.

 

[shade]

Can that charger be left on indefinitely like the NOCO chargers while trailer is in the garage? I winter camp but sometimes its a month between outings. Now I might need to swap my Renogy Rover for a damn Victron MPPT so I can have the whole view of the system!! damnit!

That specific Victron charger (IP22) is only available for 220VAC at the moment, so I doubt you'd want it.

Like luthj said, you may be able to charge your battery just fine with your NOCO 3500. If you want a more powerful charger, the Victron Blue Smart IP67 25A model I mentioned earlier would be a good option. With it paired to a phone running the VictronConnect app, you can see what's going on far better than with a blinking LED interface. Even then, you'd want to do as Jon suggested and verify voltage with a multimeter.

I wouldn't replace the solar charge controller unless you determine it's bad, or you've taken up off-grid electrical systems as a hobby. Victron makes nice stuff, but that Renogy box should do the job.

 

[TantoTrailers]

Would the BMV 712 that I purchased show me the relevant data that the Blue Smart IP67 would show? Or would the Blue Smart charger offer additional metrics that would be beneficial? Reason I ask is because I found a good deal on the NOCO G15000