Using a high output alternator to rapidly charge house battery bank

[LeishaShannon]

What about buying a split system like the MHI SRK20ZJX and workout how to disassemble then mount the various components to suit your truck? Twice the efficiency = half the power you need to generate and store. Have you considered moving to lithium? that would simplify charging as they'll accept whatever you can throw at them (I've had 5000W+ going into ours). Usable capacity wise they're not much more expensive than lead but 1/3 the weight...

 

[doug720]

Another option to AC use when stopped or without a generator, is a 12 volt swamp cooler - evaporative cooler.

If the local conditions are supportive, low humidity levels, the swamp cooler in a camping vehicle work great. In a desert, they work great, use low power and it feels like ac. But in humid conditions, they don't work very well.

We have had several over the years, most replace a standard roof vent, and only need 12v power and a water line. They are also inexpensive - https://www.google.com/search?q=Evaporative&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=12+volt+rv+evaporative+cooler

Just an idea.

We have a motorhome with 600 watts of solar panels with a smart charge control, 6 - 6volt 140 and 2 6volt 300 house batteries, plus a 12 volt starting battery. We have an inverter, 400 watts also. Our charging, besides solar, is the stock 125 amp alt, a 40 amp zantrex charger/power supply, an 5000w on board generator, and a 1000w portable Honda genie.

The only time our MH is connected to shore power is when it is stored at home. We can live off our internal 12 volt storage with solar recharge indefinitely, as long as we have clear sun exposure. In the forest, we can go 4-5 days with a couple good hours of good sun exposure each day. Then we run the little Honda a few hours as a topper- The Honda is quiet and very fuel efficient. We do use the big genie for the microwave as needed.

We have TV's w satellite, florescent lights, but all small lights have been switched to leds, which made a big difference. We also run our forced air heating set at 55-60 all night, as most of our use is in winter and in summer, well above 7500', so it gets used often.

This system has been in use for over 12 years, and we are happy. The Zantrex smart charger made battery life much greater and easier, as when the vehicle is stored, it samples the batteries and does a 3 step charge, then shuts off automatically. This save the batteries from overcharging and limits off gassing and water loss.

We use standard wet batteries, with a smart charger and absic maintenance, we get 8 years plus out of them, in fact, the pair of 300' are aver 12 years years old and work fine.

Just some more info to consider.

 

[scott7022]

I think a great deal of the hesitition with people going to Lithium is the Bleeding edge geeks (no disrespect implied) are running naked into the lake and the "Old guys" have seen it all before in the sailing world with AGM/Gell transition. The amount of disinformation, and I know a guy stories are amazing. But many here are helping to get the info out. Great links to Sterling and the rest. Recuperative braking charge systems poised to muddy the waters even more. All systems need some sort of intelligent monitoring system. Even Ice cubes. When my lip notices my vodka is getting warm I drop a couple more venting wet cells into the glass. Any system as dynamic as the ones we are using needs a system. Lithium is expensive, but has many advantages that offset the cost if you can afford it. They don't like to be charged in cold climates and they don't like either charge or discharge in really hot environments. They will give you power cold and so a small heater could be used to offset it. You can use an arc welder single wire old school alternator in a dual setup and run it through a sterling controller and leave your other alternator to charge the truck batteries. Install a dual alternator split charge system for a little more and backup if something scrambles. But BIG wire and if you don't know what you are doing read as much as you can from intelligent posts like Diplostrat and others. If you fry a D4 AGM is one thing if you fry that size with Lithium well...Expensive lesson. Most come with a BMS built in but with that kind of coin a Sterling set up to take advantage of Lithium chemistry and advantages is a worthy investment. They can handle a much faster charge and really do not need a bunch of stuff set up for Lead acid...Which ever format or underware. But do you need 400 use able amp hours for 3 grand and some cool looking boxes for another grand or two to run an AC offgrid because you can? Like some past romantic engagements just because you can might be reason enough that you shouldn't. This being said I will be running Lithium in the house and Lead boxes for the truck with a further back up as I camp in bush in lousy sun but great dense forest conditions. Balance, redundancy, frugal ideology and best bang for the buck. Oh AND BIG WIRE!!! psst 4 guage is not BIG despite what "previous romanti...........LOL! :wings:

 

[Ducky's Dad]

Quote Originally Posted by unseenone View Post
Here is a link to a company that builds the custom alternators, including Ford ones specifically. They can also customize anything you want to your needs, including double, and triple alternators. http://www.nationsautoelectric.com/h...ternators.html

Here are some Ford listings; http://www.nationsautoelectric.com/h...ternators.html

I would suggest calling them before you order to ensure you get what you want, get your questions answered, etc.
That's great, thanks a lot. The factory alternators on these trucks are pure garbage. Unbelievable Ford put these on. My stock alternator is 110a. It is the same stock alternator that comes on a Ford Fusion (same part #). People have all kinds of problems with low currents because of these crap alternators.
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I am also looking at single high output alternators made by "DC Power Inc" (www.dcpowerinc.com) they come highly recommended. They have up to 320w single alternator, but I will probably go with their 270w or 300w which seem to be more practical. These are $$$ alternators, around $600 or more but I have heard nothing but good things!

I am working my way through this thread and have not read all posts yet, but I wanted to jump in on this point. I put a DC Power 270amp alternator on my Dodge last summer. The test sheet that was packed with it showed 285amp max output on my actual unit, and we tested 116amps at idle after installation. I suspect your desired 225amp idle output in your opening post is somewhat optimistic. As I recall, I went with the 270 unit because it was the biggest one that would use the factory serpentine belt, and 270 should be enough output for my system which consists of an Odyssey 2150 AGM as starting battery and a pair of Optima 34M dual purpose AGMs as house batteries and backup for starting and winching. So far, the alternator has been fine and tops off the Optimas (refrigerator/freezer load) quite well, but my Odyssey 31M is still not happy and requires reconditioning with shore power. The guys at DC Power are very helpful, so include a phone call in your planning process. I bought my DCP alternator from Nation's Alternator because DCP had a fairly long lead time and NA had my unit on the shelf, ready to go. Several of the Power Wagon guys are running DCP alternators, and everybody is happy with them.

 

[comptiger5000]

Several of the Power Wagon guys are running DCP alternators, and everybody is happy with them.

This is good to hear, as I'm planning on picking up one of their 270A units to replace the stock 150A in my Jeep.