[Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Re: Another question (WFCO 55) Reply #25 – July 31, 2005, 05:46:40 am Yahoo Message Number: 56307QuoteWell, this isn't too hard. You have two T105 batterys which gives you 220 amperehours when 100% charged. Less as the batterys get older, but lets say 220AH. A 55% charge is .55 x 220 = 121 AH. An 75% charge is .75 x 220 = 165 AH. 165 - 121 = 44AH. So you must put 44AH into your batterys to take them from 55% to 75%. If your charger puts out 44 amps, you would have to charge them about 1 hour. Thanks for doing the hard part Tom I'm going to get the converter, I just have to ask Marial if I can have it sent to her house so I can pick it up at the LaDeze get together.QuoteIn turn you can do some hard stuff like teach me about internet by cell phone, or computer stuff, or digital photo stuff ;>)Hopefully we will get up as far north as you, that stuff is easy.Jonna in Tortuga, 2001 Teal RB
Converter update (WFCO 55) Reply #26 – August 16, 2005, 03:25:56 am Yahoo Message Number: 56875Here's an update on our converter swap. I did buy the WFCO55 and we picked it up in Bend while visiting Marial. We were too busy shopping while there to install it and just put it under the dinette in the box. We are currently in Sekui WA, on the Olympic peninsula doing some salmon fishing with the Rovin' Rods. One of the members is an electrician and all around fix it guy and he volunteered to "help" us install it. I think that we could have done it ourselves, but I know it would have taken a lot longer. Really there weren't any big problems and the upgrade kit really did contain everything you need. It even had new brown screws for the outside cover, which was a good thing as about the only problem we encountered was a stripped screw on the outside cover. Mimi was in there doing much of the work and a full partner in all of it, I was reading the manual and looking over their shoulders (backs really as they were both laying on the floor) "supervising". Swapping all the wires and fuses from one circuit board to the new one was the most time consuming part and the whole install probably took an hour.Once installed we checked the output from the batteries with and without the converter on using his multimeter. Our solar install made it a little confusing, but I think we figured it out. It seems to be working fine although there are a couple of things I'm still confused about. When we first turned it on, we are connected to power here, the volts to our batteries went up to 14.3 and stayed around there for about 4 hours. I was surprised at that as the batteries were pretty well charged when we started this. It then dropped to 13.6 and has stayed there. I'm impressed by the 14.3, I don't think I've ever seen it that high even when the batteries were half discharged. I am concerned that it stayed there for so long when the batteries were full. ? ? ? ? Another thing that confused me but that I think I have figured out is that our phantom load is usually about .5 but it was .3 after the swap. I am guessing that this has to do with the converter sending over 14 v to the batteries at the time? Something to do with higher volts = lower amps?? Also, it may be that I have only looked at it when we are boondocking and this difference is due to our being plugged into shore power?? We are totally under huge trees here and I'll have to wait until we leave to see if it is just different when we are on solar. I've noticed that the fan seems to be louder. We were also appalled at how much dust and dirt were on our old converter's fan, it was almost completely clogged. There were also several loose connections in there that had no doubt rattled loose in our almost 70k miles of sometimes really bad roads. We've added an annual check of all the connections and cleaning of the converter fan to our maintenance list.Since we will be here for another week, our friend has suggested we keep the old converter in case of what he calls the "infant mortality" of electronics and then we are going to give it to him for his help. We're having a great time here, the views are gorgeous and the fishing is good. Mimi has caught 5 salmon in 2 days out on the boat, four humpy and one silver or coho. We've smoked most of it using our friends smoker and canned most of that. I have some fresh and smoked in our freezer and almost a dozen 1/2 pint jars canned. I didn't buy a license but may go out tomorrow and drive the boat. We're thinking of taking the ferry to Vancouver Island when we leave here and spending about a week up there.Jonna in Tortuga, 2001 Teal RB find us here http://map.datastormusers.com/user1.cfm?user=1013
Re: Converter update (WFCO 55) Reply #27 – August 16, 2005, 04:21:21 am Yahoo Message Number: 56876Jonna,I'm impressed with your location. Is that a campground there or a private arrangement? With respect to your reduced phantom load, while an increased voltage would indeed lead to a reduced amperage for a given load, your decrease is so dramatic that the increased voltage is probably not the answer. A reduction of .5a to .3a is a 40% reduction, which would correspond to 13.6v x 0.6 = 8.16v previously. Surely the old converter did better than that. I don't know much about converters, but perhaps the old one was part of the phantom load and the new one is improved??Barry 01 r rb tx atP.S. What are you doing up so late?
Re: Converter update (WFCO 55) Reply #28 – August 17, 2005, 02:23:52 am Yahoo Message Number: 56919Hi Barry, Yes, it is a campground of sorts. There are 2 levels above the harbor with some great views out over the Strait. There are full hookups scattered around but no real markers for campsites. They are really just flat spots cut into the hillside and are owned by the same company (family?) that owns the dock, breakwater, bait shop, small grocery store, laundromat, cabins, and anything else you can think of. We are here with the Roving Rods fishing/rving club and are paying a reduced rate of $16 a night for full hookups. There are more RVs squeezed in here than I would have thought possible. I have been amazed by the ease with which some of these guys wheel these huge 5th wheels into miniscule spots. The road up here is steep and they pull up the road and back into the campground, around a dozen more of their huge brethren, then reverse into a tiny spot that doesn't look like it would fit them at all. The overflow is on the first flat spot below us and whenever anyone leaves someone comes up and fills in the spot. We were originally kind of wedged in under the trees next to a huge class A. We joked that we were so close we could pass the grey poupon mustard dinette to dinette. A little casita type trailer pulled out and we moved over a bit. Now we are pretty much on top of the bathroom but we have a little space for our chairs and a bit more sun. No one has parked next to us because the site is shallow up here and they can't get their long rigs into it. For all that it sounds horrible, it is really a great spot and we are having a blast. It's about the socializing and the fishing and we are doing a lot of both. Many of the guys in the club have boats and they make the arrangements every day at happy hour about who is going out with them. They can take 4 or 5 people a day and they are scrupulous about making sure everyone gets to go out. So, no one has to pay to go out and they even have the tackle you need. Most of them also have smokers and are happy to let you use them to smoke your catch. There is a lot of really good food happening here! These people are good cooks! Appetizers for happy hour rotate by the alphabet and every 3 days there is a potluck. The hillside is covered with blackberries, some of the baking with them has been superb. There is a constant trade of rub and brine recipes for the salmon, I'm enjoying learning some of that. The fishing is getting better almost every day. Usually everyone gets their limit or close. Limit is 4 Humpys a day, I don't know what the limit is on Silvers or Cohos but there are usually a couple of those per boat. Our friend caught a huge King today but had to let it go as the season is over for them. I'm learning a lot about fishing, which is easy since I knew nothing before. This is the same group that we went crabbing with in Winchester Bay a couple of years ago. It started as an Escapees BOF but is now a private club. That may change soon as there is some problem with the club ownership. However it ends up, it's a group we will stay a part of. The reason I'm up so late is that we are too far under the trees for our sat dish so I have to wait until after 9pm to get online with my cell phone. I don't fish so I don't have to get up at the crack of dawn like Mimi to go out fishing, instead I sleep until they get back and stay up late on the internet! Perfect!I've decided that the difference in phantom loads is that I wasn't looking at it before when we were plugged in, I'm not sure how that makes it different but I think it must.Jonna in Tortuga, 2001 Teal RB find us here http://map.datastormusers.com/user1.cfm?user=1013 ps. Tioga George is just up the road from us and I'm going to drive up and look for him tomorrow. I sent him an email telling him where we are and offering salmon but didn't hear back from him.
Re: Converter update (WFCO 55) Reply #29 – August 17, 2005, 03:56:58 am Yahoo Message Number: 56923Jonna, Thanks for the detailed report on the camp ground. It does not sound like my cup of tea despite the great location as I do not fish. I'm glad you are having a good time. It sounds like a fun group.You might want to add the site to the Locations data base if you haven't done so for those fishing LD nuts.Barry 01 r rb tx at
Re: Converter update (WFCO 55) Reply #30 – August 17, 2005, 10:19:34 am Yahoo Message Number: 56927Quoteabout. When we first turned it on, we are connected to power here, the volts to our batteries went up to 14.3 and stayed around there for about 4 hours. I was surprised at that as the batteries were pretty well charged when we started this. It then dropped to 13.6 and has stayed there. I'm impressed by the 14.3, I don't think I've ever seen it that high This is an indication that your batteries were not as fully charged as you thought. The circuitry will reduce the charge voltage once a reduced charge current indicates a state of full charge.QuoteAnother thing that confused me but that I think I have figured out is that our phantom load is usually about .5 but it was .3 after the swap. I am guessing that this has to do with the converter sending over 14 v to the batteries at the time? Possibly. Some devices will draw more current as the supply voltage falls. Without knowing the source of the phantom load, I would not worry about this.Steve
Re: Converter update (WFCO 55) Reply #31 – August 18, 2005, 03:47:04 pm Yahoo Message Number: 56985Hi Jonna,Mindy and I are looking forward to visiting some of the neat places you've been in the PNW once we take delivery of "The Nudge" in September (current working name for our yet to be born 26.5RK).Any ideas yet if the advertised extra charging power of the WFCO 55 is getting you over the energy hump? I did notice your 14.3 volts during bulk charge. Nice. Not much of a voltage drop over eight feet of 6ga. Steve's response that the almost four hours you saw at the 14.3 volts on the inital charge probably was an indication that your batteries might not have been charging fully seems spot on. But I am wondering if this was because of the 7345's relatively low charging voltage (I think you said 13.7 vdc to the battery as measured by your Link 10) or the loose connections you noted? I'm also wondering if maybe with the loose connections Tortuga was charging her batteries from only the alternator and the factory installed solar panels? Lastly, do you know how many amps your batteries were pulling at 14.3 volts? Tom wrote that he has pulled a max of 45 amps at 14.4 volts as measured by his Link 10. No problem for the 50 amp dc breakers that LD employs...My concern for Nudge is that I will possibly exceed a 50 amp draw with the T145's since I expect the T-145's will be well exercised most evenings.Thanks for any insight you (or anyone else) can add,Jay
Re: Converter update (WFCO 55) Reply #32 – August 19, 2005, 04:52:47 am Yahoo Message Number: 57004Steve may have been right and the batteries weren't fully charged. Seems odd though since we had driven for about 4 hours, and then plugged into electricity.What I have is a Xantrax Battery Status Monitor, not a Link 10 although I understand they are similar. It is not behaving as I remember it from before we switched converters. I'm not sure if I'm not remembering correctly or it really is different. Part of the problem is that I only tend to look at it when we are not plugged in and so I'm not sure what it used to read when we are plugged in. I have to get the manual out again as well and figure out exactly what I am seeing.Usually, I use the Amp indicator to see what different things are drawing from the battery or to see what the total draw is. I am not sure it shows what is going INTO the batteries, just out of them. Of course, it could be it shows both and doesn't differentiate. At any rate, once the new converter was in the Amp indicator shows 0 to .1 all the time. So, either it isn't working as it did or it only shows draws. Even then I find it weird as turning on lights and other 12v stuff doesn't change it. I haven't gone out and unplugged to see if that is the reason. I have a little tickle of fear that somehow it is no longer working correctly. I can do a hard reset if necessary but I'll need to review the manual first as it needs to be set and it's been a long time. If that doens't work, then somewhere in the fuse and lines to the circuit board there may be a problem. It does show the volts and amp hours and percent of charge so it is connected. I've turned it off for 1/2 hour and nothing changed. You'd think I'd go out there and unplug us and see for sure wouldn't you? Maybe I will tomorrow. So, bottom line I don't know how many amps the batteries were pulling in that 4 hours.Jonna in Tortuga, 2001 Teal RB find us here http://map.datastormusers.com/user1.cfm?user=1013
Re: Converter update (WFCO 55) Reply #33 – August 19, 2005, 10:32:49 am Yahoo Message Number: 57007Quotecourse, it could be it shows both and doesn't differentiate. At any rate, once the new converter was in the Amp indicator shows 0 to .1 all the time. So, either it isn't working as it did or it only shows draws. Even then I find it weird as turning on lights and other 12v stuff doesn't change it. I haven't gone out and unplugged to see if that is the reason. I have a little tickle of fear that somehow it Lots of possibilities, including that the converter disconnects the batteries from the coach electrical while in charge mode, i.e. while plugged in. A good system will only trickle charge fully-charged batteries. All we have is the old, standard Magnatek converter, which is not great - but it also disconnects the batteries while plugged in.Steve
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