On Board Battery charger

hartcentr

Advanced Member
Joined
May 19, 2019
Messages
95
Location
Southern Utah
I have a 2019 Reflection Travel Trailer. Question on the on-board battery charger that charges when the trailer is plugged into AC.

Does it sense level of charge, then reduce the amps as it nears full, then go to a maintenance only charge when full? The owners manual is worthless on that info.
 
I have a 2019 Reflection Travel Trailer. Question on the on-board battery charger that charges when the trailer is plugged into AC. Does it sense level of charge, then reduce the amps as it nears full, then go to a maintenance only charge when full? The owners manual is worthless on that info.
I'm voting that you have it right. That's the way battery charges work afterall. I know if you upgrade to LiFePo4 the internals need swa]ing out to provide mire power, or drop in a new charger alltogether
 
Yeah, I finally got the specs on it off the internet. Mine is a WF-9855 and the specs say it has a 14.4 volt bulk charge voltage, dropping to 13.6 volt in absorption more, then a 13.2 volt float mode which is where it would stay. If you are in a site where you have AC power, you can shut off the battery switch in the storage compartment if you want. That will stop the converter from charging the battery, but still supply DC to the trailer through the converter. I've done that a few times.
 
Yeah, I finally got the specs on it off the internet. Mine is a WF-9855 and the specs say it has a 14.4 volt bulk charge voltage, dropping to 13.6 volt in absorption more, then a 13.2 volt float mode which is where it would stay. If you are in a site where you have AC power, you can shut off the battery switch in the storage compartment if you want. That will stop the converter from charging the battery, but still supply DC to the trailer through the converter. I've done that a few times.
I hate to be the one to break it to you.... But the specs for the WFCO are not worth the paper they are written on.
WFCOs never go into bulk, and rarely into float. They all seem to be stuck at 13.6 volts. They do however seem be reliable, as they rarely just quit... They are just reliably bad.

Now does this matter to you? That all depends. If you are like most and go to campgrounds with electric, then it never going into bulk is not an issue. You will be OK camping. And if you store it with the battery disconnected as the manual states, then the not going into float is not a problem either
If you boondock.... You will want something else.
 
Not true, if you “shut off the battery switch” you will not have power to any 12 volt systems in your trailer (lights, sound system etc).

"It Ain't Necessarily So". :) Quite a few people have commented about their batteries running down after turning the Battery Disconnect Switch to "OFF". Our last 5th wheel also didn't disconnect all power, and
we did have a battery drain completely after we thought we had turned off everything. Seems like even the radio still had power when the Battery Disconnect Switch was turned to "OFF". Only way to be sure is to check the amperage draw with the Battery Disconnect Switch turned to the "OFF" position.
 
I hate to be the one to break it to you.... But the specs for the WFCO are not worth the paper they are written on.
WFCOs never go into bulk, and rarely into float. They all seem to be stuck at 13.6 volts. They do however seem be reliable, as they rarely just quit... They are just reliably bad.

Now does this matter to you? That all depends. If you are like most and go to campgrounds with electric, then it never going into bulk is not an issue. You will be OK camping. And if you store it with the battery disconnected as the manual states, then the not going into float is not a problem either
If you boondock.... You will want something else.

I have a voltage monitor on my batteries that allows me to track their voltage on my iPhone (best $30 I have ever spent on a trailer) and I have been getting what the specs say, so maybe my WFCO converter is the exception. And when we dry camp (boondoggle), I charge the batteries with solar, though I do also take my Honda generator along "just in case" (cloudy weather), or if I actually need some AC for something.
 
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WFCOs never go into bulk, and rarely into float. They all seem to be stuck at 13.6 volts. They do however seem be reliable, as they rarely just quit... They are just reliably bad.

Yep. I’ve never seen my go into float mode at 13.2v. It always seems to be stuck at 13.6.
 

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I have a voltage monitor on my batteries that allows me to track their voltage on my iPhone (best $30 I have ever spent on a trailer) and I have been getting what the specs say, so maybe my WFCO converter is the exception. And when we dry camp (boondoggle), I charge the batteries with solar, though I do also take my Honda generator along "just in case" (cloudy weather), or if I actually need some AC for something.
What is your solar setup?
 
What is your solar setup?

Pretty simple. A Big Blue Solar Suitcase with a Renogy 10 amp solar controller. Here's the panel info.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08HZ25FSW.

Also had to get a Furion to SAE adapter to be able use the Furion solar port on the trailer. And since the Big Blue uses Anderson connectors, I had to get an Anderson to SAE connector. It works great though. Not enough panels to provide AC, but it keeps the batteries charged.

One could buy two (or more) of the solar suitcases and double the output as they will connect in a series. I only have one though.

Here's the Furion to SAE adapter:

https://www.zampsolar.com/products/portable-panel-furrion-cable-adapter
 
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