Charge controllers

[KennyM]

Greetings,

I have a 2014 Heartland Road Warrior 305, does anyone know if the factory charge/controller will charge a lithium battery? I have not found where the charger is (is it behind the fuse/breaker panel?) I want to get Lithium batteries as all I do in dry camp. I am thinking of 2 100 amp batteries.

thanks,

Kenny

 

[rhodies1]

I doubt your controller will charge Lithium Batteries. Your unit is old and the manufacturer has only been installing the new version on the past couple of years. And they don't install them on all models/ units coming of the line. Mostly on the higher end. units.

 

[KennyM]

I doubt your controller will charge Lithium Batteries. Your unit is old and the manufacturer has only been installing the new version on the past couple of years. And they don't install them on all models/ units coming of the line. Mostly on the higher end. units.

Thank you!
I figured as much. I may change out my converter as they are too much money, but the lithium batteries are.

 

[taskswap]

I'm not specifically recommending this product but I've had pretty good luck with https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F8MC45E so far. The only thing with it is you need a multimeter to configure it properly because it uses a dial to set its voltage rather than switches or buttons. I have Renogy batteries and they recommend 14.2-14.6V so I set it to 14.4. You only have to do it once. Note that this is only appropriate in coaches where the charger/converter is a separate unit from the breaker panel. (There are other products for panels with integrated converters.)

If you are DIY'ing the replacement be very careful handling the wiring. I recommend disconnecting the batteries first. This voltage is unlikely to electrocute you but there's usually no fuse/breaker on this line, so if you short the wires you're making a DIY welder and things can get exciting fast.

You can go with a smaller rating on the unit just bear in mind it'll take that much longer to charge from empty when you get on shore or generator power.

 

[KennyM]

Thank you for the information, I will research that unit more. Right now I have two new 365 amp deep cell 6 volt batteries. I like the idea of the lithium though for many reasons. Now my new project is hooking up a Starlink Gen3 system. Seems like I am always doing something new..lol