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Old 07-23-2015, 06:19 PM   #1
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Can I use this to charge my 12v directly from my a/c generator?

Do you think i can use this to charge a 12v battery? (link below)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...A2LH8DUZ1Q6T63

I already have a 7000 watt generator in my bus so i wanted to start small and try plugging into my already installed a/c plugs and charging a 12v battery.

thoughts?

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Old 07-23-2015, 06:27 PM   #2
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How much time do you have? I think it is more for maintenance then charging. I will delete your other post.
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Old 07-23-2015, 06:45 PM   #3
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Its for burning man! I wanted to run the generator sparingly and use a 12v battery i have at night for a few lights and charge the battery while i ran the generator during the day.

is there something i can use to charge a 12v dc battery directly from an a/c outlet?
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Old 07-23-2015, 06:48 PM   #4
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Your gen should have a 12v connection.
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Old 07-23-2015, 06:56 PM   #5
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Your gen should have a 12v connection.
but i want to use my generator to charge a battery.. so i just connect the battery directly to the 12v output? and maybe add a charge controller?

thanks!
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Old 07-23-2015, 07:39 PM   #6
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If your generator has a12v output you don't need a charge controller. The12v output is for charging the generator battery. The output would be pretty small.
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Old 07-23-2015, 07:40 PM   #7
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So how would you recommend charging a 12v battery with a 7000watt a/c generator?

thanks for your help
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Old 07-23-2015, 07:45 PM   #8
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You are using the gen during the day anyway, use that time to charge the battery. You need to check and see if the 12v is regulated so you don't overcharge your battery. Otherwise you might need a charge controller. I am not an expert but that's how I would do it.
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Old 07-23-2015, 07:47 PM   #9
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A simple charge controller would do the trick! Gotcha!
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Old 07-23-2015, 07:55 PM   #10
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I would just use a regular battery charger, 20 amp or so. The newer ones are smart enough to not over charge.
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Old 07-23-2015, 08:30 PM   #11
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I would just use a regular battery charger, 20 amp or so. The newer ones are smart enough to not over charge.
X2
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Old 07-24-2015, 01:35 AM   #12
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Best one I have ever used.

Plugs into the generators 120 volt outlet.

It Won't wreck your battery's.

http://www.amazon.com/black-decker-v...=indifash06-20

I have heard that cat also makes a good one.

Nat
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Old 07-24-2015, 11:43 AM   #13
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I second the idea of using a regular 3 stage battery charger, the 12v charging port on your generator will do a poor job of fully charging the battery and it may overcharge it, unless of course the generators manual says its 12v outlets output is controlled by a 3 state battery charger,

20amp would charge the battery fast but if your battery is a ~100ah wet lead acid deep cycle battery you probably dont want to put more than about 10amps in it at any one time, it will decrease the lifespan of the battery, about 10% of the batteries AH capacity is best for long term usage,

When you said "plug your generator into the already installed AC plugs", did you mean plug the generator into an installed RV wall socket? to backfeed the battery or charger? If so it might work or it might blow some fuses or melt a wire if the wire is not fused.
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Old 07-24-2015, 05:50 PM   #14
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a couple solar panels would charge that battery, only issue I see is the 1 battery may be to small, unless you use led's for lighting
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Old 07-25-2015, 06:43 PM   #15
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I second the idea of using a regular 3 stage battery charger, the 12v charging port on your generator will do a poor job of fully charging the battery and it may overcharge it, unless of course the generators manual says its 12v outlets output is controlled by a 3 state battery charger,
bubb is right; don't charge with the "12v battery charge" output directly from the generator. They're low power, completely unregulated, and will happily over-charge a battery. I think it's a testament to how unusable this output is that the larger portable/contractor generators with battery start don't even wire their own starting battery to that output! They know the battery would be boiled dry before the machine had even 10 hours on its clock.. (to qualify that statement: the higher-cost type, usually permanent-install and over maybe $3000, often have an alternator with circuits to properly charge a battery. That seems to be universally omitted on the portables, though.)

I give a second vote for the Black & Decker charger Nat recommended. I have the same one and like it quite a lot. Another I like, though in a much lower power class, is the Battery Doctor #20085 2/4/8 amp smart charger. It's the only one I've ever seen that automatically powers on to the same charge rate you picked last time, so if you hard wire it to a battery, you simply plug in the mains cord and walk away. It doesn't remain off, or default to the lowest rate, if you forget to click a button the way so many others do.
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