Battery/Inverter Question

[Jeff and Cheryl]

I have been thinking about putting a battery charger on the batteries this winter. I will have the coach plugged into power and will be disconnecting the batteries, using the disconnect switches. My question is, does the inverter charge the batteries whin the disconnect switches have been turned to the disconnect position?
Thanks for the help.

[RJay]

Jeff,
Your battery disconnect switch should be place before all loads to ensure no battery drain when turned off. If your going to be connected to shore power what is your concern about using the inverter to charge the batteries?

[Old Scout]

Your inverter is connected directly to your house batteries. If your inverter [breaker on] is connected to AC and the charger mode is on, then your inverter will keep your house bats charged [and your echo charger will keep yr engine bats charged]--it doesnt matter how your disconnect switches are positioned. Counterpoint is that using the inverter over the winter will cause its internal components and fan[s] to run--for good or bad???? [assume 99s are like 03s and in this regard and I think they are]

PS--some folks think a trickle charge might be more gentle than an intelligent, 3-stage inverter/charger on bats over the longer term but not sure this is true.

[BryanL]

for battery storage, you really need a device that will do 2 things. One is to keep a full charge and the other is to inhibit sulfation.

An old school trickle charger can keep a full charge but it is difficult to get one that is 'just right'. A float or trickle charger also doesn't do anything to prevent electrolyte stratification and the growth of sulfate crystals.

Use something like the BatteryMINDer(tm) or other pulse charge maintainer designed for battery maintenance. The ChargeWizard based converters or the similar WFCO also have a good maintenance mode for batteries.

[Jeff and Cheryl]

The reason I ask this is that I've got a 1000 watt inverter without an equalization cycle and the house battery is pretty heavily sulfated. Rather than go out and by a new battery, I'd like to rehab the one I've got. I have a charger with an electronic pulse desulfator that I want to use. With the onset of colder and much rainer season here in the NW I need to run heat in the coach, thus the coach needs to be plugged into AC. So... if I turn the inverter breaker to the off position, this will disengage the inverter, so it will not be able to charge the battery, right?

[Old Scout]

Yup--that should do it! Might ensure the inverter mode is in the off position too so the batteries are completely isolated.

[Jeff and Cheryl]

Old Scout,
Thank-you for the help.