Community Forums

Rdquest · 11-30-2019, 05:30 PM

I've read where the Magnatek converter left plugged in continuously can overcharge and boil the house battery dry. My question is if you leave your RV plugged into your home when not in use, if you leave a 12v light on 24 hours a day, will it draw off enough charge from the battery to keep it from overcharging? BTW I'm a female who doesn't know a lot about this stuff lol.

aether_one · 11-30-2019, 05:33 PM

IF your charging circuit is prone to overcharge your batteries it will do it regardless of any small DC load you may add.

theoldwizard · 11-30-2019, 05:46 PM

I assume we are talking long term (weeks) storage.

The simple solution is disconnect the battery (just take the negative cable off)
Buy small battery charger (like a Battery Tender)
Buy an old fashioned mechanical lamp timer
Plug the battery charger into the lamp timer and set it to run about 4 hours per day
Plug the lamp timer into a convenient outlet in your RV
Plug the RV into your house

The downside is you will have no 12V lights inside, so you might want to leave a small table lamp near the door so you can turn it on if you need to go inside at light.

gmc70 · 11-30-2019, 06:21 PM

I would say that if your Magantek is boiling you batteries it is bad and needs to be replaced. I have our MH plugged into house 24/7 for weeks at a time and no problems. Batteries always at full charge and seldom have to add water. I am sure others will chime in here. Same thing with pervious MH but don't remember charger/inverter. Just think about it, what if at a CG for a couple of weeks and plugged in?

FIRE UP · 11-30-2019, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rdquest

I've read where the Magnatek converter left plugged in continuously can overcharge and boil the house battery dry. My question is if you leave your RV plugged into your home when not in use, if you leave a 12v light on 24 hours a day, will it draw off enough charge from the battery to keep it from overcharging? BTW I'm a female who doesn't know a lot about this stuff lol.

Rdquest,
Well young lady, first off, before you go disconnecting ANYTHING, or buying any gizmos, the very FIRST thing you need to do is LEARN about your particular unit, i.e. Magnatek converter/inverter/charger, whatever ACTUAL model you have. Many of these companies make different models that perform differently. If you don't have one, go find one on line. I'm speaking of an owners manual for your Magnatek. In it, you should find, a complete explanation of just EXACTLY how your unit works, in terms of battery charging.

Some of these units are what's called "Smart" units. That is, they THINK about how much juice (that's tech-no jargon for electricity) that is needed to be placed into a battery, and for a given length of time. And, they will taper off, the amount needed, as the battery(ies) come up in state of charge. Finally, they taper off enough, to just "maintain" the battery(ies). And that is a very minute amount of charge.

But, other models, made by the same company(ies), are NOT SMART and, will in fact, just keep on charging, even when the battery(ies) are topped off. NOT GOOD!! So, again, try and find out, exactly which unit you have and, read, if you can obtain one, the owners manual pertaining to charging.

And lastly, if you find your unit, in your coach, it may have a decal on it pertaining to contacting the company that made it, that will possibly have a 1-800 number on it to call, for questions or service. Good luck and post what you find please.
Scott

puttin · 11-30-2019, 07:58 PM

Most responses are directing you to charge your battery in some manner. I simply shut everything off and have a disconnect switch for the battery. It stays disconnected for 2 or more months at a time and remains fine until we go out again.

Old-Biscuit · 11-30-2019, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIRE UP

Rdquest,
Well young lady, first off, before you go disconnecting ANYTHING, or buying any gizmos, the very FIRST thing you need to do is LEARN about your particular unit, i.e. Magnatek converter/inverter/charger, whatever ACTUAL model you have. Many of these companies make different models that perform differently. If you don't have one, go find one on line. I'm speaking of an owners manual for your Magnatek. In it, you should find, a complete explanation of just EXACTLY how your unit works, in terms of battery charging.

Some of these units are what's called "Smart" units. That is, they THINK about how much juice (that's tech-no jargon for electricity) that is needed to be placed into a battery, and for a given length of time. And, they will taper off, the amount needed, as the battery(ies) come up in state of charge. Finally, they taper off enough, to just "maintain" the battery(ies). And that is a very minute amount of charge.

But, other models, made by the same company(ies), are NOT SMART and, will in fact, just keep on charging, even when the battery(ies) are topped off. NOT GOOD!! So, again, try and find out, exactly which unit you have and, read, if you can obtain one, the owners manual pertaining to charging.

And lastly, if you find your unit, in your coach, it may have a decal on it pertaining to contacting the company that made it, that will possibly have a 1-800 number on it to call, for questions or service. Good luck and post what you find please.
Scott

Reading the operating manual does help

Magnetek/Parallax Converters are transformer based that are NOT very 'smart'
Upgrade kits are available to change out the charger section with a muti-stage charger that will maintain your battery better

Your 1997 vintage Magnetek needs updated

Upgrade Kits for Magnetek/Parallax

If I had a Magnetek converter I would NOT leave my RV plugged in 24/7 unless I routinely checked the battery water levels and charging state.
Magnetek will overcharge batteries.

Rdquest · 11-30-2019, 09:38 PM

Thanks everyone. The reason I'm asking is because we bought this RV late August. Haven't taken it out anywhere as we've been updating some stuff. I had it plugged in the house and soon found out battery was dead. Husband decided it was just an old battery and went and bought a new one. When we read the MagneTek could ruin it I went out and unplugged it and raised the lever on the battery. Asking all these questions to get an idea of what to do. The converter is a 6300A /6345. The operation instructions on the cover says the charger should regulate the charge as needed, option c or something, but from what I've been reading, that may not be accurate. They can still ruin a new battery. I would like to have 12 volt lights available all the time without having to fiddle with plugs, batteries etc every time I go in the RV.

NXR · 11-30-2019, 09:51 PM

This may help: https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/f...d/27845135.cfm

It reads as though you understand it correctly; those old units can boil the batteries. I have a Progressive Dynamics converter from the factory and so far I've not had any problems with battery water consumption.

As an aside, if you continue to participate here you'll learn that when Old-Biscuit gives advice it is 100% rock-solid. I have no idea who he/she is but I have learned a lot from their posts.

Ray

Old-Biscuit · 11-30-2019, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rdquest

Thanks everyone. The reason I'm asking is because we bought this RV late August. Haven't taken it out anywhere as we've been updating some stuff. I had it plugged in the house and soon found out battery was dead. Husband decided it was just an old battery and went and bought a new one. When we read the MagneTek could ruin it I went out and unplugged it and raised the lever on the battery. Asking all these questions to get an idea of what to do. The converter is a 6300A /6345. The operation instructions on the cover says the charger should regulate the charge as needed, option c or something, but from what I've been reading, that may not be accurate. They can still ruin a new battery. I would like to have 12 volt lights available all the time without having to fiddle with plugs, batteries etc every time I go in the RV.

Direct replacement (UPGRADE) charger section and DC Fuse Panel for your 6300 Series.
DIY...basically plug/play install

45 Amp Kit For 6300 Series

Mark_K5LXP · 11-30-2019, 10:49 PM

You *could* go with the regimine of charging and disconnecting but that requires a conscious effort. What happens when your forget, or for some reason don't? What happens when you shut it off before the batteries get charged?

You want to replace this old converter. Then not only do you not have to worry about overcharging but it will charge your batteries much faster than these old single stage units in regular operation. Compound the issue with the age of the unit which has some reliability question and it's a no brainer this thing is past it's prime.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM