Help with inverter Xantrex Inverter

[ADR1RU]

@ADR1RU I am wondering what you were thinking when you read about the automobile alternator?

From what little I can discern, one could burn their vehicle alternator up by switching over to Lithium batteries on their travel trailer. Another post (on a Facebook RV Group) mentioned something about it, but no details.

So I guess I’m wondering if you need a DC-DC Battery Charger if you convert over to Lithium in your TT, to keep from damaging your vehicle’s alternator?

 

[Kevin D Pem]

IMO and from personal experience, automotive alternators won't hold up to a constant high amp charging. Deep cycle charging of any chemistry can make an unmodified alternators coils turn blue as the coils fry. The regulator and diodes will soon show signs of failure.

They were designed to bring a starting battery back up to full charge. They lack enough iron and copper to serve as Deep cycle charging generators.

My poor boy generators, use special electronic field controller to keep the generator within designed limits, even when used to charge my 24v system. The system RPM is set via the built-in governor on the engine. I have been using my current model for about 5 years, and very happy with it. Remember I run solar so don't use it unless weather requires it. That of course is when the largest load is applied.

It may be fine if you got a three stage regulator like that used in the marine market.

 

[ADR1RU]

IMO and from personal experience, automotive alternators won't hold up to a constant high amp charging. Deep cycle charging of any chemistry can make an unmodified alternators coils turn blue as the coils fry. The regulator and diodes will soon show signs of failure.

They were designed to bring a starting battery back up to full charge. They lack enough iron and copper to serve as Deep cycle charging generators.

So whenever someone converts over to Lithium in a TT, what do most folks do to protect their vehicle’s alternator during transit?

 

[Wemustrv]

We have a new Jayco 2023 Alante. We had problem from day one with our batteries and inverter. We changed batteries from normal to lithium. Hoping we would be able to have more power. We use exactly the same equipement cpap and Ipad that we did in our last RV. We never had any problems with it.
Now every night we get an alert and my husband cpap stops. The retailer tells us its because of what we use. Help don’t know what to do.
We have solar panels Go power of 200 and 1000 inverter. We are from Quebec, Candiac near Montreal. Thank you for your help.

Did you reconfigure the charging system not inverter to match the Lithium charge requirements? I made this mistake once when going from we cell to AGM cost me 4 brand ne batteries. I do not have have Lithium however I can run 14 hours on our coach batteries powering to resi fridges one 23.5 cubic foot and one 1.7 cubic foot, lights, tv and my CPAP.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

So whenever someone converts over to Lithium in a TT, what do most folks do to protect their vehicle’s alternator during transit?

I personally would use a current limiting circuit. How fast the battery charges means little if it kills the alternator.

You can use a pwm circuit for that.

 

[TheLooks]

Careful - Alternator Charging Lithium - Victron Energy

Charging lithium batteries from an alternator, be that in a boat or vehicle, presents some challenges when compared to the straightforward nature of charging lead based batteries. The video in this blog highlights these lithium challenges and shows you what can happen when things go wrong –...

www.victronenergy.com