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Progressive Dynamics and AGM batteries

NEOK
Explorer
Explorer
I have a Bigfoot 15C9.5 truck camper with a 45amp Progressive Dynamics converter PD4645V with charge wizard. It's less than one year old.
And I believe it is a four stage charger. I have two questions:

Will the charger in that converter work with AGM battery?

One battery is in the front of the camper under the step to the bed. The other battery is under the cabinet at the rear of the camper wired in parallel. Could the charger keep both batteries charged?

Thanks
neok
2009 GMC 25000HD Short Bed 6.0 Gas Engine Crew Cab SLT 4x4
2008 Bigfoot 15C9.5FS
Torklift Talons, Fastguns, Stableload Quick Disconnects, Superhitch & SuperTruss
7 REPLIES 7

landyacht318
Explorer
Explorer
The PD's blast back upto 14.4v for 15 minutes every 16 or 18 hours when in storage mode(13.2) might be good for destratification of floodeds but is unnecessary with AGM.

I've had two PD9245s on projects whose voltages under light loads( higher state of battery) were higher than stated. 14.56v, 13.73v and 13.34v, as opposed to the 14.4, 13.6 and 13.2 stated in the manual.

wa8yxm
Explorer III
Explorer III
Short answer to both questions is YES.

Though the Charge wizard is programmed for Flooded wet the difference between Flooded wet and AGM is not that great .. Plus a unique feature of the Wizard (the short "Equaization" burst every 20 hours or so) makes up for the differences.

Now the only concern is this LIFELINE recommends a very fast recharge for their AGM's. other companies do not 45 amps is likely not enough for LIFELINE.

Rumor (I should have checked last Halloween when I was at the factory) is PD is going to release an AGM version of the wizard but that is far as I know, still Rumor.
Home was where I park it. but alas the.
2005 Damon Intruder 377 Alas declared a total loss
after a semi "nicked" it. Still have the radios
Kenwood TS-2000, ICOM ID-5100, ID-51A+2, ID-880 REF030C most times

BFL13
Explorer II
Explorer II
With our truck camper that had the battery box inside under that step up to the bed, I cut a hole in the left front corner and installed a 'cable hatch'.

You can get two batteries in the left front of the box ahead of the wheel well. Wires go through the cable hatch to connect to the battery bank inside under the step. Easy short runs and get a proper balance.

You slide in the camper till the wires reach and connect up while you can still see them, then slide in the rest of the way. VV unloading the camper.
1. 1991 Oakland 28DB Class C
on Ford E350-460-7.5 Gas EFI
Photo in Profile
2. 1991 Bighorn 9.5ft Truck Camper on 2003 Chev 2500HD 6.0 Gas
See Profile for Electronic set-ups for 1. and 2.

full_mosey
Explorer
Explorer
NEOK wrote:

...
1.Will the charger in that converter work with AGM battery?

...
2.Could the charger keep both batteries charged?

Thanks


If the AGM is inside and usually near 25C/77F, then yes.

1. Many AGMs require or recommend a temperature compensating charger. My AGM dropped from 10C to 0C today. The solar controller has temp-comp and it set the charge volts to 15V today in OKC. It would have set higher, but I cap the Volts at 15 to protect onboard electronics.
The PD does not do that and 14.4V may be too low in Winter. Do you know the specs of your AGM?

2. Yes, if the the load and charge(POS) lines are on one battery and the load ground(NEG) are on the other one. This keeps the round trip line length 'balanced'.

Otherwise the batteries will not stay balanced. One battery will be wear out faster than the other. Batteries in parallel work best when they are in the same condition/health.

HTH;
John

MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Explorer
This is exactly like asking if a $500 monthly deposit will avoid overdrafts in your checking account...

I know some folks who can successfully live on a single group 24 battery for a solid week without drawing it down too much...

Then on the other hand, there are folks who would wrinkle the sidewalls of the same battery sucking it down flat inside 6-hours.

Your accessories, the number of people in your party and your lifestyle can be a deal maker or breaker.

So if you could provide more information...

BFL13
Explorer II
Explorer II
You need to know the charging specifications for those AGMs. Some might say charging is 14.5-9v and Float 13.4-7 say. In that case the CW 14.4/13.6 isn't quite right, but close (except in cold weather when all spec voltages are higher for temp compensation.)

The other issue is that your AGMs will be truly full when the charging amps at that charging voltage drop to near zero amps. This means you need an ammeter to know when you are "there" and can drop to the specified Float voltage.

Without that ammeter, you are guessing. You can't tell when you are done.

With your second battery far away, it is likely you have the load and charging done on the one battery, with the other as the "downstream battery" This is usually bad for the downstream battery. Best to have them "balanced" by having the load and charging "across" both batteries.
1. 1991 Oakland 28DB Class C
on Ford E350-460-7.5 Gas EFI
Photo in Profile
2. 1991 Bighorn 9.5ft Truck Camper on 2003 Chev 2500HD 6.0 Gas
See Profile for Electronic set-ups for 1. and 2.