generators

I would say 12 plus hours......Maybe!

Make sure the output is for battery charging, we use Honda EU20i's for work and the 12 volt output cannot be used to charge batterys.

Might want to have a look at a good quality switch mode 20 amp battery charger.

We use Ctek's but I think Jaycar and a couple others do a similar one.

Even with a good 20 amp battery charger it still may take you 8 hours to charge a 100 amp battery from near flat.

If you want to get a reasonable life out of a deep cycle battery I would not recommend fast charging. They are not designed for it. Better to trickle charge at a low amp charge rate. Cheers

Hi Brenton,

What brand and model battery is it? With this info you can find out the manufacturers recommended charge rate (ie C5, C10, C20 etc where charge rate = capacity divided by the number after it).

The 12V outlet on all generators is absolutely crap. You will only get something like 12.4V to 12.8V out of it which is not a good enough supply to charge a battery. Ideally a 3 stage charger sized to the capacity of your battery/bank is the best thing. What size Ctek do you have? If it is between 5A to 10A then I would say it is ideal for your 100AHr battery.

As other have said it is definately not recommended trying to charge the battery with too higher current too fast as it will ruin the battery over a short period of time. The best thing is to charge more regularly with a lower current to preserve life.

My 2c

Regards
David

If you're after a 'high output' charger have a look at this beauty...

50 amp Digital Battery Charger

I.H.N.A.W.T.R. - just a staisfied customer

Brendon
8 amps per hour on charge
100 amp battery
12.5 hrs constant charge

suggestion.... get yourself a generator for charging rather than an inverter. i have a 250 amp hour battery and a 2000watt generator it charges at 25amps an hour but i usually charge the battery off 240 at home the night before we go then when fully charged i can get 4 days before the genni gets used.



hope this helps enjoy the trip john

I was wondering can you charge the vehicle battery in the vehicle connected and with the appliances running off it or do you have to isolate the battery first before charging.

We have a 115AH Trojan wet cell deep cycle under the hood of the Prado. It runs a 40 litre weaco fridge.

We have a Honda EU10 and a Ctek 15amp charger.

When camped more than a single day I put the generator on about 10am and run it till about 4pm with the Ctek hooked directly on the battery. Ctek usually kicks over to float after about 5-6 hours of charging and we are good to go until the next morning and repeat the cycle. Charge time can also be lessened a bit by running the fridge off the generator on 240v while it is running.

Battery is now 4 years old and has done quite a few cycles so I am making allowances for it. When new it would go 36-48 hours in average 20 degree weather. Now getting 24-30 hours before it gets down to about 12 volts and needs the Honda and Ctek combo.

Just our experience.

Muddy