Danny and Sue Posted September 21, 2012 Report Share Posted September 21, 2012 Hi all.We have been using our redarc 40 amp DC/DC charger for 3 months now so thought we might share our veiw so far... Ours is the redarc BCDC 12/40 with solar regI think we were getting next to zero input from the Toyota despite having very heavy wire to the anderson plug..now as soon as the ute starts we get a good charge rate right from idle.like any battery charger the charge rate slows down as battery's reach higher state of charge.. i try not to get batteries too low but at about 70% charged we get around the 30amp's input.we have just been free camping near kingaroy for 5 days and the built in solar reg worked very well..we have 3 panels/3 battery's and had no problems.6 to 7 hours of tv and washing of the inverter batteries back up to 100% by 4oclock. but weather was very sunny.Overall very happy & would recommend to anyone.we would definetely have one installed on a new van. only drawback i can see is that you can't charge the ute battery's back through anderson plug while stopped.you could get around this with a bit of thought and a switch but don't think i'll bother.. Cheers for now danny & Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian and Jill Brown Posted November 17, 2012 Report Share Posted November 17, 2012 Hi Danny & Sue,I am considering installing one of these and would appreciate your advice on a few points (excuse my ignorance):- Is it mounted under the bonnet of your car (so only works when the engine is on)?- How have you 'run' your solar panels (off the caravan I presume) thru this unit?- Can you read the input to the batteries as part of our daily amps input ie. solar plus BCDC charger? - Are you still happy with it?I would apprecaite your advice,Cheers,Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny and Sue Posted November 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 17, 2012 Hello Ian.. Unit is mounted in the front of the van where the solar reg was..yes power only comes from the ute when the engine is on but from the panels as per usual when motor is off..pretty easy to wire with good clear directions.all wires are colour coded..all goes through the battery monitor,so when ute starts it shows amp hours coming from ute to van batterys..when the ute starts the solal is islolated and is not putting power in untill the motor is turned off..only been home 2 weeks so all up we were in the van for just over 4 months & still very happy..i did ring redarc 1 day & they were very good to talk to.. Cheers DannyHi Danny & Sue,I am considering installing one of these and would appreciate your advice on a few points (excuse my ignorance):- Is it mounted under the bonnet of your car (so only works when the engine is on)?- How have you 'run' your solar panels (off the caravan I presume) thru this unit?- Can you read the input to the batteries as part of our daily amps input ie. solar plus BCDC charger? - Are you still happy with it?I would apprecaite your advice,Cheers,Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glen and Debbie Posted November 20, 2012 Report Share Posted November 20, 2012 Hi Ian,I have set mine up a little different to Danny, as I wanted to provide optimal charge to the auxilliary battery located in the back of the car with my fridge, even when the van is not attached. The Redarc unit is located under the bonnet and charges the rear AGM battery via a 32 square mil cable to ensure minimal voltage drop. When hitched up to the van this also charges the van batteries directly via the same size cable and 175amp Anderson plug. My solar charge doesn't drop out when the car is running, so I believe the charge from the panels & Redarc work together to provide maximum charge rates possible. This seems to work well for my set up which Springers had installed about 12 months ago. My generator rarely ever gets a good work out now days. I'm sure there are a number of different ways to set these up according to your individual needs and the idea of these units is to provide optimal charge rates for the batteries and to prolong there life. Only time will tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian and Jill Brown Posted November 20, 2012 Report Share Posted November 20, 2012 Hi Glen,Thanks for your input.As I don't have a great need to charge anything in the tug, am probably leaning to mounting in the van.Decisions, decisions.Cheers,Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickA Posted November 20, 2012 Report Share Posted November 20, 2012 G`Day IanIf you are going to be doing any mounting in the van ,make sure the blinds are closed. Cheers Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian and Jill Brown Posted November 21, 2012 Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 Hi Rick & Glen,Thanks for the mounting instructions, Rick!Glen, does the Redarc unit have an output to monitor the inputs and outputs of the batteries as the PL60 solar charger?That is, can we monitor power usage/cahrge etc. from inside the van?Cheers,Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glen and Debbie Posted November 22, 2012 Report Share Posted November 22, 2012 Hi Ian,No, the Redarc doesn't have any readouts on it, just little red led lights that indicate if it's charging or not. I've just put a volt meter on the dash that can read voltage of main & auxilliary batteries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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