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Wire gauge for Change from 12v to 6v Batteries in 2013 Hawk


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#11 Vic Harder

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Posted 29 June 2020 - 11:53 PM

After talking with Lifeline and Iota today I'm having concerns the stock Iota DLS-30 will do a good job of charging my new 6 volt AGMs.  The charge profile of the Iota converter/charger is higher at both bulk and float according to the recommendations by Lifeline.  Even with any of the various IQ Smart Charging Modules the float of 13.6 volts is higher than what Lifeline recommends.  Iota did explain to me how to adjust the voltage of the DLS-30, but I'm not sure I want to open the case and attempt it.

 

The DLS-30 worked great on my stock 7 year old group 24 AGM batteries, so I may just leave it as is and install the new batteries.

what are the recommendations and the IOTA settings?


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#12 Bwht4x4

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Posted 30 June 2020 - 12:09 AM

Here are the various details I acquired today:

 

Lifeline AGM Battery Charging Recommendation:

Bulk/Absorb - 14.2 - 14.4

Float - 13.2 - 13.4

 

Iota DLS Converter/Charger with three different Smart Charger Modules

 

IQ SMART-CHARGER - IQ4

Bulk - 14.8

Absorb - 14.2

Float - 13.6

 

IQ SMART-CHARGER - Gel

Bulk - 14.23

Absorb - none

Float - 13.6

 

IQ SMART-CHARGER - AGM

Bulk - 14.7

Absorb - none

Float - 13.6

 

 

The tech at Lifeline was shocked I got 7 years out of my original AGMs running the Iota DLS-30 with the IQ4 module.  I can't explain it either, but it worked!!  I confirmed today using my Bogart Trimetric Battery Monitor and my Klein True RMS multimeter that float voltage with my current setup is 13.60 volts.


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2018 Dodge Ram 2500 Quad Cab, 4WD, CTD paired with a 2013 FWC Hawk


#13 Vic Harder

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Posted 30 June 2020 - 02:34 AM

Will lifeline not honor their warranty if using the iota's parameters?  That would be a good reason to get a more programmable charger.


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#14 Bwht4x4

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Posted 30 June 2020 - 08:38 PM

I didn't ask about honoring the warranty.  From my experience if you identify a problem for a manufacturer they'll almost always say NO, they will not honor the warranty.

 

I think I may try to remove the cover of the Iota DLS and see if I can tweak the voltage down 0.4 volts, which would put the charging profile in the sweet spot for the Lifeline batteries.


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#15 Vic Harder

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Posted 30 June 2020 - 09:42 PM

I didn't ask about honoring the warranty.  From my experience if you identify a problem for a manufacturer they'll almost always say NO, they will not honor the warranty.

 

I think I may try to remove the cover of the Iota DLS and see if I can tweak the voltage down 0.4 volts, which would put the charging profile in the sweet spot for the Lifeline batteries.

do you have docs, examples of how to do that?  Sounds interesting!


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#16 Jack

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Posted 30 June 2020 - 10:32 PM

A Victron DC-DC charger (highly recommended over Redarc and Renogy) will set you back about $225 and a couple of hours of time. Running heaver gauge wire from the truck to the battery separator costs fewer $ but a lot more time. And when you upgrade to a new truck with a smart alternator (if not already), the thicker wire won't help. If you go to lithium batteries, the DC-DC charger can also take care of the Iota issues.

 

I posted my installation of a Victron DC-DC Charger - it was relatively easy

 

https://www.wanderth...-2015-fleet-fd/

 


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#17 ntsqd

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Posted 01 July 2020 - 01:24 AM

When I first wired our truck almost 10 years ago I ran 6 ga. wire to an Anderson connector bolted to the inside of the bed. I continued with 6 ga. into the camper and on to the batteries (6 VDC T-105's in series). I choose 6 ga. because I wanted to support up to 80 amps with no more than a 3% Voltage Drop. Not just for charging, but for other things like an On-board Air compressor sitting on the side of the frame almost directly under the Anderson connector. The bulk of that wiring will stay with the truck until there's cause to pull it out. Likely long after I care one way or the other.

 

DC-DC was looked into then, did not exist in a practical way.

 

With a simple 100W solar panel on the roof of that first camper the connection to the alternator was almost redundant. Only when we seriously drew down the camper batteries was the alternator connection of much use. Given that, my advise would to not build an over the top alternator charging system. Instead build an over the top solar charging system. If you're in a region where the sun isn't available frequently only then I'd put more effort into the alternator charging system.


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Thom

Where does that road go?

#18 Stokeme

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Posted 01 July 2020 - 03:40 AM

X2 directly above ... “Over the top solar charging system”, or some semblance of that. But, I was able to start with a Shell build & plan for low Ah usage. Less weight, less wiring, less gadgetry. Consider, anyway, putting $ into more solar. Unless, also as stated above, your FWC usage is frequently in a region where the Sun has availability issues. It has kept things simple for me. Get good panel(s).

Edited by Stokeme, 01 July 2020 - 03:57 AM.

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#19 Bwht4x4

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Posted 01 July 2020 - 11:00 PM

I agree about over the top solar charging system.  I've personally never had an issue with the FWC wiring under the truck to the batteries.  Generally I camp/hunt for one to three weeks straight and generally in areas where there's a lot of sun.  I have a 160 watt panel on the roof and I deploy a 100 watt once I set up camp.  Never had an issue so far.

 

My main concern is charging the batteries when the camper is stored for weeks or months at a time.  I want to ensure the existing Iota DLS charger is going to provide a charge profile that will allow me to get maximum lifespan out of them.  I am still leaning toward slightly adjusting the voltage of the Iota DLS through the potientiometer to see if I can reduce the overall voltage for all stages 0.04 volts.


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#20 ntsqd

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Posted 03 July 2020 - 11:55 PM

FWIW I have a battery tender (NOCO Genius in the current camper's case) that is permanently part of the camper. Haven't gotten to it with this camper, but in our old one I added a dedicated outlet for the battery tender so that it went live when ever we plugged into shore power. After finding the "converter/charger" in the old camper boiling the batteries I've no trust in them at all. I have read of a supposedly good one, but I'm not interested. A purpose built battery charger makes more sense to me.


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Thom

Where does that road go?




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