charge controler

[dvrdwn]

My 92 Coach House has house batteries that I'm assuming charge from my engine running ,being plugged into shore power and by my Onan generator. So i'm guessing that means it has a charge controller. Am I right?

[markopolo]

Yes, more or less right. The alternator regulator and the converter / charger control charging.

Typically, the current flow would be like this:

Engine -> 12V DC Alternator -> Isolator -> House Battery

or when Onan running or if plugged into grid power:

110V AC Source -> Converter / Charger -> House Battery

The two systems are separate in that the Converter doesn't use the Alternator and vice versa.

When the specific term Charge Controller is used in RV's it is typically in reference to solar charging.

[dvrdwn]

That leads me to my next Question. I bought a 100 watt solar panel with a controller and was wondering where to put it. I know I have to put it before the batteries but it also has a place to connect the load. I like this feature because it will disconnect the lights etc. when the battery gets low. My concern is that there is more than one circuit but only one place to connect to the controller.

[markopolo]

It sounds like the controller has three pairs of connections.

1. + & - Battery
2. + & - Solar Panel
3. + & - Load

The load connection is unlikely to be used in RV type usage. It is dependent on daylight and both the voltage and current would vary depending on sunlight intensity.

A typical solar setup in/on an RV is:

Solar panel --> Solar controller --> House battery

Lights & fans etc. draw from the battery. Solar helps keep the battery charged.