Charging Hawk Shell Model Batteries?

[abqbw]

I have a new Hawk Shell model. It has a heater, lights, cooktop, and I use an ARB 50 qt fridge/freezer. The Hawk came with two 75 Ah batteries and a 180 watt solar panel so it has the Zamp solar 30amp charge controller and the blue sea battery separator. I added a 100 watt portable panel I can set out in the sun when I'm parked in the shade. Shell models do not have provisions for shore power. I have been on two elk hunts thus fall (Wyoming and in my home state of New Mexico). The truck has been parked for up to 5 days straight and the batteries stayed charged as there was lots of sun. It was warm so the heater was only run for a few minutes.

My concern is that in colder darker weather and rainy environments I won't have enough sun to keep the heater and lights on for days on end. I own a Honda 2000 generator and want to use it to charge my batteries when necessary. I am pretty ignorant when it comes to electricity and batteries and separators and such. My question is how do I connect a battery charger to my system so I can use my generator to run the charger and charge the batteries. Specifically, I am wondering if I can just wire the charger directly to the batteries or if I need to deal with the solar charge controller and the battery separator.

Also, I was planning on getting the IOTA DLS 30 IQ4 12v 30 amp charger. Would this be a good choice to use with my Honda 2000 generator to charge the batteries?

Thank you for your advice!

Brandon
Albuquerque


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[97grandby]

Here is the one I went with. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GASX9O/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Plugs directly into your camper 110 system and you wire it to charge directly to your batteries. Charges really fast then keeps in float mode. You don't need to go as large as 60 amps an hour, you can get a smaller one, but they work great. I have had a few progressive Dynamics products and they have always given me great service. Also, the remote is a nice feature to be able to put into boost mode and send more power when you need it. Install is pretty easy. Plug in the 110v end into your 110 system in your camper or run an cord from your generator to your power converter and from the power converter some 4 gauge wire to a positive and neg side of your battery and will be topped off really fast.

I haven't read the reviews or know much about iota products other then the guys who have the iota battery separator complain about them to no end. Seems most ditch them and go to the acr blue sea systems.

 

[nikonron]

Since you have no 110 volt system, just charge straight to your batteries off of your charger. Ron

 

[abqbw]

Thank you for the replies. So connecting direct to the batteries will not interfere with the solar charging system?


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[tree]

I installed a NOCO 2 bank onboard charger in my hawk. to off batteries at home. or top them off out camping with the Honda 2000. I even installed the outside port so no cords go through door, or cubby hole

 

[97grandby]

Thank you for the replies. So connecting direct to the batteries will not interfere with the solar charging system?


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no, I don't have any issues and that is how mine is hooked up. The only thing I have hooked up in the middle is a shunt on the neg side so I can use my trimetric 2030 battery monitor. That thing is a little pricey at around 190.00 but very nice to know what power is going in and out of the system and how much power is left in the batteries so I don't have to worry about waking up in the night to a cold camper and dead batteries.

 

[nikonron]

I think you may be surprised to find that your solar and batteries will keep up better than you may think. Probably the worst draw is if you're running your furnace fan a lot. Ron

 

[abqbw]

Thanks for all the great info! I really appreciate it. I am out a lot in the winter and it can be cold (heater running alot) and cloudy for days. I also will spend a lot of time in the far north (AK, BC, Yukon) and it can be really rainy and chilly. I have only had the unit for a few weeks so I don't have a feel for how much sun it takes to run both the furnace and my ARB Fridge.

I have seen several mentions of the trimetric device. It appears I need one if I want to know the real time power inputs and outputs and battery charge state.


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[esimmers]

abqbw,

You have several options if you want to use your Honda EU2000 to charge you camper. The one thing you don't want to do is to use the unregulated 12v output of the generator to directly charge your batteries; you could damage them. Instead, use the generator to power a good dedicated battery charger that's designed to work with the kind of batteries you have, probably AGM batteries.

The Iota charger you mention is what was installed in my Hawk by FWC. It works fine and with the IQ4 feature it carefully charges AGM and other lead-acid batteries without damaging them. There are many other chargers available as you'll see, both portable (with clamps to attach directly to a battery) and permanently-installed versions like the Iota.

Whatever charger you go with can be connected directly to the batteries (with an inline fuse for protection, of course). Your Zamp solar charge controller will prevent any feedback to the solar panels. The 30 amp IOTA is plenty big to both charge your batteries and power all your appliances at the same time.

Hope that helps.

Good luck.

 

[wuck]

<snipped>
I haven't read the reviews or know much about iota products other then the guys who have the iota battery separator complain about them to no end. Seems most ditch them and go to the acr blue sea systems.

97G, I think you're confusing the Surepower battery separators with Iota converter/charger equipment. FWC has been using Iota equipment for decades, I don't think there are any issues with it.

 

[97grandby]

97G, I think you're confusing the Surepower battery separators with Iota converter/charger equipment. FWC has been using Iota equipment for decades, I don't think there are any issues with it.

very well could be. I've only owned old fwc's that didn't have anything like that installed. I've always updated them with the aftermarket parts I read others using on here. And seems fwc reads and uses the newer parts others find better success with on here and other forums.


1990 Ford F-250
1997 fwc grandby

 

[Stalking Light]

I've not seen any complaints about the Iota, just the Surepower.

 

[longhorn1]

Brandon, you should be fine. I b believe there are several shell owners that ordered shore power. jd

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[abqbw]

Thanks esimmers. Good info. I'm going to permanently wire in an iota with the iq4. Apparently this is a great charger for AGMs. My batteries are in fact AGM. Two 75ah. I'll try to figure out a way to have a plug on the outside of the camper to plug the generator into the charger.

I didn't think shore power was an option for a shell model or I certainly would have asked for it...


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[abqbw]

Oh yea, for longhorn1:

Hook'em Horns!


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[tree]

Thanks esimmers. Good info. I'm going to permanently wire in an iota with the iq4. Apparently this is a great charger for AGMs. My batteries are in fact AGM. Two 75ah. I'll try to figure out a way to have a plug on the outside of the camper to plug the generator into the charger.

I didn't think shore power was an option for a shell model or I certainly would have asked for it...


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noco plug port. water proof, has cover for port. 10 bucks

 

[WestCoast]

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