I am trying to find out how to switch to battery power to run 110v from the converter. Also last winter had to run the genset to keep the furnaces lit.The genset wasn't charging the house batteries. I have 4 12v deep cycle walmart batteries in the forward battery compartment and 4 regular batteries in the aft. Are there switches somewhere tht need to be set?
There is an electrical appliance in the engine (cat pusher) compartment with some major wires coming out, could that be the converter?
Any help guys?
Glenn
89 regency

Glenn,

We had problems with the batteries staying charged. Had a new converter put in and then added new batteries. Same problem! I was told to change the fuses on the converter to heavy duty fuses which fixed the problem. I still have a few pulses and surges which will have to be addressed.

It seems that the converter is bad, and longer mfg.
The 12v output goes to electronic box mounted on the firewall, above the converter. It has three lugs with heavy guage wire coming from it. Is about 12" tall, 3" deep and 6" wide. appears to be cast aluminum and is finned to dissapate heat. Appears to be part of the system that directs power somewhere, possibly too the separate battery banks.
Is there name for that unitas I would like to check it out also.
Thannks
Glenn

That's the battery isolator - it keeps both chassis and house batteries charged, while diodes prevent a low battery from discharging the other. One output comes from the alternator, and the two outputs go to the batteries.

quote:

Originally posted by drdigger:
It seems that the converter is bad, and longer mfg.
The 12v output goes to electronic box mounted on the firewall, above the converter. It has three lugs with heavy guage wire coming from it. Is about 12" tall, 3" deep and 6" wide. appears to be cast aluminum and is finned to dissapate heat. Appears to be part of the system that directs power somewhere, possibly too the separate battery banks.
Is there name for that unitas I would like to check it out also.
Thannks
Glenn

I'm not a Regency guy, but it sounds like you are describing an isolator.

In a typical Regal installation, the center terminal would be connected to the alternator output, and one outside terminal is connected to the starting battery bank, with the other outside terminal connected to the coach battery bank.

A typical converter converts 120 volt power from shore or genset to 12 volts or more. It usually has a 120 volt input and two heavy 12 volt outputs which go directly to the battery. The converter allows you to power your 12 volt stuff with AC. Some converters will even charge the coach batteries. Some will not. Some will sort of do it kinda maybe. My own feelings are that anyone who really loves their batteries should have a good three-stage intelligent converter.

If you want to use a multimeter to test your isolator, you can search this site. Just enter isolator in the search window, and all sorts of good posts will come up. If you don't have a multimeter, there is a way to test it with just a light bulb, too.

Getting back to converters, here is some general information that could be helpful:

The rate of charge is determined by the size and type of batteries, their depth of discharge and their temperature. My pair of Trojan golf cart batteries take between 20 and 30 amps when charging after being run down to 50% DOD. Closer to 20, actually, after a little while.

That being the case, I could theoretically get by with just a 20 to 30 amp charger. However, if I discharge lower, a higher rate would be good. Also, chargers seem to vary as to what they will do in real life.

Now, if I decide to run anything else off the batteries while charging, like the inverter or fans, etc, then a larger charger is better.

If I decide later to upgrade to a larger battery bank, then a larger charger is better. I don't know your battery bank size, but most folks do fine with a pair of GC batts, but four is popular, too. With electrical, it is always better to plan for expansion. It is annoying to replace something perfectly good because it is no longer big enough.

Another consideration is that many electronic devices last much longer when operated in the middle or lower part of their capacity.

Another reason for a larger charger/converter is that batteries like a high rate of charge every now and then. I have seen measured improvements in batteries that were charged and kept up by small solar charger when a high rate of charge was applied. I am not sure this is a day to day concern, but a periodic high charge rate is good.

When shopping for a converter, get a "smart" one and one that has periodic maintenance cycles. I have an older "smart" one, but it requires plugging in for it to do the periodic stuff, and my Barth has no cord. Every couple of months or so, I discharge the batts down to 50%, charge it up full and hard, then use my Vector 1095A to do an equalize cycle, and then a desulfate cycle.