Xantrex RV2012GS Owner's Manual

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Xantrex RV2012GS Owner's Manual Manual pdf 47 page image

Battery Charging975-0209-01-01 3–7Battery ChargingThe RV Series Inverter/Charger battery charger uses three-stage charging toprovide rapid and complete charge cycles without undue battery gassing. Thethree stages are bulk, absorption, and float.Stage One: Bulk Charge (Constant Current)This stage begins when qualified AC is applied to the AC input of the inverter.The bulk charging stage charges the batteries at a constant current. The level ofcharge for this phase is set using the Max Charge Rate menu on the RC/GS orRC7. The constant current phase ends when the batteries reach the bulk chargevoltage. During this stage the Charger LED glows orange.Stage Two: Absorption (Constant Voltage)Absorption begins when the bulk voltage setting has been reached. At this pointthe charge current begins to taper off at whatever rate is required to hold thevoltage constant. During this stage the Charger LED blinks orange. Theabsorption phase ends in one of two ways.1. Normally, as the charge cycle progresses, the current required to hold thebattery voltage constant gradually reduces. When this current equals theinternal return amps setting, the voltage is allowed to fall to the float voltagesetting—stage three. This is a variable stage that can be affected by DC loadand battery condition.2. After a time interval determined by the Battery Capacity setting. With a125 Ah battery bank, the charger will leave the absorption phase after 1 hour.With a 1000 Ah battery bank, the charger will leave the absorption phase after3 hours.Stage Three: Float VoltageFloat voltage maintains the batteries at a voltage that will hold full charge but notgas the batteries. The charger remains in the float stage until the AC input isremoved. During this stage the Charger LED flashes green four times per second.Temperature-Compensated ChargingThe RV Series Inverter/Charger is designed to provide temperature compensatedbattery charging for optimal battery charging when used with a batterytemperature sensor (BTS). The BTS attaches to the side of your battery andcontinuously measures the temperature of the battery and adjusts the chargeroutput for a more accurate, temperature-compensated charge.Note: When DC loads are placed on the battery, the charger will deliver currents up tothe Maximum Charge Rate setting while maintaining the float voltage.