General information on how to, when and how long to charge the Solis stock batteries. There are several ways to charge the Solis batteries: Solar, Van Alternator, Shore power and generator.
First off it is important to understand the State Of Charge (SOC). This is the actual amount of energy stored in the batteries, usually shown in %. On the stock Solis, there are two ways to view the SOC and the should correlate.
Also, don’t be fooled by the voltage increase you get after 20-30min of charging as the battery isn’t “rested” and will show a higher voltage for up to 3hrs (and then drop dramatically) after charging for a short amount of time.
State Of Charge #
| SOC | Xantrex Battery Voltage | Winnebago Panel lights Low,Fine,Good,Charging | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 91-100% | >=12.7 | 4 lights (L, F, G, C) | The indicated values either show the battery is at 100% or in a charging state. |
| 50-90% | 12.1 – 12.6 | 3 lights (L, F, G) | The battery is “good” according to the panel when it is in this voltage range |
| 30-49% | 11.75 – 12.0 | 2 lights (L, F) | Battery is below 50% and is need of charging |
| 0-29% | 0 – 11.7 | ?? | Battery is very low and starting to be damaged |
Charging Sources and Times #
| Source | Max rate (amps) | Real rate (amps) | charge from 50% | Real world estimate to charge from 50% | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Generator or Shorepower | 35 | 35 | 3.5hrs | 4hrs to 90% and then 2-3 hrs to 100% | The 120v to 12v converter is a smart charger so it charges a low battery at high voltage and as the battery is more charged it lowers the charging voltage. |
| Alternator | 50 | 50 @ 60mph | 2.5hrs | 3hrs to 100% | I beleive the alternator is dumb and just spits out 50amps @ 14.2v all the time and it is up to the battery to accept it or not. |
| Solar (Stock Xantrex PWM) | 9 | 7 | 17.25hrs of full sun | 3.5 days of 5 hours of full sun | There are many, many variables to Solar. The general idea is that it will top off the batteries when in full sun. Taking an 85% charged battery to 100% during a full sun day. |
| Solar (MPPT upgrade) | 18 | 14 | 8.75 of full sun | 1.75 days of 5 hours of full sun | The MPPT charge controller should be able to charge the battery much more efficiently than the stock PWM controller. Estimates are all over the place, so YMMV. |
I have no idea why Winnebago says drive 60mph for an hour and the batteries will be fully charged. It could just be an easy thing to say and is generally “good enough”
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