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Your cart is empty.4.5 out of 5 stars
- #14,658 in Automotive (See Top 100 in Automotive)
- #6 in RV Power Converters
DL
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2025
We thought our converter had gone bad and ordered this one to replace it. We found the issue was our battery but installed this one anyway in case we ever go lithium. It's been over 6 months and it has been working great. RV got a lot of use between September and January so it was a good test.
Verne Herz
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2025
Had it for 6 months. Charges fine and when done charging it turns off. Then I have to unplug it, wait a minute, and plug it in for it to start charging again. Kinda useless at this point.
Csimon
Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2025
This works great in our camper and itβs not very loud.
Patrick Joly
Reviewed in Canada on September 8, 2024
This thing is just crazy good. I have a problem with my renogy inverter/charger that I paid more then 800$ with a 3 years warranty and they refuse to refund or replace the unit. The inverter mode works but not the charger so for one year I use normal charger and this is not a proper way to recharge an RV, either they are not efficient or they burnt.But this one... Wow, it charges my led acid batteries as well as my lithium batteries like there is no tomorrow. Fast and properly. I also like the fact that you can customize the voltage as you want, very impressive.You can buy this without any hesitation. Very very good product.
Wade Messing
Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2024
The power unit on one of our machines died and I needed to find a replacement. After much research I settled on the powermax RV converter, 75 amp model. This unit can be used as a charger for lithium batteries but I needed a fixed voltage output source for my 12v machine. This unit was extremely easy to set up. Slide a switch over to "Fixed Voltage", plug it in to 115V outlet, connect voltmeter to output lugs and then turn adjusting screw on side of box to set the desired voltage. I set mine to 13.8v. Took less than a minute.Ended up buying two of them as I had two machines that used this type of power source. One was still working but I'm keeping that as the back up spare now. Both of my machines are now working fine with new power sources. Very please with the product, good instructions and easy set up. Thanks.W
Randy
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2024
Took me awhile to figure out how to set the switches, looked as if the unit was faulty. This was a "refurbished" unit so I wondered about it. There's a setting switch and a potentiometer. Nothing tells you how to set it up for a lifepo battery, it seems to have been made as a motorhome power supply.But I took a chance and set the pot for 14.6 volts (the correct voltage for my Power Queen batteries) and low and behold it worked perfectly. There's only a green LED but indeed it turned off and the 400ah battery bank was fully charged.Gets only a little warm. I'm very pleased!
Darcy
Reviewed in Canada on July 1, 2024
Bought this as an alternative to the oem recommendation for my burnt out converter as the existing unit is no longer in production. This unit had better reviews and a cheaper price than the recommended replacement from the manufacturer. So far itβs working great. The install was very easy given the fact that I had to mount it in a new location as itβs a different size. Itβs quiet when running and quickly charged my rv battery. An added bonus that I like is that thereβs a small led light to show when thereβs power into the unit
HandsOnHealthMassage
Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2024
So easy to install. Great value for our money. The quality was fantastic compared to the one that we replaced. Everything works great and lights are working better than ever!
Mike
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2024
Pretty straightforward. Installed in a DIY van build to charge 400 amp hours of lithium ion on shore power.Fan is a bit loud but does a good job of keeping the unit cool. Output is as expected, at or just shy of 75 amps. Good budget alternative to something like Victron. Just installed a couple of weeks ago, but happy with it so far.Be sure to calculate proper wire size and breaker or fuse. I added an 80 amp breaker and used 4 AWG wire. Chose a breaker over a fuse to be able to cut power like a switch if needed.
Antonio M.
Reviewed in Mexico on September 6, 2023
mi embarcacion
Shawn G
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2023
This RV power converter is a true gem for anyone hitting the road in their home-on-wheels. Its seamless ability to transform various power sources into a consistent and reliable output is nothing short of impressive. The compact design and ease of installation make it a hassle-free addition to any RV setup.The converterβs efficiency shines through, ensuring all appliances and gadgets function seamlessly without worrying about power compatibility. The multiple charging ports cater to diverse devices, keeping everything powered up on the go. Its durability withstands the rigors of travel, and the built-in safety features provide peace of mind.Whether boondocking off the grid or connecting to campground power, this converter handles it all effortlessly. For RV enthusiasts seeking a trustworthy, versatile, and efficient power solution, this converter is a five-star companion on the open road. It seamlessly bridges the gap between power sources, enhancing the overall RV experience.
Glen Pommer
Reviewed in Canada on February 16, 2022
I have this unit in the 100 amp size installed and charging an extremely large battery bank in a solar power system. We live in northern BC, Canada and in the winter we need to supplement the solar power some days. The battery system is 16 batteries size 8D for a total capacity of 3520 AHR. I have used several different (and more expensive) chargers over the last 14 years, but none have worked as well as this one.I was seriously concerned it would overheat, but the unit is working exactly as promised, with no signs of stress or overheating. The multi stage mode works great, and will re-engage to higher charge rates if a load is placed on the batteries. It also is about 12% more power efficient than any other charger I have used and this means my generator is not working as hard and using less fuel.It is a "Black box" so it provides no display of any data. I have monitors on my system and this was fine for me. Connector quality is good, but not exceptional. The connectors could be larger, they are good for 6 guage but a squeeze for 4 gauge. They use a set screw rather than a bolt on terminal, but work just fine for solid or coarse strand wire. For fine strand wire such as welding cable, solder the ends or use a connector.Currently 12 volts only, hopefully 24 volt units will be offered one day?Exceptional product, arrived very quickly and working as promised. Highly recommended. The price on Amazon was by far the lowest I found.
Daiwamaster
Reviewed in Canada on December 26, 2018
See update below if you plan on running this at full power.This is an ADJUSTABLE 13.2v~16.5v DC converter with a built-in 3 stages charger. This means that the output voltage in fixed mode can be adjusted using a #1 Phillips screwdriver to turn the potentiometer and this adjustment will also be applied to the charging mode output (bulk will be increased or decreased and the other charging steps will be increased or decreased by the same amount).This might seems like an ordinary thing, however if using 6v deep cycle lead acid batteries such as the GC2 type from Trojan, USBattery, etc, which requires a 14.8v (for a 12v configuration) charging voltage at 25Β°C ambiant and then a significant increase/decrease in charging voltage as the battery temperate moves away from 25Β°C ( such as requiring 15.25v of charge at 10Β°C and 15.4v at 5Β°C), there aren't any marine or stand alone battery chargers out there (beside the expensive and short living inverter chargers or some solar controller) that can match those charging requirements.This converter is the perfect match to provide an accurate charge voltage and offer almost enough output (80a out of an ideal 120a) to match the charging power of a 900ah battery bank (4 parallel strings of 2 series 6v batteries) giving up to 20a of charge per string and since you can adjust the output voltage freely, it is possible to compensate for voltage drop in case your cable run is either too long or undersized, and then to also perform equalizing by being able to pump the voltage up to 16.5v under load (my batteries needs 16.2v at 25Β°C, and 16.55v at 10Β°C).Now the little downsides or improvements would benefit are :A 5/16-18 power stud instead of a mechanical set-screw lug would go a long way into making installation faster, more secure, sealed and versatile, as the lugs are barely big enough to take a 2 AWG fine stranded type 3 wire (takes a lot of patience to fit the cable without strands catching and sticking out) and that so the sake of voltage drop at such high amp, one would be expecting to use at least 3 AWG and up. Then being able to make a bolted connection with sturdy cable lug and sealed heat shrink is much more reliable than exposed strands molested by a sets crew in a marine or vehicule environment. A power on/off switch on the unit would be great too to prevent sparking or arcing when plugging the unit under load as well as leaving it plugged when not operating. The potentiometer adjustment is very sensitive, having a slower moving range would make adjustment much more faster (for temperature compensation when charging).Regardless, this unit is well priced and the staff at PowerMax were very helpful over the phone in answering technical question about their product prior to purchasing. I hope the build quality will be enough to last a few years, without any long term expectations. Upon inspection of the inside, thermal paste and wicking screw glue where used most everywhere. The temperature controlled fan moves enough air to keep the unit from burning up.Update on January 2nd : after running down my house batteries to about 50% capacity during the holiday parties on the yatch, I proceeded to charge them back and ultimately equalize them only to find out that the converter won't output more than 80a even when the batteries could be using over 120a of charging current. That being said, I was using a 15.4v fixed output and I suspect that the 100a output rating is limited to the 13.6v nominal rating as there is no other indications or rating available on the unit or the included owner manual. Even more, there are no input power ratings other than 110v-130v AC. No mention of nominal power or current rating. Further more, and maybe this has to do with using a standard generator to power the unit with 115v AC 60Hz and not a generator inverter that provides a cleaner sine wave 60Hz, but the converter was pulling 15a and more when running at full capacity, and for an extended period of time (several hours). And despite pulling almost 1 800w from my genset, I was barely getting 1 200w out of the unit. That's over 500w of heat and apparent power that the unit is wasting. The power factor of this converter is most likely low and could use a capacitor to rectify it's power consumption, but what has me worried is the undersized wiring on both input and output, as both ends were dissipating a lot of heat during normal use (using a Flir E8+ Thermal imager). This unit should be made with a 12gauge power cord and 20a plug or at least require hardwiring since a standard 15a receptacle (especially a gfci one) will produce a lot of heat. Same thing for the DC output, even though 2 gauge wire with a 105Β° rating is good for up to 200a when not bundled and below 30Β° ambiant, it will heat up to 10Β° above ambiant and that's the best case scenario. So once again, this 100a converter should have accommodations to use much bigger wiring. Lastly, the fan blowing hot air directly on the output cables sure doesn't help, but can be addressed with a simple deflector shield along the cable. If uou plan on running this unit at full output for more than a few minutes, definitively hardwire it with 12gauge on a 20a breaker to stay within the 80% duty (federal law) and be careful about your DC cables overheating when they run trough walls or doesn't have a 1" clearance around them (like running them together or in between equipment/structures). And you will need to have forced air movement of mounting inside a cabinet or where air cannot be renewed easily, as this converter will generate a lot of heat (enough to raise a 30"x30" open top cabinet to 30Β° C above ambiant).Another update from November 2020, while charging my batteries, about 30 minutes into the process, cold burnt plastic smell. Little investigation revealed that one of the four 40a dc fuse overheated in its holder and broke in two, leaving the other 3 fuses to take the full load and ultimately also melting them slightly. I was able to replace 3 fuses but the fourth one will need a new holder as the blades are properly stuck into the jaws, probably with molten plastic. Emailed the company with pictures, never heard back from them to this day over a month later. Haven't had the chance to open up the charger to see exactly what failed, but so far everything still works on only three 35a fuses. I was not expecting the unit to fail in such a way.Bottom line, I was expecting an advertised 100a output and a compliant max input power, so it's a fluke on both ends, but the unit does appear to operate properly in term of holding a steady output voltage and cooling itself even under max load for several hours. I was hoping to get the batteries recharged much faster, but it looks like I'll have to get another 100a unit in parallel if I want to achieve a steady 120a output without having the power input overheating. This knock a star off my initial review since it didn't not perform as advertised or at least from the few specs available.
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