![]() Also, a fringe benefit was not having the voltage drop of the stock diode battery isolator when charging from the engine alternator. It would also charge both with the engine running or when connected to shore power. I added a solar panel to the coach 6 months ago or so, and I thought a relay like this would be really neat since the solar panel would keep both the house and chassis batteries charged while in storage. ![]() Well, that's what I expected anyway, and it does do this, but with a catch that I will get to. When you are not charging, it senses this and opens the relay. You connect the relay between your house and chassis batteries and it senses when you are charging and closes the relay to charge both battery systems. I've seen these things called smart/automatic isolators, combiners, relays, etc, but basically they are a relay with some brains built in. Or send your inquiries to him using the form below.I've read a bit on this forum and other places about these, but thought I'd summarize what I've done and learned and see if anyone had any thoughts to add. Attach a photo or two if it might help Dave with his response. We have started a new forum link for Ask Dave. Unless you are staying in one location for a very long period of time, an engine battery in good condition should stay charged for at least a couple of weeks.ĭave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and author of the “RV Handbook” as well as the Managing Editor of the RV Repair Club. Most motorhome batteries do not need a charge for the amount of time you are camping. Either way, you could permanently mount the device in the compartment and have an extension cord plug placed in an accessible location. Your rig has the chassis battery either in the stepwell, which is open to allow venting, or up in the front engine compartment. It is typically easier to run an extension cord from the pedestal under the rig and up into the battery compartment. Using a trickle chargerĪs for the second part of your question, yes, it is OK to use a trickle charger such as the Battery Tender (or, my choice is the Battery Minder) plugged into either an outlet inside the rig or, better yet, plugged into the 20-amp residential outlet on the campground pedestal. This is a spring-loaded switch, as it can only be a temporary jump. There should be a switch on the dash that also allows you to provide a jump start to the engine battery from the house batteries. Your unit should have a Battery Isolation Manager solenoid (BIM) that provides a charge from the engine alternator to the house batteries while you are driving. ![]() That would throw 16 volts as an initial bulk stage charge to break up sulfation which would not be good for your engine battery and electronics.Ĭharge the house batteries while you drive However, if you have a large inverter or solar charging system, it might have a multi-stage charge. Your unit most likely has a converter that will provide a 13.6-volt charge when the batteries are low and then drops to a 13.2-volt charge as a maintenance stage. First, you have the electrical surges from a campground pedestal that can wipe out most of the electronics in an RV, not to mention the engine alternator, electronic components, and the engine computer. I do not know of any RV chassis manufacturer that would recommend or allow a charge coming from a campground source through the converter to charge your engine battery. Are there any negative issues connecting a 3-amp Battery Tender to a 110v outlet on the RV to keep the chassis battery charged while the RV is connected to shore power? - Pablo, 2002 Fleetwood Bounder 31W I wish it would charge both the house and chassis batteries. My converter, Progressive Dynamics PD9130V Inteli-Power, only charges the two 6v lead acid, deep cycle house batteries.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |