Trickle Charger

[GallenH]

Xmas approaching. Kids in need of gift ideas. So..........

I'm thinking about some sort of trickle charger for the RV when in storage. My storage is not covered and I may as well take advantage of the AZ sun. What do you people use and what watt output should I be looking at?

Do you have your trickle chargers connected to chassis battery? House battery? Both? I'm assuming that those of you who use one for this purpose have one that's not permanently mounted?

thx in advance for any suggestions. best.glenn

[avanti]

Do you have any solar in your coach?
If so, it should serve to keep your house battery happy.
In this configuration, one typically uses a Trik-L-Start, which will take care of the chassis battery whenever the house is being charged.

If you don't have solar, then you may be able to get by with a small portable panel on your dash.

[DUTCH in Atlanta]

My coach is connected to my house current when parked at home. However, this only keeps the coach battery charged. I use a 110 volt AC powered trickle charger to keep the chassis battery charged when parked for longer than a week. The 110 volt supply is provided by the inverter when it is connected to shore power, and the output to the chassis battery is connected through the always on 12 volt DC socket in the dash.

Here's the one I use: https://amazon.com/gp/product/B00068...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

with this adapter: https://amazon.com/gp/product/B003E0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[SteveJ]

I picked up a cable that has male cig lighter plugs on each end that I run from an outlet on the coach side to an always on lighter outlet at the dog house. This lets the PD converter charger keep both batteries up to snuff without apparent over charging.

I use a FLA battery in the coach, this hook up may or may not work out well with a lithium setup for the coach. I'm thinking probably not.

[avanti]

I don't mean to be a broken record, but the Trik-L-Start is an optimal, install-it-and-forget-it solution to any situation in which the house has a charging source while in storage. It is inexpensive, foolproof, and easy to install (three wires including ground). IMO, it makes more sense than anything that requires manual intervention.

[GallenH]

Sorry...sorry...sorry. My error. I forgot to mention that my storage facility has no electric. I'm looking for a solar trickle charger. I also have no permanently mounted solar panels.

[Deano]

There are hundreds of listings in search engine.

I have this:batterytender.com/Solar/15-Watt-Solar-Tender-Charger-With-Built-in-Controller.html

They have smaller ones as well.

[Bud]

"I don't mean to be a broken record, but the ......"

Hey, good for you avanti. Over the years, folks have benefited from just that, from you. tks.

Bud

[Van_Dreams]

Solar is effectively a trickle charger in the winter. Also, those of you with a victron or similar inverter charger with a configurable current limiter can simply plug in to household ac and limit current to whatever figure you deem appropriate for your battery bank.

[Sask66]

We have a 2019 coachmen CrossFit and the advice I received from a tech was to plug into shore power with coach switch in store. He said inverter would also charge chassis battery?

[DUTCH in Atlanta]

Originally Posted by Sask66

We have a 2019 coachmen CrossFit and the advice I received from a tech was to plug into shore power with coach switch in store. He said inverter would also charge chassis battery?

FWIW, on a 2019 Coachmen Galleria with Li3, the inverter on shore power will not charge the chassis battery. The chassis battery is not connected to the coach Li3 electrical system. Li3 and AGM don't mix.

[RossWilliams]

If you get something that draws off your coach electrical system, make sure you are getting 12 volts. My batteries are wired in series for 24 volts with a converter to provide 12 volt to the coach. I assume my solar charger is also putting out 24+ volts, as is the inverter when used to charge from shore power.

What worked on older, simpler coaches, MAY NOT work on a newer coach with a bunch of bells and whistles. You could do some damage to your coach electrical system and/or batteries if you don't get it right.

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by DUTCH in Atlanta

FWIW, on a 2019 Coachmen Galleria with Li3, the inverter on shore power will not charge the chassis battery. The chassis battery is not connected to the coach Li3 electrical system. Li3 and AGM don't mix.

My B has lithium ion batteries and I have a Trik-L-Start charger installed under the driver's seat that charges my AGM chassis battery from my lithium bank.

[DUTCH in Atlanta]

Originally Posted by Davydd

My B has lithium ion batteries and I have a Trik-L-Start charger installed under the driver's seat that charges my AGM chassis battery from my lithium bank.

I wasn't referring to a Tri-L-Start charger. I was speaking to not being able to direct charge the chassis battery with a direct connection to the coach lithium electrical system. Your T-L-S is a charger that isolates the chassis AGM while charging it from the lithium coach battery and system. It is not a direct connection between the two batteries.

[CJBill]

I have seen many recommendations for the Trik-L-Start and gave it serious consideration but decided against it. I contacted a knowledgeable seller and was told that if it was installed and someone disconnected the positive cable to the chassis battery that it would still be active with 12V(3-5amps) and the mechanic would need to be told to insulate the end of that cable.

Being afraid that someone might not know about this I decided to go with a Battery Tender Junior which I plug into the AC inside the van and connect through the accessory plug. Of course this connection needs to be plugged in every time I park for an extended time but seems less prone to an accident.

Bill Dillinger
Roadtrek 190 Popular

[UKDude]

I no longer have an AS Interstate which kept the chassis battery charged when hooked up to shore power. I now have a vehicle with a Mastervolt system including Lithium batteries and surprisingly it doesn’t keep the chassis batteries charged. So I use a CTEK Multi US 7002 which seems smart enough to be able to handle anything from a small car to a large truck. And I don’t need to disconnect the batteries to hook up the charger.
I keep it hooked up this way indefinitely when it’s in storage.

[jbucking]

I use a Battery Tender on both the house and chassis batteries. Using a Battery Tender allows me to shut off the 12 volt power switch to the coach which, in my opinon, lessens the chance of a fire or other issues while the RV is unattended. It is stored inside so solar is not an option. Look up the name Battery Tender on Amazon. They come is all shapes and sizes and they work great. I have been using them for years on my RV, cars, mowers, motorcycles, etc, etc., on any 12 volt battery while in storage. They are worth every penny and your batteries will last twice a long if kept topped while in storage.

[archeogal2]

Question on Trik-L-Start for Avanti. I am about to purchase a Trik-L-Start for our GWV Promaster, on which we are having trouble keeping the starter battery charged during storage. I am however concerned to see the potential problem cited by CJBill above, that if the Trik-L-Start is installed, that the positive cable of the starter battery is still live even when disconnected. For anyone who has used the Trik-L-Start, especially Avanti who seems to have considerable experience with it, is this true?

[avanti]

Originally Posted by archeogal2

Question on Trik-L-Start for Avanti. I am about to purchase a Trik-L-Start for our GWV Promaster, on which we are having trouble keeping the starter battery charged during storage. I am however concerned to see the potential problem cited by CJBill above, that if the Trik-L-Start is installed, that the positive cable of the starter battery is still live even when disconnected. For anyone who has used the Trik-L-Start, especially Avanti who seems to have considerable experience with it, is this true?

Yes, the Trik-L-Start (or any other charger) is a current source connected to your vehicle's electrical system, so obviously it can continue to provide power if the chassis battery is disconnected. Turning on a "boost" switch that closes the isolation relay would do the same thing (which is why such switches should be momentary).

That said, I don't think that this is a very big deal. It is a rare situation, and the current we are talking about is too small to do much damage. Further, if you are worried about it, it would be trivial to put a toggle switch somewhere to disable the Trik-L-Start. Again, currents are small so its not like you need an isolation relay for this purpose.

The Trik-L-Start is a great and inexpensive product. I would much rather have to remember to turn it off when I take the van in for service than having to remember to plug in a wall-wart charger every time I park.

[mkguitar]

for us 2000's Chevy owners, disconnecting the vehicle battery for an extended period will "reset" the ECM computer.

the vehicle will run rough and not maintain idle until it has gathered new data based on start/stop cycles and temperatures


This does not appear to be harmful, but can be disconcerting to the driver




on my van I have a battery tender on a timer which comes on every night


on my rarely used 72 Eldo I have a harbor freight solar cell which keeps it topped up.
the solar doesn't have a regulator- but 4 years of use and measurements show that the higher 18~20 volt, low current at about 150mA are ok for the AGM battery




Mike