Battery Charging Problem ***UPDATE***
While dry camping in freezing weather, the charging system died for the dual type 24 house batteries (2002 Winnebago Mini). It appears to be a solenoid system. It failed two years ago and the RV s...
Forum Discussion
bobndot wrote:
I actually like the old way, it seems more simple without these sensitive digital electronic parts to breakdown. KISS is what I prefer and probably what I should have done, but I had to satisfy my curiosity.
The whole purpose for smart charging is to improve fuel economy AND IT DOES ! Not by much, but some.
Charging is controlled by algorithms (programs/strategies) inside the engine control computer. Some of these algorithms look at battery temperature or other special sensors. All of them are based on an assumption of the the size of the starting battery and the amount of energy used by the starter motor plus other information.
The voltage regulator inside of the alternator does the "heavy work" of controlling power to the field coil which is what controls the output voltage of the alternator.
Connecting your house batteries to a smart charging system will NOT TOP OFF YOUR HOUSE BATTERIES, but it will prevent them from going dead if you have DC loads turned on in back.
If you want to charge your house batteries while driving, you need a DC-DC battery charger.
