Built in trickle charge for engine battery charging

Typically, the converter when plugged in will not charge the chassis battery. You can install this Trik-L-Start or you can throw a charger on the battery every now and then.

Eric

I keep a Battery Tender hooked up to my Class C while it is parked. Keeps battery charged and maintained the whole time.

dcason wrote:
So we hadn't taken class C out for a drive for at least several weeks.
The engine battery was low when hubby climbed in and had to jump start the C.
Should the built in charger for the house battery be charging the engine battery while sitting and plugged in?
If not has anyone ever built on a trickle charger to charge the engine battery automatically when you plug in the unit?

We know that the use of the automatic steps is on the engine battery and we have used them during the time it sat...frequently as we are packing to go.

X2 on the Trik-L-Start. I put on on my RV and have no issues. There are parasitic loads on the engine battery (beyond the steps) and it will discharge over time.

Thank you...will nab one of them...and the phantom power nabbers was good to know.

We are new to C-ing.

I installed a Trik-L-Start but had to run a long #14 guage wire from house battery and Trik-L-Start along the frame and snake it up to the starting battery under the hood adding a circuit breaker. Was not able to find the proper Ford relay connections to connect the unit near the starting battery on our 2004 Tioga/Ford E-450.

Using two 12 volt "Battery Minder" smart trickle chargers to keep your starting battery and house batteries up, without overcharging or boiling out electrolyte, may be easier for you. Shut off auxiliary/house battery switch when connecting Battery Minder to house battery(s. You can leave thes chargers on indefinitely for months between motorhome trips and they may rejuvenate tired batteries by slowly desulphating them.

Trik-l-start works great. And I was lucky my battery banks are side by side.

I built in a trickle charger that I can switch into the chassis battery charging circuit. Has worked well for several years.

eric1514 wrote:
Typically, the converter when plugged in will not charge the chassis battery. You can install this Trik-L-Start or you can throw a charger on the battery every now and then.

Eric

+1

I did the Trik-L-Start. I went to the solenoid that connects the two batteries together when you press the button, and hooked up the source wire to the house battery side, the load wire to the chassis battery side, and the ground wire to the solenoid frame. Total amount of wire needed, about 12 inches and works like a champ.

That Trik-L-Start a cool little addition. If my battery isolator hadn't been acting freaky it would have been a great add-on for mine.

Since I had to replace my isolator, I converted to a SurePower 1315 battery combiner. It isolates the batteries when no power is coming in charges both batteries when any voltage is present and it can be wired to automatically bridge the batteries on startup as well. I can't recommend this upgrade highly enough.

Jose

I just use a pencil to hold the spring loaded switch on, that ties the two batteries together, for a day every couple of weeks.