Solar Charging Chassis battery

SunClipper wrote:
My '02 Winnebago Brave 32V is equipped with a small ( factory-installed ) solar panel connected to the coach battery bank.
I have been having problems with the chassis battery becoming discharged while parked with shore power connected.
Is there any reason I should not connect the solar panel feed to the chassis battery instead of the coach battery to maintain the chassis battery charge while parked?
thanks,
J.S.

No problem just do it. If you are just moving the panel wire from the chassis to the coach, it will work, depending on how much discharge you have.

However, the chassis battery should not be discharging very fast, so you may want to look into that.

The 10 - 15 watt solar panel that was installed on my RV air conditioner would be the 'correct' size to prevent the engine battery from discharging while being stored.

You might also see if the engine battery disconnect is working. The CO meter has two input leads. One normally connected to the coach battery, and the other to the engine battery. This is done to keep the CO meter working, even if one fuse blows. The net result is it can very slowly discharge both batteries.

Some install a mechanical battery disconnect. Napa and most auto parts stores sell them. It is a brass connection on the battery - terminal, and there is a large screw on the top, you loosen this to disconnect power from the upper 1/2 to the lower 1/2. The upper half is attached to the battery, while the lower 1/2 is connected to the battery cable.

Good luck with your project. Problem that I see is finding where the small solar panel connects to the battery. If you can run a wire to the main engine battery, and connect it via a 2 amp fuse, it will work. You will need to fuse any wire attached to the +12 of the battery.

It would be easier to install a new 15 watt panel someplace near the battery.

Fred.

Install a Trik-l-Start (it was standard on some Winnebago's) then the start batt. will charge when on solar or shore power.

We used to use those low wattage solar panels back in my JEEP DAYS that sit inside the windshield that plugged into an always HOT 12VDC lighter socket.

These kept the JEEP START BATTERY topped off just fine.

Something like this google photo...

You will need a battery isolating charge controller. You can't just connect them together. Each bank charges separately. Alternately, you can change your battery isolation relay to allow the converter to charge the chassis batteries. That way if shore power is connected both banks are charging and if the engine is running both banks are charging.