Solar Trickle Charger on Roof

RLS7201 wrote:

smkettner wrote:

Are you plugged in when not in use? Get a Trik-L-Start combiner.
Unplugged? Get the TLS combiner and a basic 100w solar charging system for the house battery.

Trik-L-Start combiner not required on the OPs RV.
Fleetwood introduced that feature in 1995, in the BCC, and the rest of the manufactures have been playing catch up ever since.

Richard

Very good. Now lets get the BCC fixed.

stoutz429 wrote:
OP here. If I am understanding Richard's post correctly, it is saying that the BCC of my 2001 Fleetwood Bounder should be allowing my engine battery to recharge along with the coach batteries when I am plugged in to shore power?

When I purchased the coach used, the dealer told me my coach batteries do not recharge while I am driving the unit, only the engine battery. He said the coach batteries only recharge while plugged in to shore power, but he didn't make any mention of shore power recharging the engine battery.

Rick in PA

The dealer lips were moving. GRIN

As designed RV Custom Products and installed by Fleetwood.
The engine battery will start charging on shore/generator power when the coach batteries reach 13.2 volts.
The coach batteries will start charging from the alternator when the engine battery reaches 13.2 volts.
The ability to charge the engine battery from shore power was introduced in 1995 with Rev.C of RV Custom Products CB200 circuit board. Since then the circuit board had been revised to CB115. Yeah I know, it sound backwards but the 115 replaced the 200 CB.
You might find the Yahoo Bounder Forum a good place to visit.

Richard

The trickle charger is not supposed to charge flat batteries, it is supposed to keep your batteries topped up after it has been charged by running or after using an auxiliary charging unit. Which stops the batteries going flat over time. You should also have a kill switch to turn all power off when the MH is not in use. The trickle charger will still keep the batteries charged if wired directly to the Motor Batteries, (the generator would charge the house batteries!)
Hence shore power would not affect the trickle charger and vise versa. The trickle charger can also be left wired in so it automatically switches on and off when the motor is running.

PS, some trickle chargers plug in to the old cigarette light socket, but if you have to turn the ignition on to use the socket, your charger won't work once the ignition is off and the kill switch is off..

Certainly can't say how every coach is wired, but my small solar panel charges my chassis (engine starting) batteries in my 2003 Dutch Star. I have four additional panels to supply energy for the coach demand and to maintain the battery bank.

When on the road we seldom use enough battery power to require anything but limited use of the genset to run the AC or microwave or the coffee maker in the morning. All of those items draw pretty hard and suck the battery bank down quickly or in the case of the AC won't allow both roof top units to operate.

Our coach batteries recharge from the alternator while driving as well as the chassis battery.

OP here. If I am understanding Richard's post correctly, it is saying that the BCC of my 2001 Fleetwood Bounder should be allowing my engine battery to recharge along with the coach batteries when I am plugged in to shore power?

When I purchased the coach used, the dealer told me my coach batteries do not recharge while I am driving the unit, only the engine battery. He said the coach batteries only recharge while plugged in to shore power, but he didn't make any mention of shore power recharging the engine battery.

Rick in PA

smkettner wrote:

Are you plugged in when not in use? Get a Trik-L-Start combiner.
Unplugged? Get the TLS combiner and a basic 100w solar charging system for the house battery.

Trik-L-Start combiner not required on the OPs RV.
Fleetwood introduced that feature in 1995, in the BCC, and the rest of the manufactures have been playing catch up ever since.

Richard

stoutz429 wrote:
Thanks, everybody, for the input. If this thing is trickle charging my engine battery, does anyone know if it still provides that charge when I have disconnected the battery via the disconnect switch?

Something has been draining my battery to the point that, if I don't use the motorhome for even a week, it doesn't have enough charge left to even start the engine. I've been told it's the power steps draining the battery, but even if I shut off the disconnect switch, it still dies in about a week.

Rick in PA

Are you plugged in when not in use? Get a Trik-L-Start combiner.
Unplugged? Get the TLS combiner and a basic 100w solar charging system for the house battery.

stoutz429 wrote:
Thanks, everybody, for the input. If this thing is trickle charging my engine battery, does anyone know if it still provides that charge when I have disconnected the battery via the disconnect switch?

Something has been draining my battery to the point that, if I don't use the motorhome for even a week, it doesn't have enough charge left to even start the engine. I've been told it's the power steps draining the battery, but even if I shut off the disconnect switch, it still dies in about a week.

Rick in PA

I just bought my first RV and the guy I bought it from said that he kept having his battery run down and could not find the reason... until he looked at his thermostat. If it is even slightly on, it will draw from your battery... That is what he told me. Guess I will find out.

So, make sure your heater thermostat is completely in the OFF position.

Hope this helps.
Dennis

This Solar panel trickle charges you coach batteries. You should have a red LED mounted on your AC intake grill inside you Coach and it will be lit when Solar Panel is charging.

The solar unit on the roof is for the coach batteries and is basically worthless. It was a sales gimmick. It doesn't provide enough wattage to even maintain a charge on a parked unit with a minimum drain on the batteries.
Your starting problem is your chassis battery ie starting battery. Something is pitting a srain on it, most likely not associated with the coach.
For starters treat it like any car to look for what's puttinf a drain on the chassis battery.