Hi, I just inherited a new to me camper but it doesn't have an aux battery. can someone tell me where on the converter to hook up the battery. is this an easy diy project or do I need an rv tech to do it ? I don't want to get hosed by an rv center, not that they would do anything like that:D thx for looking any help would be appreciated Ray

Does it have an inverter already? If so, the battery connections are usually self explanatory, and the rest should already be connected properly. If not and you are going to buy an inverter, you have to consider the system requirements first, and then design and install your power system. This is simple if you understand charging systems, automotive wiring (including wire sizing and voltage drop), amperage draw, inverters, chargers, fuses, and circuit breakers, as well as shore power systems. If you don't and you DIY, you could cause yourself a lot of grief. But if you just drive into an RV service center, you could end up paying way too much for a simple system. Get together with a friend (or friend of a friend) who is good with automotive elec. systems, offer to pay a reasonable rate for time, try to get materials at cost, and go from there. Find out your truck alternator specs (consider an upgrade depending on system design), and analyze your 12v and 110v power needs before buying batteries, an inverter, and/or charger. Also you should consider a solar panel or two to keep the battery topped off. You should be able to charge the battery from the truck alternator with a small solar panel to keep it topped off, and run some small basic items like a coffee maker and lights with a small inverter. If you are going to try to power a microwave or small AC, you are going to be into an entirely different level of power requirements, you will need more batteries, and will need to be more careful about sizing your inverter. You wont have enough roof space for solar to do anything more than maintain your batteries. Good luck and feel free to email with specific questions once you decide what your system requirements are going to be.

In all probability, your TC probably has a converter only, not a charger converter. My 1988 Bigfoot was without battery, and had an converter only. I upgraded to an AGM battery inside my TC, and replaced the converter with a 55 amp Smart Charger/Converter. I did my own install, and purchased my parts from Best Converter. You will find them very easy to talk to, and they will have several options for you.Wayne

Alta Volunteer wrote:Does it have an inverter already?...I assume that should read "converter" not "inverter". An inverter generates 120v alternating current from your 12v direct current power source.My camper came with a converter, but no battery charger. A previous owner had added a domestic battery charger so the battery would charge when plugged into shore power, but he bought a really cheap one that just boiled the batteries dry. You need a decent battery charger whether your converter includes that or you buy it separately - e.g. one of these multi-stage intelligent ones that looks after your battery. Otherwise you would be replacing your battery every year like I was, and that gets expensive.Also, my converter did already connect to the battery, but not to charge it. It had a connection so you could switch between running the camper 12v electrics off battery or converter, but there was no option for connecting the two, so be careful that even if your converter has battery connections that doesn't automatically mean it will charge your battery.Steve.

Yeah, I get it now. i was thinking he wanted to get 110v out of his battery and keep it charged while plugged in. Connecting a battery to an existing converter should be pretty straight forward. Best thing to do is research the make and model converter to get it right and also confirm that it meets the need, and as Steve said, wont boil your battery.

Thanks guys, yeah it does have a converter in there now, but no leads coming off it for hooking up a battery, I guess the guy I got it from didn't get around to it. if I take the cover off is there specific pos-neg to hook batt cables to, or is it just any pos-neg poles. thx

Aux battery | Good Sam Community

22 Replies

ishouldbcamping
Explorer
Jul 30, 2014
Thanks Ron, yeah I saw the same thing, talked to the manufacturer today. He said they don't make those anymore, but there are still a boat load of them out there. they have moved on to the next generation, series 4400, He did say they are an excellent converter, 'bullet proof' was the term he used, said you can hook a battery to it, if it doesn't have a charger I can hook an independent charger to the battery as long as I disconnect the battery from the rv to avoid cooking anything in the rig. He said the only way to tell about the charger is to go back look at the label and look for option"c" somewhere on the label. I hope this is helpful to anyone else out there with the same situation. I'll let you know if I can find the "C". Thx Ray
Ron3rd
Explorer III
Jul 29, 2014
ishouldbcamping wrote:
OK everyone finally got to it today, had to take the distribution panel off to get to the info on make and model...it's by B-W manufacturing..30 amp..series 3200..model 3230 ul...also says it's by parallax power...when I looked it up says you can hook a battery to it, but also says option "C" has the charger. Don't know if I have option "C", they were closed when I tried to call them. Will try again tomorrow. Worst case scenario, hook the battery to it and get an independent charger if I have to. I'll find out more when I talk to them. Ray

The manual is not much help as it only says if it has "option C" it has the charger. I had a Parallax in our old trailer with the charger. Perhaps someone know how to identify if the charger is present by sliding it out of the case.

Parallax Manual
ishouldbcamping
Explorer
Jul 29, 2014
OK everyone finally got to it today, had to take the distribution panel off to get to the info on make and model...it's by B-W manufacturing..30 amp..series 3200..model 3230 ul...also says it's by parallax power...when I looked it up says you can hook a battery to it, but also says option "C" has the charger. Don't know if I have option "C", they were closed when I tried to call them. Will try again tomorrow. Worst case scenario, hook the battery to it and get an independent charger if I have to. I'll find out more when I talk to them. Ray
Ron3rd
Explorer III
Jul 28, 2014
ishouldbcamping wrote:
Ron3rd, does that mean if he did install a con/charger it will just need to have a battery hooked up to it??

Yeah, if it has a converter/charger, the charger just needs to be connected to the battery. We still need the brand/model of the unit to be sure.
Canadian_Rainbi
Explorer
Jul 28, 2014
Ron3rd wrote:
ishouldbcamping wrote:
Thanks for the reply: Heres what I know, cant get in touch with the guy I got it from. The camper is an 85-86 Pilgrim,11'3". When I got it the entire interior had been redone, including all new plumbing, all new wiring including a new converter. When I say new I mean approx. 5 yrs ago. I cant get to the rig right away, its at the storage lot. But I can take some pics tomorrow and forward. That's the problem I don't see any battery wiring, I don't think he got that far, but I can tell you he was a plumber and he had the wiring professionally done, guy did a nice job from what I can see. Thx Ray

It's very possible the guy installed a converter/charger, but never connected batteries. When you post the model of the unit, that will tell the story.

Exactly! No point guessing until he/we knows what he has.
sabconsulting
Explorer
Jul 27, 2014
RJsfishin wrote:
I can't imagine buying an RV converter in the last 5 yrs that will not charge a battery. All the later converters are nothing more than a glorified battery charger. They don't know.....or care if their load is the the RVs 12v electrical system, or charging the battery,.....its all the same thing.

This is an interesting point. Providing a stable voltage that will supply all your 12v electrical accessories and properly charging a battery are not the same thing, since the latter, in order to do the job properly should have a program that adjusts the charging voltage and therefore current over time to optimize battery charging - just supplying a fixed voltage only gets you part way there; the voltage probably won't be high enough to fully charge the battery; but if you just have a cheap supermarket charger that does have a high enough voltage it will boil your battery dry if left unattended. That is why an intelligent charger uses a multi-stage program to get the battery up to full charge, then hold it there (using a lower voltage). So if buying a converter now I'd want to make sure it did have at least a 3-stage charging program to look after your battery properly (I think many do have this feature now).

But I would also make sure I had some way of checking the state of charge of the battery using a meter since both over-charging a battery and letting it go flat will both kill it quickly.

Steve.
RJsfishin
Explorer
Jul 27, 2014
I can't imagine buying an RV converter in the last 5 yrs that will not charge a battery. All the later converters are nothing more than a glorified battery charger. They don't know.....or care if their load is the the RVs 12v electrical system, or charging the battery,.....its all the same thing.

I'm w/ the crowd that thinks that the guy just never got around to connecting a battery to the same terminals as the 12v system is connected to now.
But I would want to see the converter before I did that !
westend
Explorer
Jul 27, 2014
Manual for PD 9200 showing schematics and back panel connections. Your existing converter and 12V distribution center may have the same layout and may not.
Bottom line is that you want the battery connected to the converter and a fuse/circuit breaker placed within 18" of the battery. Use large gauge wire. Most converters with battery charging have terminations to the 12V distribution and the battery, inclusive.
ishouldbcamping
Explorer
Jul 26, 2014
Ron3rd, does that mean if he did install a con/charger it will just need to have a battery hooked up to it??
ishouldbcamping
Explorer
Jul 26, 2014
Thanks everyone, being a carpenter/cabinet maker this can get confusing...getting all the insight from everyone is really helpful. Just want to get this camper ready so we can enjoy it. On the other hand the cabinets are beautiful. Ron3rd I think that's what happened also..will follow up soon Thx Ray