Aux battery

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.

ishouldbcamping wrote:
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

It sounds like you might have a converter only and not converter/charger. You need to find out, and you should be able to google the model of the converter you have to get the specs. If you want to charge batteries too, you'll need a converter/charger and the best source is Randy at www.bestconverter.com. He can steer you in the right direction for a unit that would be easy to install. Lifetime support too if you buy from them.

I think Wayne is right. I assume you are looking for a simple solution here, not a best-in-class battery system, so will answer on that basis. If you've got a converter that can run your 12v stuff (lights, etc.) while plugged into 120v shore power then great, but don't just plug that into a battery. If the converter has dozens of wires coming out of it powering different things (lights, furnace fan, extractor, radio, etc.) then this will be awkward, but if it just has one thick +12v wire then you could insert a switch there allowing you to switch between the converter providing 12v and a battery supplying 12v. That ensures the converter will never pump power directly into the battery and kill it.

Next you need a way to charge that battery. A nice thick cable from your truck alternator / battery to the auxiliary battery will help by charging it while you are driving, but you need something to ensure you don't drain your truck battery at the same time you drain your auxiliary battery - the simplest solution is a charge relay that isolates the batteries from each other when the truck engine is stopped.

Next you will probably want to be able to charge the battery when you have 120v hook-up. For that you could just buy a regular battery charger, but make sure it is an intelligent multi-stage one that will look after the battery, not just a budget supermarket variety battery charger.

You also need to ensure you don't run your auxiliary battery flat - doing so will also kill it quickly. You can get battery meters that show the amount of charge it holds (based on the exact voltage of the battery when it is not being charged or discharged), often as a percentage. The simplest may be just a line of LEDs each marked with a percentage. I suggest buying one of these and ensure you don't let your battery drop below 50% charge.

Think carefully about what you intend to run from your battery. Interior lights can use a surprising amount of power, so many of us swap the ones we use most for LED lights that are much less hungry. Most people have a 3-way (absorption) fridge - if you have one of these run it on propane, not 12v as it will draw a huge amount of battery power.

Steve.

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

Can you share some information about what you have? Make, year, model of camper and converter? There should be a rating plate/label on the converter.

Could you give a description or a picture of the existing converter and battery wiring (if it exists)?

If you connect a battery to a converter only, you are pretty much guaranteed failure of the battery, and possibly filling your TC with poisonous gas from the battery as it fries.

I am not a "Sky is falling" kind of guy, but I really think you should do more research.

At the very least, do not charge the flooded wet cell while it is in the TC, do install a disconnect switch so only your converter or battery can be connected to your 12V system at the same time.

I am moving this Thread to the Tech Forum, so you can have more input as to what you want to do.

Wayne
Moderator

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

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.

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.