How much battery charging from alternator?
Having spent a few years here I often read about the concept that while a typical trailer wiring connection from the vehicle to the camper will supply 12V, it is of low amperage and as such the camper...
Forum Discussion
Why is an isolator needed? How about just a manual switch on the dash (and heavy cabling between the towable and the alternator) that just directly connects the engine starting battery to the coach battery bank? You turn this switch ON whenever the engine is running and turn this switch OFF whenever the engine is not running.
My Class C motorhome came set up this way from the builder - except that the "switch" is a heavy duty solenoid that is held ON automatically whenever the engine is running. My wet cell engine starting battery is direct parallel connected to the two deep cycle 12V coach AGM batteries whenever the engine is running. This arrangement has worked fine for over 10 years using two 12 volt deep cycle AGM batteries wired in parallel in the coach. This means that whenever the motorhome's engine is running, I have three 12V batteries directed connected in parallel - one wet cell and two AGM.
This three battery combination does for short periods show the coach batteries as drawing 55-60 amps from the alternator going down the road after camping and running down the coach batteries.
My Class C motorhome came set up this way from the builder - except that the "switch" is a heavy duty solenoid that is held ON automatically whenever the engine is running. My wet cell engine starting battery is direct parallel connected to the two deep cycle 12V coach AGM batteries whenever the engine is running. This arrangement has worked fine for over 10 years using two 12 volt deep cycle AGM batteries wired in parallel in the coach. This means that whenever the motorhome's engine is running, I have three 12V batteries directed connected in parallel - one wet cell and two AGM.
This three battery combination does for short periods show the coach batteries as drawing 55-60 amps from the alternator going down the road after camping and running down the coach batteries.
