Is having a battery in a TC necessary?
I've had numerous battery problems in my Northstar Laredo. 3 batteries in less than 5 years. Now the charger (converter) doesn't seem to be working. If I never boondock, always staying someplace with ...
Forum Discussion
This will sound a little critical, but if you bought a camper to only go to all places that have electricity, you bought the wrong RV. The purpose of a camper is be able to get away from that crowd to begin with.
With regards to your converter, your best bet would probably be to just remove the old one and replace it with a new intellipower. The following excerpt is taken from netboy's website http://home.comcast.net/~netboy/#InteliPower
I replaced the Lance camper Magnetek 7000 series converter with a bigger better one - an Inteli- Power PD9160V 60 amp converter with computer controlled "Charge Wizard" PD9105V. The 35 amp Magnetek that was in the Lance is not a bad converter (MUCH better than the earlier 6300 series Magneteks), but it did not have a "smart" battery charging feature. It just charged the camper battery at a constant 13.8 volts. When the camper is in extended storage, this voltage will eventually boil the battery electrolite off, causing a loss of electrolite fluid and battery damage if you don't keep refilling the battery cells with distilled water.
The new Inteli-Power converter slips right into the bottom half of the Magnetek power center after removing the old Magnetek converter guts.
The Inteli-Power optional Charge Wizard (a microprocessor controlled module) makes the Inteli- Power converter into an intelligent battery charger with different charging curves based on the condition of the battery. This reduces charging times, as well as removing the potential of battery damage when the camper is in storage. The Charge Wizard also provides battery Desulfation mode, which periodically increases charge voltage for 15 minutes to mix up the battery electrolyte, which prevents electrolite stratification and reduces battery sulfation.The project was a simple one, taking about an hour to do. If you have the older Magnetek 6300 series converter in your rig, you really should do this project as the 6300 series is pretty much junk -- it only supplies a small charging current to your battery, yet it will boil your battery dry over extended periods. And five of it's eight 12v circuits are "unfiltered" which means they are not suitable for electronics and other voltage-sensitive equipment.
With regards to your converter, your best bet would probably be to just remove the old one and replace it with a new intellipower. The following excerpt is taken from netboy's website http://home.comcast.net/~netboy/#InteliPower
I replaced the Lance camper Magnetek 7000 series converter with a bigger better one - an Inteli- Power PD9160V 60 amp converter with computer controlled "Charge Wizard" PD9105V. The 35 amp Magnetek that was in the Lance is not a bad converter (MUCH better than the earlier 6300 series Magneteks), but it did not have a "smart" battery charging feature. It just charged the camper battery at a constant 13.8 volts. When the camper is in extended storage, this voltage will eventually boil the battery electrolite off, causing a loss of electrolite fluid and battery damage if you don't keep refilling the battery cells with distilled water.
The new Inteli-Power converter slips right into the bottom half of the Magnetek power center after removing the old Magnetek converter guts.
The Inteli-Power optional Charge Wizard (a microprocessor controlled module) makes the Inteli- Power converter into an intelligent battery charger with different charging curves based on the condition of the battery. This reduces charging times, as well as removing the potential of battery damage when the camper is in storage. The Charge Wizard also provides battery Desulfation mode, which periodically increases charge voltage for 15 minutes to mix up the battery electrolyte, which prevents electrolite stratification and reduces battery sulfation.The project was a simple one, taking about an hour to do. If you have the older Magnetek 6300 series converter in your rig, you really should do this project as the 6300 series is pretty much junk -- it only supplies a small charging current to your battery, yet it will boil your battery dry over extended periods. And five of it's eight 12v circuits are "unfiltered" which means they are not suitable for electronics and other voltage-sensitive equipment.
