2008 Tioga battery questions

[ksmoody]

I have a 2008 Fleetwood Tioga 31M.
Will the original battery charger when using shore power, charge both of my batteries (Coach & Chassis)?
Is it better to use something like the "TRIK-L-CHARGE" to charge the chassis battery?

When I'm plugged into shore power at home. Is it ok to leave the RV plugged in for a week or so to keep the batteries charged?

How often should I check the water level in the batteries?

Thank you for your help. I've had this RV for a year now. But I've never thought about battery problems, until I started reading other posts.

[Harvey51]

I go with the advice to disconnect the batteries and top up if needed every month or two. I check the voltage every month and smart charge when the voltage goes below 12.5. They are at 12.7 volts now after a month.

In northern Canada winters, batteries do not recharge with a short drive. They lose more energy starting than they gain in an hour of driving. The alternator may have the ability to put out 100 amps but it won't put anywhere near that current into a half charged battery.

[pnichols]

One way to keep the engine starting battery charged whenever the coach converter/charger is powered up and charging the coach batteries is to buy a small battery maintainer.

Plug the battery maintainer's input side into a 120V AC receptacle plug somewhere in the coach that is up front near the cab, and then plug the battery maintainer's 12V DC output cigarette lighter male plug ing into a 12V receptacle that comes stock in the cab's dash. If this receptacle is "always on" even with the ignition turned off - like it is in my RV's E450 cab - then it is leading right to the engine starting battery. The battery maintainer will then be charging the engine battery whenever the RV is connected to shore power with it's built-in converter/charger turned on and charging the coach batteries.

I keep a little battery maintainer connected up this way 24/7 whenever our RV is sitting in our back yard not being used but still connected to a 120V AC receptacle on the side of the house via an extension cord. This technique thus keeps both the coach batteries and engine starting battery up to 100% during storage ... and, it costs only what you pay for the battery maintainer. HOWEVER, make sure that the coach batteries are certified as not being harmed by having the RV's built-in charger/converer hooked up to them 24/7 for weeks at a time!

[IAMICHABOD]

j-d wrote:

Rental outfits seem to make little tweaks in the build orders for their coaches. Specifying a BIRD would help make the units a little more Renter-Proof (if that's really possible) by helping keep both batteries up while the renter is on a hookup site.

It'll be interesting to see if retail Fleetwood units are equipped the same. Would be nice if they are...

Yes they are,I have encountered several retail Tiogas that were equipped with a BIRD when I was looking for mine. The cheaper Jamboree models of the same year did not have them.


As for the tire valve extenders The best on the market,that are the original,are Tire Man.

Chuck is the original designer of these an he has been around for years. If you have any questions just give him a call, he is always happy to help. Any others are just cheap reproductions of the original.

The kit looks like This it is for all 6 wheels,they also come with flow-thru valve caps so you don't even need to take then off to check the pressure.

Here is a list of all the products he sells.

They make checking tire pressures fast and very easy.

[ksmoody]

Thank you for all your help. I do have a BIRD unit installed on my rig. I checked the water level on the two 6 volt House batteries and the 12 volt Chassis battery. All the cells were a little low, but the plates were not exposed. I did add a little water to the cells.

I'll look into getting those Borg Dually Valves. It is a pain to try to check the tire air pressure.

[j-d]

IAMICHABOD wrote:

There are some brands that come from the factory with them already installed,Fleetwood products such as my 2006 Tioga come from the factory with a a Bi-Directional Isolator Relay Delay.

It charges both batteries when either one is being charged. When the coach is being driven, both batteries will be charged from the engine's alternator. When the coach is plugged into shore power,both batteries will be charged from the converter. If neither battery is being charged, the batteries are fully isolated. The controller also
senses heavy loads on either battery to prevent the wrong battery from being inadvertently discharged.

Rental outfits seem to make little tweaks in the build orders for their coaches. Specifying a BIRD would help make the units a little more Renter-Proof (if that's really possible) by helping keep both batteries up while the renter is on a hookup site.

It'll be interesting to see if retail Fleetwood units are equipped the same. Would be nice if they are...

[ron_dittmer]

My experience charging at home, different rigs with different chargers, is to fully charge the batteries, then disconnect them. Even with multi-stage chargers, the batteries can get damaged from over-charging. A trickle charger might be the exception.

If parked outdoors in sub-freezing temperatures over the winter, I advise to store fully charged batteries in your warm house. If that is not an option, then I would leave the batteries mounted in the RV but disconnected. Then go out with a charger every other month and charge them to full again. You will know if that is a waste of time if they are already at full when recharging.

If you are of the mindset that you need to run your motor home engine and generator every few weeks, then do nothing else because running them for an hour every-other week maintains the batteries.

Remember to be watchful of the acid levels if charging often.

If I lived in Palmdale CA, I would charge, disconnect and forget for two months, and not worry about running engines during storage time.

Every time I left my rigs plugged in and left forgotten for a season, nothing but bad things happened to the batteries. Trying to maintain my batteries, I end up damaging them. I figure batteries sitting on store shelves are left alone for many months. I can do the same at home.

[j-d]

ksmoody wrote:

1. Is it better to use something like the "TRIK-L-CHARGE" to charge the chassis battery?

2. When I'm plugged into shore power at home. Is it ok to leave the RV plugged in for a week or so to keep the batteries charged?

3. How often should I check the water level in the batteries?

1. Unless you have BIRD or some similar device, your Chassis Battery won't charge unless you use a trickle charger or as many do, a solar panel. That said, how often do you use the RV? I can park ours at least a month and it'll still start on a very old battery.

2. As noted, depends on the quality of your Converter/Charger. We have an IOTA from 2002 and can stay plugged in with the Battery Switch ON for weeks at a time.

3. Suggest you start out with checking monthly. You'll soon find out if that's too often. If it isn't often enough, your battery is being overcharged. We can go six months in FL on our WalMart deep cycle/trolling Coach/House Battery.

You didn't ask, but what about your Tire Maintenance? Like many others here, it took me awhile to realize how good a set of custom tire valves Like these Borg Dually Valves is. I can check all six in literally a minute. They also don't leak any air, so I can now simply check, going months without adding air. Used to have to do a miserable checking and airing up process about monthly.

[IAMICHABOD]

As stated before "it depends".

There are some brands that come from the factory with them already installed,Fleetwood products such as my 2006 Tioga come from the factory with a BIRD a Bi-Directional Isolator Relay Delay
It Looks like this

Check in your battery compartment, that is where mine is


Click For Full-Size Image.

It charges both batteries when either one is
being charged. When the coach is being driven,both
batteries will be charged from the engine's
alternator. When the coach is plugged into shore
power,both batteries will be charged from the
converter. If neither battery is being charged, the
batteries are fully isolated. The controller also
senses heavy loads on either battery to prevent
the wrong battery from being inadvertently
discharged.



While sitting even while plugged in, if some type of charger is not hooked up to the Chassis battery it will go dead from the parasitic loads.

I keep mine plugged in all the time at home and with the BIRD both Chassis and House batteries stay charged.

[Bordercollie]

Our 2004 Tioga had no provisions, like a BIRD device, to charge the chassis/starting battery. Your rig may not have the BIRD device either. You may be able to test whether the chassis battery is getting charged with a voltmeter.
With rig disconnected from "shore power", take a voltage reading at the battery terminals. Then, connect to shore power and take a voltage reading. Voltage should be around 13.6 volts or a little higher than previous reading with shore power connected if your rig has a BIRD device. I installed a Trik-L-Charge device and it works well. Installation was not really easy. I had to run a large guage wire from device to the chassis battery along the frame and up into the wheel well and to the battery with a 15 amp circuit breaker to protect from possible shorting. Could not find the easy relay connection described in instructions.

Whatever converter charger, etc., you have in your rig, periodically check electrolyte levels in all batteries and add distilled water as needed to keep electrolyte above the plates.

[Lwiddis]

“How often should I check the water level in the batteries?”

Weekly and not just check...refill with distilled water. Wear safety glasses and gloves. Occasionally use a battery terminal protectant.

[Ava]

It depends on what type of charger the converter has. Older ones have a single charge rate and newer ones are smart multi phase chargers, which are much better for the batteries. The single chargers need the water level checked often. My unit only charges the coach batteries.