Starting battery goes dead

[TNGW1500SE]

My starting battery is going dead when parked and while plugged in. The house batteries stay charged. The starting battery doesn't get charged.

Is there any reason why I just couldn't connect the house batteries to the starting battery with a jumper wire on the positive terminal just for when it's parked in the winter? I could install an inline fuse in the wire. They are both connected to the frame on the negative side.

Any reason not to?

[harley-dave]

Yep, I has to wire in a Trik-L-Start on my 2005 Itasca. It has worked great for years.

Dave

[YC_1]

That will work just fine. If you want some fun, install a 12 volt tail light bulb or dome light inline and if the engine battery is low the bulb will glow until the two batteries come to the same level. It acts as a current limiting device although not needed and just a fun thing for me to do on my last RV until I installed the Trik-l-start.

[time2roll]

+1 for the Trik-L-Start

[FIRE_UP]

TNGW1500SE wrote:
My starting battery is going dead when parked and while plugged in. The house batteries stay charged. The starting battery doesn't get charged.

Is there any reason why I just couldn't connect the house batteries to the starting battery with a jumper wire on the positive terminal just for when it's parked in the winter? I could install an inline fuse in the wire. They are both connected to the frame on the negative side.

Any reason not to?

It would be nice to know the make/model/year/engine/chassis of the coach we're talking about. For instance, Winnebago coaches from late '05 down, especially the diesel ones, were not equipped with any form of chassis battery charging while on shore power. But, in '06, Winne started installing a unit called the Trik-L-Start. It's NOT A BATTERY CHARGER! It's simply a control unit that when conditions are met, it will siphon off, SOME of the charging intended towards the house batteries, to be re-directed to the chassis batteries, at a maximum rate of 5 amps.

So, this is why I ask about the year/make etc.
Scott

[TNGW1500SE]

rk911 wrote:
or this product will keep your starting battery charged while the coach battery charging ststem is active.

May get that. Thanks

[TNGW1500SE]

doxiemom11 wrote:
We have an auxiliary start button on our dash that when on will use the house batteries to help start the engine if the chassis battery is weak. We also have a battery disconnect/shut-off for the chassis battery that we use any time we will be parked more than a few days. Even after a full winter stored outside in Michigan, we turned the battery back on and the motorhome started right up. You don't have either of these things?

I've got the switch that connects the two on the dash but that's hooked to a solenoid and can't be left on. I do not have a disconnect.

[doxiemom11]

We have an auxiliary start button on our dash that when on will use the house batteries to help start the engine if the chassis battery is weak. We also have a battery disconnect/shut-off for the chassis battery that we use any time we will be parked more than a few days. Even after a full winter stored outside in Michigan, we turned the battery back on and the motorhome started right up. You don't have either of these things?

[enblethen]

I use to put a jumper between coach and chassis battery during storage.
I used some 12 gauge wire with a 20 amp fuse for added protection.
I now have a Battery Tender charger.

[rk911]

or this product will keep your starting battery charged while the coach battery charging system is active.