I have a small 110V battery charger, nothing fancy , I think it has 2,6,10 amp selections.Anyway, I was thinking about hooking short wires to the + and - terminals of my battery permanently and let them stick out of the battery box to make for easy charging. Not sure what you would call them, I'll call them pigtails. Does this make sense? How would they connect to the charger which has aligator clips on it? Are these commercially available?Other question concerns charging. I have always disconnected my battery before charging or turned off my battery disconnect switch. Does it hurt to use a 110v battery charger while the battery power to the trailer is on and the frig is running on propane? I have a 2017 Coachmen TT with one battery if that matters.Not a battery expert obviously, just trying to be safe.Thanks

There is absolutely no need to use a external battery charger if your RV is plugged in. That is what the converter/charger is for.

Does it hurt to charge the batteries while they are in use: Generally NO. With that charger I'd say NO HOWEver that sounds like a basic charger. NOT a "Smart" charger, this means it puts current even when the batteries are full up. Overcharging and doing damage. |At least on the 10 am setting it MIGHT.. Of course if you have enough battery.. it won't matter. I would seriously consider a Progressibe Dynamivcs 91xx (not sure the smallest model) plug in model.. Those. you can leave hooked up and plugged in for up to about a decade give or take a bit..Both in use and not in use.

There is a commercially made post, used as a remote charging / jumper post. Here's a link to one on ebayAs mentioned above, if you can plug in to shore power, your converter will maintain the battery.

If you do have a connection for charging, I would suggest using a proper connector of some description rather than just having bare wires sticking out. Possibly something along the lines of a hot wheels toy charger connection would be suitable if the charge current is sufficiently low. In any case, please put a fuse in the positive lead so that a short circuit at the exposed connection point won't start a fire.

Thanks for all the answers. Pretty sure my charger does cut down or off when battery is fully charged. I realize the converter will keep the battery up if plugged into a/c.Maybe didn't make my question clear. " Does it hurt to use 110v battery charger while the battery power to the trailer is on and the frig is running on propane" What I was trying to say is tt would be on battery power only, no a/c, and frig is on propane. Then is ok to use a 110v charger? Reason for the question is the tt will be 100' or so from a/c power source so I can run a cord to the charger but not hook up the normal a/c to the tt. thanks

questions on battery charging | Good Sam Community

riven1950
Explorer
Nov 18, 2017
Thanks 4x4van,

Since charging time is not an issue I am good with either one.

I will order one this weekend for our trip next month. Saves me some engineering and thinking :)
4x4van
Explorer III
Nov 18, 2017
Puck style
4x4van
Explorer III
Nov 18, 2017
Here's a pigtail style
riven1950
Explorer
Nov 18, 2017
I'll look but think I would rather have a pigtail.

Thanks all
4x4van
Explorer III
Nov 18, 2017
I just use this small 15A/30A Puck, but I'm sure that a short 15A/30A twist version is available.
riven1950
Explorer
Nov 18, 2017
4x4van, I appreciate the input. Actually you have me rethinking. 1- will look for a 30amp twist to 15amp adaptor. Something a couple feet long would be great. 2- I was thinkng charging with the converter would be slower, but if not it would work.

On edit: I quickly found an adaptor online. So I guess if charging time is not an issue then I was really overthinking the thing.
4x4van
Explorer III
Nov 18, 2017
Whatever. The extension cord is going to be across the street either way, so what is the difference whether it's plugged into a charger or plugged into your shore cord with a 15A/30A puck (like this, for just $2: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Aleko-Rv15M30Fa-15A-Male-To-30A-Female-Adapter-Plug/47200149?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222228034641705&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=92641189128&wl4=pla-128848208208&wl5=9031370&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=47200149&wl13=&veh=sem ) And your built in converter is more than likely a better charger than your simple stand alone battery charger. Probably outputs a full 45A to start, tapering down as needed as the battery SOC comes up. But do what you want; I'm just not seeing an advantage.
riven1950
Explorer
Nov 18, 2017
OK, FYI , I do exactly as you say at home. Plug in to 15amp outlet in my shop with a pigtail adapter to my tt 30amp cord.

The situation I asked about comes from visiting my daughters home in Jax. Cannot park in front of their house. I have to park across the street. Will have to run a cord across the street ( after a couple of days of use ) to charge the battery. Will do this at night when traffic is less.

I don't have a short twist 30 amp to 15 amp adaptor cord, which I guess would work. Definitely don't want my 30amp 25' cord sitting out, it might walk off. It is a nice neighborhood but i'd rather just risk a charger and ext cord to theft.

Plus I am thinking the battery charger would charge faster than the tt converter. Is that correct?
4x4van
Explorer III
Nov 18, 2017
The OP has a 2017 model trailer; I highly doubt that it uses a "cheap" converter. He also wants the fridge on, which means that the battery switch must be on and connected, along with all of the other items you list. Hooking up an external battery charger while leaving the battery switch on isolates nothing, protects nothing, and accomplishes nothing other than complexity vs simply plugging his trailer in.:R
Lynnmor
Explorer
Nov 17, 2017
4x4van wrote:
Yes, stand-alone battery chargers, battery tenders, float chargers, etc are great...as are connectors, plugs, pigtails, hookup studs, etc...for a vehicle that doesn't already have a battery charger in it. What am I missing? :h

Some of us don’t want to power up the entire trailer to keep the battery charged. We know that exposing things to power issues like lightning isn’t a good thing. Operating circuit boards in TVs, radios, refrigerators, water heaters and furnaces is a waste of energy and may lead to early failure. Some of us have cheap converters that may not do as good of a job charging a battery as some of the small tenders. Some of us don’t mind doing a few small things instead of always taking the easy way out.

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