cancel
Showing results forย 
Search instead forย 
Did you mean:ย 

Basic battery charging and solar question

Boins
Explorer
Explorer
I have a Surveyor 245BHS with 2 6v batteries wired in series. The RV dealer told me that when I'm plugged in to charge, the trailer doesn't recognize when the batteries are fully charged and will keep charging. Off season, I always remove the batteries and periodically set 'em up with a battery tender.

If the trailer does over charge, what is a simple option to create an automatic cut off once the batteries are charged.

Also, I do a lot of dry camping and don't have a generator (I don't need to run the appliances or AC). Is there a simple solar setup that just gives a trickle charge to the batteries while camping? I'm not expecting a solar setup that does a fast recharge, just a trickle.

I'm new to this aspect of battery maintenance and just don't know what things I need to do this properly.

Thanks!
50 REPLIES 50

Boins
Explorer
Explorer
donn0128 wrote:
How old is your trailer? I have kept my RVs plugged in 24/7 since 1976 with no seriour problems. Check battery water level monthly and quit worrying about things. Your dealer(I assume salesman) is an idiot.


Its brand new, the guy who told me was the service tech.

westend
Explorer
Explorer
Battery University. It doesn't take long to go from a Freshman to an Upperclassman. :B

12 volt side of life is RV-centric for a crash course.
'03 F-250 4x4 CC
'71 Starcraft Wanderstar -- The Cowboy/Hilton

tjfogelberg
Explorer
Explorer
Check out Renogy Solar... I'm copying this from my Lazy Daze owner's forum courtesy of Andy B.

"Solar rocks. Generators suck."

Amen!

"Our rig is too old to upgrade"

Perhaps you're thinking that you don't want to invest thousands of dollars (which is what a good solar power system used to cost in the Bad Old Days) in an older rig. But solar power no longer costs a mint. And as Huskerblue points out, with a suitcase-style system you can move the whole kit 'n' kaboodle to another rig at the drop of a hat. In short, I can't see why any rig would be too old for solar power.

If you want an off-the-shelf, no-installation-needed system, you can get a 100 W Renogy suitcase for about $265. Clip onto your batteries, set the panels out in the sun, and you're done. These suitcase systems are a great starter solution for someone with modest needs and a budget to match. You pay more per watt than if you put together a custom system, but for many people the convenience is worth it.

A step up is to get a couple of 100 W panels. For example, begin with Renogy's $170 Solar Bundle Kit, then add a second 100 W panel for another $140. For just over $300 you can have 200 watts of solar power. You can lay the panels out on the ground, which gives you flexibility (park in the shade but put the panels in the sun), at the cost of the minor hassle of putting them out and taking them in when you move. Or mount them on the roof and just let them work for you.

All the setups just mentioned use low-cost "PWM" (pulse width modulation) charging controllers. If you want to milk the maximum power from your panels, you can step up to an MPPT (maximum power point tracking) controller. There are affordable models from Blue Sky, Victron and others.

You get the point. There are plenty of solar options, starting at less than $300. You don't need to permanently install anything on your older rig. Unless you do all your camping at places with electric hookups, it's hard to imagine why you wouldn't go solar.

Kayteg1
Explorer II
Explorer II
Maybe your dealer knows something about battery charging, maybe not.
The only clear answer will give you a voltmeter hooked up to battery.
If your charger stops charging at 13.5V - it is good one. If goes above 14V -it is killing the battery.
Same with solar charging. You want the batteries to be around 13V in the afternoon. Check the battery manufacturer site what they consider discharged battery and go from there.

donn0128
Explorer II
Explorer II
How old is your trailer? I have kept my RVs plugged in 24/7 since 1976 with no seriour problems. Check battery water level monthly and quit worrying about things. Your dealer(I assume salesman) is an idiot.

2oldman
Explorer II
Explorer II
Boins wrote:
If the trailer does over charge, what is a simple option to create an automatic cut off once the batteries are charged.

I'm not expecting a solar setup that does a fast recharge, just a trickle.
I think you'd be better off to get a good 3-stage converter.

A very small panel, say around 10w, will trickle charge.
"If I'm wearing long pants, I'm too far north" - 2oldman