Six-Pac D650 - Truck power hook up and adding solar...

[gabemcg]

Hello all... new to the camper world... have a few questions:

1) My camper has a 7 way trailer wire connector to run lights on the camper and provide 12v power to the camper which also charges the battery in the camper? Is that correct?

I need to install a 7 way outlet in the bed of my truck for this, but I'm guessing I should pull the power lead directly from the battery?

When I park and shut the truck down, I'm guessing I need to manually disconnect the cable so the camper doesn't draw down the truck battery, or does the camper have a switch that detects when the truck is running (via voltage over 12v for example?)

2) I'd like to add a small solar panel to keep the camper battery charged... Longest I've been out is a weekend with the campers 12v battery running water pump, lights, etc. and the battery status light never moves. What is the easiest way to integrate into the existing system?

Thank you all in advance!

[pianotuna]

gabemcg,

It is best to have a feed from the controller directly to the battery bank, with a fuse at the battery end.

[gabemcg]

Thank you for this help!

Is the factory wiring ok to tap in to for the 12v lead, or do I need to make a run direct to the battery for that part of the new 7 pin outlet?

I actually just installed a Blue Sea ACR a few months ago, so I am familiar with it, and like this idea combined with the solar. I'll have to look around for one that allows charge in both direction... do you have any recommendations there?

For solar gear, do you guys have recommendations on where to purchase, or does RV.NET have sponsor sites or anything like that?

[pianotuna]

Hi,

I recommend the dc to DC charger as well. Failing that, a solenoid would be needful.

Here is the dc to DC unit I purchased:

https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-Battery-Batteries-Multi-stage-Charging/dp/B07Q5VYPCF/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?d...

[Lwiddis]

And full recharging daily is a huge factor in RV battery lifespan.

[theoldwizard1]

gabemcg wrote:
I need to install a 7 way outlet in the bed of my truck for this, but I'm guessing I should pull the power lead directly from the battery?

When I park and shut the truck down, I'm guessing I need to manually disconnect the cable so the camper doesn't draw down the truck battery, or does the camper have a switch that detects when the truck is running (via voltage over 12v for example?)

Most pickups that you would put a camper on already have a 7 pin connector at the rear. The simplest solution is to tap into that harness. Pin 4 is the Auxiliary Power (+12V) wire/connection.

These are typically set up from the factory to only provide power when the engine is running.

I strongly recommend a DC-DC battery charger in the camper. It is the only way to guarantee that the camper battery will get fully recharged while you are driving.

[Lwiddis]

“2) I'd like to add a small solar panel to keep the camper battery charged...”

The size of the solar system should be determined on your daily 12 volt use and the amp hours in your battery or batteries. Minimum one solar watt per battery amp hour.

[KD4UPL]

I can't see your camper but most do have a 7 pin connector, it should have a 12 volt charge line if it's like most of them. I can't imagine someone building a camper without one.
When you install the 7 pin in the bed of the truck I would recommend connecting the 12 volt + line to a voltage controlled relay, also known as an Automatic Charge Relay (ACR). Blue Sea makes a nice one but their are others. This will monitor the voltage coming from the truck; when it is above the set point of about 13.2 volts it will connect the camper and truck batteries together so they will charge. When you turn the truck off the voltage will drop and the ACR will disconnect preventing you from running down the truck battery. If you get an ACR that senses voltage on both batteries and hook up a solar panel to the camper the ACR will sense the rise in camper battery voltage when the sun is shinning and connect the batteries to charge up the truck battery.
Just connect the solar panel to a charge controller and connect the charge controller to your camper battery.