Is having a battery in a TC necessary?

Even if you are always on hookups you will still need a converter in working order to supply the 12V to lights, pump, fridge control
board, furnace and HWS.

Obviously, without a battery, non of this stuff will work when you are in transit unless you provide a feed from your engine battery.

The batteries are being killed by something in the charging system, probably the converter which you say has gone bad or a bad short somewhere in the lines. Me I like to have power on the road as there have many times when the need for sleep has prompted me to camp in a pull out someplace. I do like having lights, running water, and a way to make my morning coffee.

I would trouble shoot the wiring or have someone do it for me before turning my TC into a campground queen only

Like Buzz stated the power supplier (the alternator,inverter and wires) and the power bank (the battery) has to be checked out. As for as boondocking has anybody found a solar panel system that would provide enough juice (I know it depends on useage) to keep you going for a week?

I am almost certain that you have a single stage, "battery boiler", converter. I assume the rig is over five years old, which almost makes it certain that a single state is present.

I'd put it a priority to double-check this, and replace the converter with a multi-stage charger. This way, you won't be tossing batteries every season. Plus, if you don't mind ponying up a bit more, you can get a converter/inverter so you can use low-wattage items without needing to fire up a generator.

This will sound a little critical, but if you bought a camper to only go to all places that have electricity, you bought the wrong RV. The purpose of a camper is be able to get away from that crowd to begin with.

With regards to your converter, your best bet would probably be to just remove the old one and replace it with a new intellipower. The following excerpt is taken from netboy's website http://home.comcast.net/~netboy/#InteliPower

I replaced the Lance camper Magnetek 7000 series converter with a bigger better one - an Inteli- Power PD9160V 60 amp converter with computer controlled "Charge Wizard" PD9105V. The 35 amp Magnetek that was in the Lance is not a bad converter (MUCH better than the earlier 6300 series Magneteks), but it did not have a "smart" battery charging feature. It just charged the camper battery at a constant 13.8 volts. When the camper is in extended storage, this voltage will eventually boil the battery electrolite off, causing a loss of electrolite fluid and battery damage if you don't keep refilling the battery cells with distilled water.

The new Inteli-Power converter slips right into the bottom half of the Magnetek power center after removing the old Magnetek converter guts.

The Inteli-Power optional Charge Wizard (a microprocessor controlled module) makes the Inteli- Power converter into an intelligent battery charger with different charging curves based on the condition of the battery. This reduces charging times, as well as removing the potential of battery damage when the camper is in storage. The Charge Wizard also provides battery Desulfation mode, which periodically increases charge voltage for 15 minutes to mix up the battery electrolyte, which prevents electrolite stratification and reduces battery sulfation.The project was a simple one, taking about an hour to do. If you have the older Magnetek 6300 series converter in your rig, you really should do this project as the 6300 series is pretty much junk -- it only supplies a small charging current to your battery, yet it will boil your battery dry over extended periods. And five of it's eight 12v circuits are "unfiltered" which means they are not suitable for electronics and other voltage-sensitive equipment.

If you are having that kind of trouble and you are installing Lifeline batteries, listen to the above advice and seriously upgrade your charging system.
I have used Lifelines in my last three motorhomes and once replaced, I never had to worry about them again.

You need some source of 12V for most of the systems.

With a dead converter and no battery, you can't run the furnace, water heater, refrigerator, lights, sink, or shower. No matter how much 110VAC power you have.

I upgraded my factory WFCO converter to the Progressive Dynamics Intellipower and can tell you it is worth doing. They make converters that are a slide-in replacements for Magnetek and others so that you don't have to change out the whole fuse box....just the converter/charger. I got mine at Best Converter, since recommended by the guys over in the Tech Issues section.

Also check the wire size and distance between the batteries and the charger. In my case I have 25' of wire that was sized at #6. I added another #4 alongside to counteract the voltage drop from the charger to the batteries. (In my case the used the trailer frame as ground so only had to upgrade the POS (+) wire.)

Charging is more effective and this is the first year I didn't have to add water to the batteries after leaving the rig plugged in all winter.

" bought a camper to only go to all places that have electricity, you bought the wrong RV. The purpose of a camper is be able to get away from that crowd to begin with."

You are not correct. While many TC owners have a TC for that specific purpose, not all of us do. We camp 99.9% of the time in campgrounds that have electricity. For us, the TC allows: pull a cargo trailer for our scooter while still allowing our cats to be with us in the cab and have a way to get into the camper part without us having to catch them every time like we had to with a toy hauler. And we did not want a motorhome style RV because we wanted the truck for other purposes.

To the OP, fix your problems and keep a battery. That would most likely be best, but it is not absolutely mandatory, specailly if you do not drive for days at a time to go camping.

finaddict wrote:
This will sound a little critical, but if you bought a camper to only go to all places that have electricity, you bought the wrong RV. The purpose of a camper is be able to get away from that crowd to begin with.

Word to the wise: Never tell another man who to marry, whether he should have a gun or not, or what type of RV to buy. Those all VERY personal choices. :W

:):)