engineer40
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Re: Charging 6v golf cart batteries?
Sincerely appreciate everyone's help so far. Thank you! The black & white wire that come into the picture from the upper right seem awfully small to me for the entire camper to use? I took off some panels and traced the wire and it appears to be original to the camper. 20 years ago I melted some wires that were too small of gauge for a car amp I was using. So seeing these small wires in a camper make me sort of nervous as well. The fuse should blow before the wires melt. I think... For testing I've had appliances running, lights on, and a lamp plugged into house outlet and no fuses blew. So maybe those wires are fine. I guess I won't know for sure until I get out and use this camper some. Hopefully this weekend! Click For Full-Size Image.444Views0likes0CommentsRe: Charging 6v golf cart batteries?
This is a picture of my electrical center. I just noticed that is does say "Converter Output: 12.6 VDC Current 15 AMPS" So maybe it is supposed to charge the batteries and I need to troubleshoot this further. One thing I thought was odd is when the switch in the lower right is in the OFF position, the house outlets in the camper will work if I'm plugged into shore power. Seems like OFF would mean, it truly breaks the circuit. Click For Full-Size Image.444Views0likes0CommentsRe: Charging 6v golf cart batteries?
Thank you. Thinking through the scenario, if I'm plugged into shore power (since my batteries are charging), wouldn't anything I use in my camper be using shore power and not the battery bank? So my batteries would be doing nothing except charging? Or am I thinking about this incorrectly? I'm new to campers. I'm willing to buy a new/better charger if it would make my camping life easier in some way. Thoughts?455Views0likes0CommentsRe: Charging 6v golf cart batteries?
valhalla360 wrote: After that, it basically charges like any 12v battery. Just be aware that 2amps won't allow you to use much 12v power. Modern RV charging systems are typically in the 30-60amp range. Thank you. Can you explain what you mean by your AMP statement? I assumed that being 2amps would just make it take longer to charge. But sounds like it's more detrimental to my battery bank than long charging times? What benefit would a 30amp capable charger provide me? Thank you!455Views0likes0CommentsRe: Charging 6v golf cart batteries?
Secondary question... I'm going to buy a volt meter. Are there any specific features of a Volt meter or multi meter that I should look for directly related to troubleshooting RV electrical? Example, I think it would be nice if I could tell if there was a current draw on the battery bank during certain uses. That's just one example, but I am a new camper owner, so I'm sure there are things I haven't thought of yet. Thank you!459Views0likes0CommentsRe: General newb questions - Advice?
Here is a picture of how it sits now. With it's 1990's pink pin stripe and all. LOL. Nothing special... yet. Initial goal is to get it useable. Then if my sons like it as much as I hope they do, I'll put in more effort on modifying it with things like paint, solar, etc. Click For Full-Size Image.558Views0likes0CommentsCharging 6v golf cart batteries?
Hello all! I'm new to campers but have been enjoying learning about my new (used) Viking 10ft popup truck bed camper. It did not come with any house batteries. After some research and looking at my budget for now, I purchased 2 6v golf cart batteries. I have them wired in series for 12v output. They are working as expected. As far as I can tell, my camper does not automatically recharged the batteries when I'm plugged into shore power. I have a decent work around. There is a house plug in in the same cabinet as I have the batteries. I have a spare smart charger that I plan to wire directly to the battery terminals so it automatically charges them when I plug into shore power. I've been using this battery charger for a few years and it's never overcharged anything. Since I have 2 6v batteries wired in series I'll need to connect the charger to the positive battery terminal on 1 battery, and to the negative battery terminal on the 2nd battery. I believe that way both batteries are being charged equally at the same time. If I do this, do I have the charger set to 12v/2amp? I'm assuming I do... But my charger also has a setting for 6v/4amp and since the batteries are technically 6v, it has me questioning my thinking here. I appreciate any clarify you all can provide. Thanks!7.7KViews0likes41CommentsRe: General newb questions - Advice?
Wow, I'm really glad I registered for this forum. I apologize it took me a while to respond. Like I mentioned, I'm a single dad so sometimes it takes a bit before I can get back to my projects. But you all have been super helpful to a new camper owner. Yesterday was... interesting... I worked on it for about 13 hours. I did end up getting all of the systems working: Electrical, Furnace, Fridge, Stovetop, Plumbing, & Hot water heater. I also got my battery bank wired up. Fridge - Fairly certain it is only a 2 way fridge. It does not work on AC power, only LP or Battery. Electrical - Still figuring out a few gremlins. But most things are working good enough to actually take it camping. I just ordered a Volt meter to help troubleshoot. I found one of the fuses was wrapped in foil. Awesome little fire hazard. Lol. I really don't think my batteries charge automatically. But I think I have a good work around. There is a house plug in the same cabinet as the batteries and I have a smart charger in there that will come on automatically when I plug into shore power. Not using alligator clamps obviously. Those could come off when driving. I'll wire it to the battery terminals. Furnace - Fired right up. No issues. Plumbing - Lots of leaks. The camper hasn't been used in so many years, I was expecting some leaks. I got all of them taken care of except at the very end of the night I noticed the toilet hose was leaking. It's hard to see what's going on, so I used a mirror. It was too late to troubleshoot it much further. Hot water heater - No electric AC option. Only LP. But I did get it fired up and working. I can't thank everyone enough for the help. I was really nervous I was going to screw something up that I would need to get fixed that would delay me taking my boys camping. So far... so good!558Views0likes0CommentsGeneral newb questions - Advice?
Hello all! I just created an account, but I'm excited about my new (used) camper and I plan on becoming a regular on this forum while I learn. It's a 1994 Viking 10ft truck bed popup camper. At this moment, I'm feeling over my head with some things. I'll say thank you in advance for any help you provide. Surprisingly my camper came with all of the original paperwork. I've read through it but still have some very basic questions. -My camper didn't come with a battery. I found the spot to hook one up. I found where I flip a switch from AC power or battery power. Does the built in inverter automatically charge my battery when I'm plugged into AC power? Does my truck alternator automatically charge my camper battery if the truck is running? Do I need to worry about it overcharging and frying an expensive battery? -Do most hot water heaters in campers work off LP or electric? The owners manual calls it a "Gas and Electric water heater". But the instructions read like gas "or" electric and not both. I do not see any way to switch from gas or electric. Maybe there is a way and I'm just not seeing it... -Also in regards to the hot water heater, the owners manual says to make sure there is water in the heater before electric is turned onto the camper or the element will burn out almost immediately. Does that mean if I don't have water in the camper I literally can't plug it into AC power? It's very confusing. I'm nervous I've already burned out the element because I had it plugged into AC power in my garage. -It has a Dometic fridge. Do most camper fridges have the option to work off of AC power or LP? The manual only talks about LP or temporary battery power (not long term). I think it would be weird if the fridge doesn't work while plugged into AC power because I would want it getting cool while packing to leave home. I hope all of these questions make sense. Thank you for any help. I'm a single dad. My kids and I are excited to get out and use this, but it's overwhelming even after I read through the Owners Manuals. Thanks!4.4KViews0likes19Comments
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