Battery charging

[Herboy33]

Hello all
Just took delivery on a 2021 Vintage Cruiser Woody 19CSK. Battery is dead :(
Will it charge when plugged into house power? Can't seem to figure out manual as to whether it does or not. Any help appreciated.

[Ldubs]

Yes, at least ours does.

If the battery is completely dead you might want to ask for a new one as it could be damaged. I'm kind of on thin ice here, so you might want to confirm with others first.

[Herboy33]

Thanks for thought.
I was thinking same thing . Had it plugged into garage power for three or four days.Disconnected house power for three and it would not even power led lights. Nothing else was turned on except radio light. Am going to put two batteries in now with future solar panel. Also have a battery meter to hook up.

[lets go]

Do yourself a favor and put in 2- 6 volt batteries and wire them in series , I use Trojan 125 or a Trojan 105 these are golf cart batteries and are accustomed to being discharged and recharged a lot . I had a set of these and lasted 8 years before I got a new set (didnt really need a new set but thought since they were old I might as well replace them ) I do a lot of dry camping so they were put to the test. Bad part is they are more costly than a 12 volt battery but will outlast
2- 12 volt batteries.

[Herboy33]

Good to know , I’ll do it
Thanks

[Herboy33]

Has anyone added solar to their tt? I have a 2021 -19csk and going to put in 2- 6 volts t105 Trojans . Anyone know if the solar on trailer is just a plug in on side and done ?
Thanks

[Martym]

Hello all
Just took delivery on a 2021 Vintage Cruiser Woody 19CSK. Battery is dead :(
Will it charge when plugged into house power? Can't seem to figure out manual as to whether it does or not. Any help appreciated.
My 2018 19csk would kill the battery in 3or 4 days . I found the biggest draw was the swintek slide out auto lock . I have installed a battery master cut off switch on the tongue and a 10 watt solar panel on top of the propane tank cover. I plan to install a switch to shut off the slide out when boondocking and not moving the camper.

[muleman]

Yes it should be charging on your house power. If it is not it is either your battery bad or your charger is not working properly. When I bought my Vista Cruiser in 2015 its battery was bad and they had to replace it.

[lets go]

I have read several articles on this forum that said batteries were bad from day one ? Not a good way to do business perhaps they bought a lot of bulk batteries at a good price, rv builders are known for cutting cost on builds anyway they can, I have not heard if they paid for replacement batteries or not. I plan on getting some Trojan 6 volt batteries from day 1.

I have found this forum very useful for what could go wrong and the fix

[Steven]

If the battery is not already a lithium battery and you are changing out the lead acid for lithium, read about the inverter/controller and make sure it can handle the lithium battery. There are different current requirements/limitations and an inverter/controller set for lead acid may or may not be able to handle lithium.

[Steven]

check out Will Prowse on youtube for tons of solar information. Geared more for general solar info vs RV specific, but it will help you understand a lot of the basics so you can make more informed decisions.

[Herboy33]

Great info thanks
Probably sticking with flooded 6 volts

[Herboy33]

Seems to be taking and holding charge. Still going to switch it out for two 6 volts before our big trip in fall
Thanks

[Herboy33]

Hi
Researching my charging system on my 2021 GS Vintage Cruiser. I know it had a built in charger/converter but does anyone know if it’s a smart charger? So it doesn’t fry batteries
Thanks

[RY469]

The converter/charger in your unit is designed for lead acid, including AGM batteries. It will bulk charge then settle down to float for maintaining your house batteries condition. So leaving your unit plugged in to shore power (with battery disconnect on . . . connected) will keep your house batteries happy. (Chassis batteries only charge with engine alternator, although engine can also charge house batteries while driving, if your isolator is installed correctly).

Worse thing one can do to these batteries is to allow them to discharge and sit. They will actually short themselves out internally and there's little chance of recovery. That's why even new RV's at Dealerships can have bad batteries.
Plan to use your batteries to no more than 50% discharge and keep them charged when you can.

I'm a Service Tech (at a Dealership). I (try to) wait until the customer is going to pick up the unit, before I put new batteries in (when practical that is).

[Herboy33]

Great info
Thanks so much

[mixinmaster]

The converter/charger in your unit is designed for lead acid, including AGM batteries. It will bulk charge then settle down to float for maintaining your house batteries condition. So leaving your unit plugged in to shore power (with battery disconnect on . . . connected) will keep your house batteries happy. (Chassis batteries only charge with engine alternator, although engine can also charge house batteries while driving, if your isolator is installed correctly).

Worse thing one can do to these batteries is to allow them to discharge and sit. They will actually short themselves out internally and there's little chance of recovery. That's why even new RV's at Dealerships can have bad batteries.
Plan to use your batteries to no more than 50% discharge and keep them charged when you can.

I'm a Service Tech (at a Dealership). I (try to) wait until the customer is going to pick up the unit, before I put new batteries in (when practical that is).

So my newly purchased AGM Group 31 battery is good to go in a swap out with my old lead battery on a 2018 GS Vintage Cruiser 23RSS?

[RY469]

So my newly purchased AGM Group 31 battery is good to go in a swap out with my old lead battery on a 2018 GS Vintage Cruiser 23RSS?
"Adsorbed Glass Mat" (AGM) batteries are lead acid batteries. They have a fiberglass type "matting" material filled with a gelled sulfuric acid mixture between the plates . . . The design is superior to a "wet cell" for many reasons, just more expensive to manufacture.

Short answer, you'll be fine.

[mixinmaster]

"Adsorbed Glass Mat" (AGM) batteries are lead acid batteries. They have a fiberglass type "matting" material filled with a gelled sulfuric acid mixture between the plates . . . The design is superior to a "wet cell" for many reasons, just more expensive to manufacture.

Short answer, you'll be fine.

Great, thanks a bunch!

[Larryjb]

Just a quick question regarding the chassis battery. I have a 2021 - 5210 BT cruiser.
The house charger does not charge the chassis battery, only the house battery receives the charge.
Is there a way to connect the chassis battery into the circuit so it receives a charge?
The Ford battery is constantly drawn down due to the electronics and the automatic steps use amps from the chassis battery.
Thanks for any comments or help.

[RY469]

There are a couple of options. Install a "BIRD" with solenoid to connect the two, will sense if one or the other needs charged and connect them. Another (easier) option is an DC-to-DC charger. Tied from the house to charge chassis. OR you can install solar to charge both . . . Do you have any electrically inclined friends that work for beer to help out (like me)?

[Larryjb]

Thanks for the quick reply. None of my friends, (both of them) are electrically inclined.
I am in Pgh. PA. Are you in the neighborhood?
My former Roadtrek had a 12 volt line running form the house battery up to the chevy battery and the whole system was tied together.
Under the hood of my current Ford chassis, do you know if there is a 12 volt line coming from the house battery?
I could always hook up a "Battery Tender" to the Ford battery using 110 volts from my Home outside outlet.
Maybe I need to find the BIRD if I can find it.
Thanks for all your suggestions.

[RY469]

Thanks for the quick reply. None of my friends, (both of them) are electrically inclined.
I am in Pgh. PA. Are you in the neighborhood?
My former Roadtrek had a 12 volt line running form the house battery up to the chevy battery and the whole system was tied together.
Under the hood of my current Ford chassis, do you know if there is a 12 volt line coming from the house battery?
I could always hook up a "Battery Tender" to the Ford battery using 110 volts from my Home outside outlet.
Maybe I need to find the BIRD if I can find it.
Thanks for all your suggestions.

BTW B.I.R.D. = "Directional Battery Isolator Relay"

[Henry111]

ACOPOWER does a wonderful job charging my RV battery. It fully charges my battery in about 5 hours on a transparent, sunny day and 6-7 hours on a foggy day. a far better and cheaper alternative to ceiling mounting. you'll turn this panel towards the sun (https://www.rvhometown.com/best-portable-solar-panels-for-rv/) if you wish to gather more rays. the duvet is of excellent quality, but beware, it'll not protect you from a fall. I kept the shipping box that came once I packed it in my RV. Good product.