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Old 04-22-2020, 02:36 PM   #1
Steven
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Default 19ERD - when does 12V battery charge

2013 19ERD - So I know that the 12V battery charges when I am hooked up to 30amp service. Does it also charge up when I am towing down the road? If the camper is sitting idle in storage, what is a reasonable time for it to go without charging? (I don't have access to an outlet in the storage area I am using for the camper since we don't have room in our small yard/driveway). Is there a solar trickle charger anyone could recommend? If I hook up a solar trickle charger, can I leave the battery connected to the unit?

I am trying to avoid a dead battery here, so if there is a suggestion not covered by my questions, please feel free to chime in. Thanks in advance.
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Old 04-24-2020, 08:42 PM   #2
atreis
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1. The battery charges when hooked to mains. (You know that though.) It MAY also charge while going down the road if you're using a 7 pin connector and have the charge wire hooked up and your vehicle can send enough power. Probably, all of that is true and it gets charged while towing, but the amount of current supplied is low, so generally speaking it takes a good part of a full day's towing to get a full charge this way. (This can vary by setup.)

2. If you don't disconnect the battery, it'll go 2-3 weeks, maybe a month, before going dead due to parasitic loads from the refrigerator control system (even if it's off), safety sensors, and anything else like that. Disconnect the battery while in storage to keep it from going dead. The simplest way to do this is with a disconnect switch. You can get a battery disconnect switch from Amazon, car part stores, WalMart, etc.... Even with the battery disconnected, it will still self-discharge over time so a solar trickle charger is good regardless.

3. There are many solar trickle chargers available on Amazon. Generally speaking, any with reasonably good reviews should work if you get enough sunlight. The primary variable is panel watts. More is better. How much do you NEED? We don't know. That depends on what the battery is powering. If the battery is disconnected, the small 10W models should do it. (2W probably isn't enough. 5W might be.) If it's connected, you'll need more.

4. If you use a solar trickle charger, please consider your storage facility, trailer, and how likely the trickle charger is to walk away. You might be better off with one that can be placed in a less visible location. (e.g. Mounted to the roof, with the wires run inside. It's generally very easy to take solar wires into the trailer by running them under the refrigerator vent.)
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Old 05-03-2020, 02:14 PM   #3
jamesham
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Great advice above already and spot-on with answers to your questions. There are many variables to how long the battery will last in storage depending on what type of battery it is (chemistry), and the load (usually gas, LP, carbon monoxide, fire, smoke detectors) are draining the battery. You can buy a cheap $15 battery disconnect switch that goes on the battery terminal to stop the load drain when stored.

[QUOTE=Steven;30721]2013 19ERD - So I know that the 12V battery charges when I am hooked up to 30amp service. Does it also charge up
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Old 05-04-2020, 03:13 PM   #4
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When plugged in, it trickle charges thru CONVERTER/ CHARGER OR INVERTER/ CHARGER (whichever installed?), so about every month, plug in for 4-24-hours?; 2) When traveling w/ 7-pin plug operating properly, FAST charges from engine Alternator
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Old 05-06-2020, 09:03 AM   #5
RJ82much
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Default 19ERD - when does 12V battery charge

This may not be your situation, but I couldn't get my toad to charge. Turned out there was no ground return in the setup. I added a ground wire permanently attached to MH frame & alligator clip to attach to toad frame when plugged in for traveling. Solved the problem - toad battery was always charged.

I did have to add a diode to prevent discharging the toad battery. That was added in the toad fuse box where the charge wire was attached.
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