Battery Charging

[rbgatti]

Hi, I know batteries, charging and generators have been discussed in length here before.

My question is: Should the battery be disconnected from the PUP when charging?

I know this was answered here before but I can't find it.

The battery is a group 29 (not that it should matter) and the only thing that draws on it continuously is the propane detector.  I have a Guest 10 amp smart charger (2612A) that I want to leave connected to it but I'm not sure how the continuous draw would effect charging.

If it's recommended the battery should be disconnected...positive, negative or both?

Thanks...

[wavery]

Hi, I know batteries, charging and generators have been discussed in length here before.

My question is: Should the battery be disconnected from the PUP when charging?

I know this was answered here before but I can't find it.

The battery is a group 29 (not that it should matter) and the only thing that draws on it continuously is the propane detector.  I have a Guest 10 amp smart charger (2612A) that I want to leave connected to it but I'm not sure how the continuous draw would effect charging.

If it's recommended the battery should be disconnected...positive, negative or both?

Thanks...

You don't need to disconnect the battery to charge it.

Hook up the leads to the battery, then plug in the charger.

Some people remove the battery from the trailer for winterizing. Also, some people have a spare battery that they like to keep charged. Other than that, just leave her where she lies with her cables in place.

Alway check the water level in the battery before charging and make sure that the top of the battery is dry and clean. .

[abbear]

My Colonial has a charging capability through the inverter - plug it in to an electrical source and it charges the battery.  Has to be hooked up for this to work of course  Do you have this capability with yours?

[rbgatti]

My Colonial has a charging capability through the inverter - plug it in to an electrical source and it charges the battery.  Has to be hooked up for this to work of course  Do you have this capability with yours?

Yes, my inverter does charge the battery but I was under the impression it never really fully charges or maintaines it as well as a "smart" 3 stage charger...

[chasd60]

If the charger has built-in equalization mode that is automatic, you may want to unhook the battery. Equalization mode can go as high as 16+ volts if the temperature is cold. Some of the 12V items won't take 16V very well.

[wavery]

Yes, my inverter does charge the battery but I was under the impression it never really fully charges or maintaines it as well as a "smart" 3 stage charger...

Let me help out here a little.

An inverter with a built in battery charger is a totally different animal than the power supply unit that comes standard on most campers.

The power supply unit that comes with most PUs simply converts 110v ac to 12v dc. It actually puts out from 12v - 12.5v. It is designed to allow you to run your 12v system off of 110v (household current) while plugged in at the campsite. 12.5v is not enough voltage to properly charge a battery. However. it will help maintain the charge that a battery has, it won't give it a full charge. It takes 13.8v+ to give your battery a full charge.

Having said that, there are inverters on the market that come with a built in "Smart" battery charger. An inverter is the exact opposite of your power supply. It takes 12v dc and converts it to 110v ac. They allow you to run your 110v appliances off of your 12v battery. They are very common in the marine industry but not so common on campers. They are also a lot more expensive than the standard power supply and require a rather large battery bank to be efficient.

A typical 2000w inverter with a 50a charger costs about $1,000.
http://www.bitterrootsolar.com/inverter/heart.htm

[rbgatti]

Let me help out here a little.

An inverter with a built in battery charger is a totally different animal than the power supply unit that comes standard on most campers.

The power supply unit that comes with most PUs simply converts 110v ac to 12v dc. It actually puts out from 12v - 12.5v. That is not enough voltage to properly charge a battery. However. it will help maintain the charge that a battery has, it won't give it a full charge. It takes 13.8v+ to give your battery a full charge.

Sorry, I used the wrong term.  Let me clarify...

My Starcraft 3606 has a power supply that is typical in campers and it does charge the battery.

Then I went on to say "...but I was under the impression it never really fully charges or maintains it as well as a 'smart' 3 stage charger...".

So this is where my Guest charger I described comes into play...I would rather us it to maintain the battery.

Given all this, it looks like the advice is to disconnect the battery since there could be varying voltages during the charge cycles that could impact 12 volt items (i.e. propane detector).

[wavery]

Sorry, I used the wrong term.  Let me clarify...

My Starcraft 3606 has a power supply that is typical in campers and it does charge the battery.

Then I went on to say "...but I was under the impression it never really fully charges or maintains it as well as a 'smart' 3 stage charger...".

So this is where my Guest charger I described comes into play...I would rather us it to maintain the battery.

Given all this, it looks like the advice is to disconnect the battery since there could be varying voltages during the charge cycles that could impact 12 volt items (i.e. propane detector).

The only time that a battery charger may impact the items in your camper is if the items are on and if the charger is in desufate mode. If you have an old battery that will not take a charge, some battery chargers have a special mode that will put out a higher voltage to remove some of the corrosion from the plates inside the battery. This will sometimes give an old battery a little extra life.

Myself, I would go out and buy a new battery rather than spend a couple extra dollars on a charger with that mode but that's just me. I don't like going camping with an iffy battery because I mainly dry camp and want reliable batteries.

The short answer is, it is not necessary to disconnect the battery unless you are using the desulfation mode on your charger. In that case, it is best to completely remove the battery and do it in a cool, well ventilated area.

[rbgatti]

The short answer is, it is not necessary to disconnect the battery unless you are using the desulfation mode on your charger. In that case, it is best to completely remove the battery and do it in a cool, well ventilated area.

I don't believe the Guest charger has the desulfation mode as my Schumacher does.  I think the best method is to just disconnect the battery and play it safe.

It's not that hard to do the disconnect...the battery case strap is the hardest part!

If I wanted to install a quick disconnect (i.e. a 2 conductor 2 piece waterproof male/female plug/socket setup), does anyone know where I can find such a part that is rated 25-30 amp for 10 gauge wire?  I already exhausted Radio Shack, Pep Boys and hardware stores.

Thanks again for all the feedback!

[wavery]

I don't believe the Guest charger has the desulfation mode as my Schumacher does.  I think the best method is to just disconnect the battery and play it safe.

It's not that hard to do the disconnect...the battery case strap is the hardest part!

If I wanted to install a quick disconnect (i.e. a 2 conductor 2 piece waterproof male/female plug/socket setup), does anyone know where I can find such a part that is rated 25-30 amp for 10 gauge wire?  I already exhausted Radio Shack, Pep Boys and hardware stores.

Thanks again for all the feedback!

My PU has a quick disconnect plug installed from the factory. It's just a simple male/female plug affair that disconnects the camper's power supply from the battery. I would think that Radio Shack or some auto parts store does would have something like that. You may be able to pick up a cheap trailer wiring connector at an auto parts store. Just use 2 of the connectors.

You could also just put a simple, water proof, toggle switch in one of the 2 wires. I would put it in the ground wire, just to be safe.

[rbgatti]

My PU has a quick disconnect plug installed from the factory. It's just a simple male/female plug affair that disconnects the camper's power supply from the battery. I would think that Radio Shack or some auto parts store does would have something like that. You may be able to pick up a cheap trailer wiring connector at an auto parts store. Just use 2 of the connectors.

You could also just put a simple, water proof, toggle switch in one of the 2 wires. I would put it in the ground wire, just to be safe.

I almost got the trailer wiring connector as you suggested but the wiring was 14-16 gauge and I was worried about maintaining the heavier 10 gauge wiring that's already part of my hookup.

I check these stores and again, the gauge of the setup was too small.

[wavery]

I almost got the trailer wiring connector as you suggested but the wiring was 14-16 gauge and I was worried about maintaining the heavier 10 gauge wiring that's already part of my hookup.

I check these stores and again, the gauge of the setup was too small.

Well, this thing will surely do it. Just put it on the ground wire.
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92688

[tlhdoc]

My question is: Should the battery be disconnected from the PUP when charging?
 
I know this was answered here before but I can't find it.
 
I have a Guest 10 amp smart charger (2612A) that I want to leave connected to it but I'm not sure how the continuous draw would effect charging.

IF the camper is plugged in, then I unplug the battery from the camper.  That way the battery is not getting charged from the charger and have the power converter built into the PU charge the battery at the same time.
 
I disconnect the battery from the camper when not in use so that the propane detector doesn't drain the battery.  I charge the batteries about once every month or two when not in use, so that they stay charged.  I don't want to leave the charger on the battery all the time, in case there is a problem with the charger and the battery is damaged.