RE: Help a novice with battery ??? s

[got woody?]

 
OK, dumb question here.  How does the battery on your Popup get recharged?  My assumption is through the wiring harness off the TV s alternator.  Is that right?
 
 If so, I guess my question is what happens if my in transit time is not long enough to replenish what ever I may have drained over a weekend of dry camping?
 
 Or am I just overthinking someting simple...

[mike4947]

 got woody?
Simple it ain t, If I remember right tim 5055 has a good page on 12 volt systems on his website http://www.title-3.com/
 
 A few rules for batteries and PU s
 1) buy a good deep cycle battery charger, it ll pay for itself in the first battery you don t have to replace.
 2) charge it as soon as you get home, before you leave, and monthly during the off season.
 3) check the water in the battery
 4) Converters and TV s make lousy battery chargers, they ll get you to about 80% if your lucky.
 5) unplug the battery as soon as you get home, parasitic losses like Propane monitors can really kill a battery over a week or two.
 

[Ab Diver]

 got woody?
" If so, I guess my question is what happens if my in transit time is not long enough to replenish what ever I may have drained over a weekend of dry camping? "
 
 You just plug in your new *fully automatic* Wal-Mart battery charger, or your fancy three-stage battery charger from West Marine (make sure it s rated for " deep cycle"  batteries) and give the trailer battery a good topping off. Should be one of the first things you do after each trip. If you have a slow, steady drain on the battery from your trailer, like a propane detector, just disconnect the battery from the trailer until your next trip. If that is going to be a couple months away, consider hooking up a battery " maintainer" : It keeps the battery topped off, and won t boil off the electrolyte.
 
 Not good to let the battery sit for a while after it s been drained of power. Reduces it s life considerably.

[got woody?]

 got woody?
thanks for the replies and not making me feel like I should already know this stuff.  The friendliness and vast knowledge on this board really is a huge help to those of us who have never towed a thing in our life!
 
 Now I know I need to buy a charger.
 
 OK, now to dig a little deeper, I will be getting a 3way fridge in whatever camper I eventually buy, and want to run that in transit.  Anything I need to do extra if the TV comes with a 7 pin port standard (Trailblazer EXT is probably going to be my tow vehicle)

[tlhdoc]

 got woody?
First don t run the fridge on propane when towing.  There could be an explosion.[]
 
 You will want to pre-cool the fridge before leaving home.  I plug mine in to AC the day before.  The fridge takes a while to cool down.  When towing your fridge may draw more current than the vehicle will provide.  If it does draw more current, it will start draining your battery, and you may get to the campsite with out a full charge.  If you stop along the way, turn the fridge off unless you are stopped for less than 1/2 hour.  The battery in your tow vehicle could be drained while stopped.  Have fun camping[]

[Cadeuses]

 got woody?
To learn everything you ever wanted to know about batteries and how to maintain them, click [link=http://www.phrannie.org/battery.html]HERE[/link].

[Firefyter-Emt]

 got woody?
Also. I have my site up for this very subject
 
 www.yankeetoys.org/lee/elec.htm