whats the best way to charge my batts?

[sandcsantacruz]

I was wondering what the best way to charge my trailer batts when dry camping.  

Can I just hook up my tv with my exsisting 7pin connector and it will charge?  OR should I make a seperate 7 pin connector with battery clips as outlined in Natashas camping site under battery charge cable?

Also if I have both batteries hooked up at the same time can I charge both of them off my tv?

[Tim5055]

I was wondering what the best way to charge my trailer batts when dry camping.  

Can I just hook up my tv with my exsisting 7pin connector and it will charge?  OR should I make a seperate 7 pin connector with battery clips as outlined in Natashas camping site under battery charge cable?

Also if I have both batteries hooked up at the same time can I charge both of them off my tv?

Steve,

I will admit that the Battery Charge Cable on my website is really just for emergency (read that the batteries are dead) use.

For regular use, consider increasing your 12v capacity by Changing a Single 12v Battery to Twin 6v Golf Cart Batteries  or at least bringing a second 12v battery.  Another choice is a small generator to run a battery charger.

[tknick]

yes, you can hook up to your TV (running of course), but I couldn't begin to tell you how long that would take to charge up.  Not to mention how much gas you would burn doing it.  I would look at the golf cart batteries previously mentioned if you are looking at doing a lot of dry camping.  You can always take the battery to the bath house and charge it up there in a pinch.  Otherwise, a generator is the way to go.

travis

[tlhdoc]

I carry a small "smart charger" in the PU so that I can charge them at the bathroom or on someone's electric site if need be.  If you are traveling Wal-Mart will charge your battery for a small fee, or free if you purchased it there.

[wavery]

Be aware that, if you charge your batteries with the TV, you will be pumping a lot of carbon monoxide into your (and others) campsite.

We had a guy next to us do that in the middle of the night one time. He almost killed us in our sleep because his exhaust pipe was right outside our bunk and immediately filled our PU with CO.  Needless to say, I was not a "Happy camper".

[tjy355]

I was wondering what the best way to charge my trailer batts when dry camping.  

Can I just hook up my tv with my exsisting 7pin connector and it will charge?  OR should I make a seperate 7 pin connector with battery clips as outlined in Natashas camping site under battery charge cable?

Also if I have both batteries hooked up at the same time can I charge both of them off my tv?

It would take hours to put any substantial charge back into your batteries thru the 7-pin harness.  In an emergency, you could use jumper cables - that would be faster, but as others have pointed out, would require you to run your TV for some period of time.

With two batteries, you should be able to last 4-5 days dry camping with a little conservation.  But if you are camping consistently for longer periods, then an efficient way to recharge should be considered and basically you have two choices:
- Solar ($$ but silent and environmentally friendly)
- Generator (consider the quiet Honda style)

Good luck!

[mbopp]

Be aware that, if you charge your batteries with the TV, you will be pumping a lot of carbon monoxide into your (and others) campsite.

We had a guy next to us do that in the middle of the night one time. He almost killed us in our sleep because his exhaust pipe was right outside our bunk and immediately filled our PU with CO.  Needless to say, I was not a "Happy camper".

And that's why the RVIA made carbon monoxide detectors mandatory - not that you gas yourself, but because your neighbors are gassing you!

[kwatson51]

This weekend was our first time dry-camping. Had some experienced friends along to see us through. Our G27 battery was fully charged whe we left the house and fully charged when we arrived at the cg. Our system charges thet battery while driving, as well as running the 12v fridge. At camp, we switched the fridge to propane and used the lights somewhat sparingly. The water pump and heater fan were the other items using the juice. Went all day, all night and half the next day before I thought to check the battery. The built-in gage read about 3/4 full.
Our camping buddies just bought a new solar array to charge his 3 batteries. He still had his old one, so he gave me that one. I hooked it up about 3 pm, and by sunset, the battery was fully charged again. From now on, no worries about electrical. I'm sold on solar! Water is a different story