Charging house battery ?

[buchanan]

Is it ok to charge the house battery with a regular battery charger ?

absolutely perfectly fine.Just don't set the rate on high,use a mid to low range amp charge and use one that sences when batterys are charged and shuts off automatically
However if your plugged in the converter usually will do this so why the need for a battery charger?

 

[chrishibbard7]

Thanks John from Detroit.  I will dig through my manuals tonight, and see what kind of converter it has. 

Well, as with many things the best answer depends.

IF you have a good, quality modern 3-stage converter.. Simply plug it in.  Turn off most everything (Use circuit breakers for most of the stuff) but leave the converter on and the batteries connected..  A good 3-stage converter is a very good battery minder.

If you have and older single stage converter, like a Magnetek.. UPGRADE, and then see above.

 

[blw2]

only problem with a batt disconnect on the newer MH is that the computer looses all its memory when disconnected and it takes a little time for it to "relearn" when reconnected. other than that they are good to use,

Elaborate please.  What is it "learning" and what does it have to "re-learn"?  I guess I'm still stuck in the days of carbs and generators.....

I installed a disconnect on my chassis battery.  I do notice that the engine takes a few seconds of turning over before starting..... but no other ill effects noticed in my short time doing it.....

 

[buchanan]

Elaborate please.  What is it "learning" and what does it have to "re-learn"?  I guess I'm still stuck in the days of carbs and generators.....

I installed a disconnect on my chassis battery.  I do notice that the engine takes a few seconds of turning over before starting..... but no other ill effects noticed in my short time doing it.....

there is nothing at all to worry about.  All will be fine.I have a 2012 unit for towing and I disconnect the battery and reconnect and it performs exactly the same as soon as you start it.I finally added a charge wire so now I don't disconnect it as resetting the clock was a bother
I disconnect my trucks battery and my Mustang  both puter controlled for  all winter and rehook in the spring and they both perform normal as  soon as there  started

 

[eaglestar]

When an engine control computer's memory is cleared (like when  you disconnect the power) it will default to operating in a kind of generic performance mode. This middle-of-the-road performance setting is similar to pre-computer engines where everything was set for a good average.  As the computer starts getting input from the various sensors it fine tunes the operation, mainly for emissions control and fuel economy (a probable oxymoron for an RV).

 

[chrishibbard7]

My buddy's 14k lb Diesel 1-ton pickup threw some codes at him and refused to start, so I lent him my ODBII reader to clear them.  After he did, his engine worked fine, and he got another 2MPG out of it. 

Sometimes the trade-off for fuel efficiency and emissions your engine's computer made, aren't the same choices you'd make.  Provided you still pass your state's emission tests, you might choose to save gas.

 

[Dakota98]

Is it ok to charge the house battery with a regular battery charger ?

Knowing how to properly Charge a deep cycle battery is much more complicated than just connecting it to any battery charger & thinking it will work !!!!!! ----- Always re-charge a deep cycle when it's reached 50%
of capacity.

Here's a web site with full "accurate" instructions.

Trojanbattery.com

Select "Technical Support"  >>> "Battery Maintenance"  The steps to charging are way down on the page.

In my opinion use a "SMART CHARGER" it will cycle the proper voltage to gain a full charge.

 

[chrishibbard7]

Holy cow, that's crazy-complicated!  I just read my house-power unit is a Paralax 7300, and it shrinks down the charge to "only a few hundred milliamps" after a while.

Knowing how to properly Charge a deep cycle battery is much more complicated than just connecting it to any battery charger & thinking it will work !!!!!! ----- Always re-charge a deep cycle when it's reached 50%
of capacity.
Here's a web site with full "accurate" instructions.
Trojanbattery.com
Select "Technical Support"  >>> "Battery Maintenance"  The steps to charging are way down on the page.
In my opinion use a "SMART CHARGER" it will cycle the proper voltage to gain a full charge.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Your 7300 is what is typically called a taper charge, it starts out in acceptance mode and lets the charge taper off as the battery builds up resistance. Automatic three or four stage chargers are more effective and preserve the batteries longer.

 

[Molaker]

It's my understanding many newer automatic transmissions have a "learning mode" (probably dictated by the OBC) whereby shift points may be adjusted as well as the engine's tuning and harder shifting might be noticed after battery disconnect.  Am I correct in this?  The reason I ask is I disconnect my Mountaineer's battery when we are on long trips and when we return and reconnect it, it seems to shift hard for a while.

 

[Dakota98]

Holy cow, that's crazy-complicated!  I just read my house-power unit is a Paralax 7300, and it shrinks down the charge to "only a few hundred milliamps" after a while.

Chris,

What's important is, at what amount of voltage the Parallax starts out at when charging. If it's a multi-stage charging system it will "cycle" starting at a high volt / amp reading gradually decreasing in increments over time until the battery gets close to a full charge. It should be a low volt / amp reading near the end of a complete charge & the battery becomes "full"

My stand alone Schumacher battery charger ( not my convertor. my convertor is useless for charging my coach battery when it's low ) is a "smart" charger & it cycles the amount of volts / amps going into the battery. It will begin at about 13.2 volts and cycles gradually up to as much as 16.1 volts, then comes down & then goes back up again, over time 4-5 hours. Somewhere between 90-100% capacity it will go into a float mode @ about 2-amps & finish the charging process until  the battery reaches 100% capacity, then it shuts off.

a fully charged battery will read 13.6 volts + when at 100%

A lot of RV convertors will only trickle charge ( maintain ) a battery & that basically means if it's already fully charged or near a full charge & there isn't much of a load on it, if any.

 

[PJ Stough]

Chris,

What's important is, at what amount of voltage the Parallax starts out at when charging. If it's a multi-stage charging system it will "cycle" starting at a high volt / amp reading gradually decreasing in increments over time until the battery gets close to a full charge. It should be a low volt / amp reading near the end of a complete charge & the battery becomes "full"

My stand alone Schumacher battery charger ( not my convertor. my convertor is useless for charging my coach battery when it's low ) is a "smart" charger & it cycles the amount of volts / amps going into the battery. It will begin at about 13.2 volts and cycles gradually up to as much as 16.1 volts, then comes down & then goes back up again, over time 4-5 hours. Somewhere between 90-100% capacity it will go into a float mode @ about 2-amps & finish the charging process until  the battery reaches 100% capacity, then it shuts off.

a fully charged battery will read 13.6 volts + when at 100%

A lot of RV convertors will only trickle charge ( maintain ) a battery & that basically means if it's already fully charged or near a full charge & there isn't much of a load on it, if any.

What model Schumacher battery charger do you have?

Thanks

Paul

 

[Dakota98]

TO ALL:

Another thing I nearly forgot to mention  - - -  DUH !!!!

During the first attempt charging the battery, it will more than likely stop taking any more charge at or near 90% capacity.

STOP the charging process, shut off the charger, disconnect the charger cables from the battery & let the battery "REST" for 3-4 hours.

After 3-4 hours reconnect everything & start the entire process over again.  It will reach 100% charge in just a short time.

Also, check the water level in each cell prior to charging, making sure it covers the plates.  AFTER charging re-check once more & add distilled water if needed.

 

[Dakota98]

What model Schumacher battery charger do you have?

Thanks

Paul

Paul,

I have an old, discontinued model # WM-6000A 

The closet current model replacement would probably be the XC-103.  shop around.  Ebay, Amazon, Walmart

 

[chrishibbard7]

Thanks again, Gary!  Without swapping out my unit (P7300) I guess I'll just plug it in maybe 2 weeks/ month.  I know you're not supposed to keep them at lower than 50% charge, but I don't have a way to easily measure that (RV status panel is no help here).

Your 7300 is what is typically called a taper charge, it starts out in acceptance mode and lets the charge taper off as the battery builds up resistance. Automatic three or four stage chargers are more effective and preserve the batteries longer.

 

[Dakota98]

Thanks again, Gary!  Without swapping out my unit (P7300) I guess I'll just plug it in maybe 2 weeks/ month.  I know you're not supposed to keep them at lower than 50% charge, but I don't have a way to easily measure that (RV status panel is no help here).

Chris,

Yes, there is a simple way to keep track of the volts & know exactly where it's at, at all times. & yes, the panel is totally useless for the battery.

I have a "Volt Minder"  a small device with led readout connected to one of my interior 12V receptacles or it can be hardwired directly to the battery. It is very accurate & can even be set with an audible alarm to alert you to low volts. Mine is set at 12.3, so when the battery gets to that level, it tells me. I'm sure there are several others on the market, in fact, I know there are. If you purchase the Schumacher, the instruction manual will probably be vague as to operation. Let me know & I'll help you.

Is your coach stored at home or off site ?

 

[chrishibbard7]

Thanks Dakota!  I used to store it offsite, but now it's at my home and in an indoor garage, with hookups.  I just replaced my house battery, after running with it for 3-4 yrs near-death.  Overnights w/ no hookups got pretty cold when the furnace blower quits halfway through the night   The 7300 starts at 14V, I think, then shrinks down to 13 or 13.5V, and switched to a "few hundred milliamp trickle charge".  sounds like it's a middle-of-the road unit (came with the RV).

Chris,
Yes, there is a simple way to keep track of the volts & know exactly where it's at, at all times. & yes, the panel is totally useless for the battery.
I have a "Volt Minder"  a small device with led readout connected to one of my interior 12V receptacles or it can be hardwired directly to the battery. It is very accurate & can even be set with an audible alarm to alert you to low volts. Mine is set at 12.3, so when the battery gets to that level, it tells me. I'm sure there are several others on the market, in fact, I know there are. If you purchase the Schumacher, the instruction manual will probably be vague as to operation. Let me know & I'll help you.
Is your coach stored at home or off site ?

 

[Dakota98]

Thanks Dakota!  I used to store it offsite, but now it's at my home and in an indoor garage, with hookups.  I just replaced my house battery, after running with it for 3-4 yrs near-death.  Overnights w/ no hookups got pretty cold when the furnace blower quits halfway through the night   The 7300 starts at 14V, I think, then shrinks down to 13 or 13.5V, and switched to a "few hundred milliamp trickle charge".  sounds like it's a middle-of-the road unit (came with the RV).

Chris,

Under those storage conditions I think you will be fine. The figures you gave for the 7300, I believe are about normal for "all" on-board convertors with charging capabilities.I gather, you are running a single 12-volt, do you happen to know what the amp hours are for your new battery ? I run two 6-volts batteries at 220amp. I don't know how accurate they are, but you can get a volt meter ( easier than using a multimeter ) on Ebay for about $10 or less, plug it into one of your receptacles & check it ever so often. My "volt minder" was about $35, I've determined it to be a very good investment, along with my ATV, 18-volt drill, 19" HDTV & Blu-ray, electric tongue jack, backup camera, and custom made burglar alarm system. I have left the TT for up to two weeks + in a single camp site, so i'm not pulling it back & forth constantly. Yes, it's insured.

 

[John From Detroit]

I strongly suspect your 7300 is a 7300T.  Why? Because the 7300 is a single stage charger, it only has one output voltage.. The 7300 T is a 2 stage timed charger (T for Two) and behaves as you cited.

And it is a very low end device, not nearly as good as say a Progressive Dynamics 9200 (Which is in the "Best" category)  Strangely there are more in the "BEST" than in the "Lowest" in this field.