Charging chassis battery

georgelesley · 01-01-2017, 10:06 AM

I just found out thanks to this forum that our 2014 Itasca has a factory installed trik-l-start installed to keep the chassis battery charged while plugged in. I wonder if that would be keep the chassis battery charged when stored and I have the coach battery on a trickle charger without having the chassis battery hooked up to a trickle charger?

I have been hooking both to a trickle charger when stored and that works fine, but only using one charger would be a bit easier.

Would the master chassis on/off switch need to be on? I assume the trick-l-start is probably wired to the battery isolator since I do not see it anywhere in the battery compartment. The rv is not plugged in when stored hence the trickle chargers are used.

BTW I had planned to put one on myself but obviously do not need it. I have a new one anybody can have for postage only. PM me.

Woodchopper · 01-01-2017, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by georgelesley

I just found out thanks to this forum that our 2014 Itasca has a factory installed trik-l-start installed to keep the chassis battery charged while plugged in. I wonder if that would be keep the chassis battery charged when stored and I have the coach battery on a trickle charger without having the chassis battery hooked up to a trickle charger?
I have been hooking both to a trickle charger when stored and that works fine, but only using one charger would be a bit easier.
Would the master chassis on/off switch need to be on? I assume the trick-l-start is probably wired to the battery isolator since I do not see it anywhere in the battery compartment. The rv is not plugged in when stored hence the trickle chargers are used.
BTW I had planned to put one on myself but obviously do not need it. I have a new one anybody can have for postage only. PM me.

georgelesley
Since you are using trickle chargers I assume you have 120V power available?

If you do.. and and if you have a Trik-L-Start... the charge of both the house batteries and the chassis batteries will be maintained automatically by your on-board inverter/charger charger if you simply keep the coach power cord plugged in...(no trickle chargers needed).
(My 21 year old coach has been plugged into a 15A garage receptacle 24/7 for 5-6 months each winter).

BTW what do you have that "you do not need"....that "anybody can have for postage only"?

georgelesley · 01-01-2017, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Woodchopper

georgelesley
Since you are using trickle chargers I assume you have 120V power available?

If you do.. and and if you have a Trik-L-Start... the charge of both the house batteries and the chassis batteries will be maintained automatically by your on-board inverter/charger charger if you simply keep the coach power cord plugged in...(no trickle chargers needed).
(My 21 year old coach has been plugged into a 15A garage receptacle 24/7 for 5-6 months each winter).

BTW what do you have that "you do not need"....that "anybody can have for postage only"?

I understand plugging in the entire coach to 120 which is available would work. However, Winnebago specifically advises against leaving it plugged in for long periods of storage. I also prefer not to as I don't want all the sensors, circuit boards, etc on needlessly. Pulling fuses and breakers to prevent this is something I do not want to do.

I have a new, unused trik-l-start I do not need and have had it too long to send back even if I could remember where I got it.

UFO Pilot · 01-01-2017, 12:57 PM

Winnebago assured me that my RV has a factory installed Trik-L-Start but i couldn't find it. I finally located it behind the metal panels in the electrical bay but I couldn't see how it was actually wired in. Yours is probably installed the same way.

I had problems keeping both batteries charged while in storage with the disconnects on or off. I had solar installed and it is wired to send 90% of the charge to the house batteries and 10% to the chassis.

cbeierl · 01-01-2017, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by georgelesley

I just found out thanks to this forum that our 2014 Itasca has a factory installed trik-l-start installed to keep the chassis battery charged while plugged in. I wonder if that would be keep the chassis battery charged when stored and I have the coach battery on a trickle charger without having the chassis battery hooked up to a trickle charger?

I have been hooking both to a trickle charger when stored and that works fine, but only using one charger would be a bit easier.

Would the master chassis on/off switch need to be on? I assume the trick-l-start is probably wired to the battery isolator since I do not see it anywhere in the battery compartment. The rv is not plugged in when stored hence the trickle chargers are used.

BTW I had planned to put one on myself but obviously do not need it. I have a new one anybody can have for postage only. PM me.

You don't actually have a Trik-L-Start, but rather have a smart Battery Isolation Manager that performs that function, among others. You can see it on page 3 of the Chassis Electrical Box Assembly diagram for your coach.

I believe that this is the BIM in your coach: 00-10021-000-Battery-Isolation-Manager-RevF.pdf

georgelesley · 01-02-2017, 06:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cbeierl

You don't actually have a Trik-L-Start, but rather have a smart Battery Isolation Manager that performs that function, among others. You can see it on page 3 of the Chassis Electrical Box Assembly diagram for your coach.

I believe that this is the BIM in your coach: 00-10021-000-Battery-Isolation-Manager-RevF.pdf

Thanks so much, that is exactly what I needed. Reading the info, it appears the factory installed unit will not do anything if I put trickle chargers on both batteries. It looks like it would also keep both charged if I only trickle charge one battery. My only concern by doing that is one small trickle charger might not have enough guts to do three batteries (I have two coach batteries, one chassis) and I don't like charging different types of batteries with one charger, so looks like I will just keep doing what I have been doing and hook a trickle charger to each battery type. Thanks again for the exact info I wanted!

Forza Tom · 01-02-2017, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by georgelesley

I understand plugging in the entire coach to 120 which is available would work. However, Winnebago specifically advises against leaving it plugged in for long periods of storage. I also prefer not to as I don't want all the sensors, circuit boards, etc on needlessly. Pulling fuses and breakers to prevent this is something I do not want to do.

I have a new, unused trik-l-start I do not need and have had it too long to send back even if I could remember where I got it.

I just usually plug in for a few days then unplug and monitor the state of charge then plug in again.

If you follow Winnebago's recommendations you would need to disconnect the batteries before hooking up to an external charger.

Nortguy · 01-05-2017, 10:15 AM

George -
I also have a 2014 33C, in Winnebago Sightseer trim.
I can't find the Battery Isolation Manager. Did you locate yours? Where is it located, physically, on the chassis?
Thanks.
Larry

cbeierl · 01-05-2017, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nortguy

George -
I also have a 2014 33C, in Winnebago Sightseer trim.
I can't find the Battery Isolation Manager. Did you locate yours? Where is it located, physically, on the chassis?
Thanks.
Larry

Page 2 of the Chassis Wiring Installation diagram for your coach shows the location of the Chassis Electrical Box which contains the BIM.

Page 3 of the Chassis Electrical Box Assembly diagram for your coach shows the location of the BIM within the box.

georgelesley · 01-05-2017, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nortguy

George -
I also have a 2014 33C, in Winnebago Sightseer trim.
I can't find the Battery Isolation Manager. Did you locate yours? Where is it located, physically, on the chassis?
Thanks.
Larry

Larry I have not looked yet, but I think it may be in a compartment on the drivers side. There are some panels marked as electrical. I suspect they might be there. I am putting 12v power outlets in the side of the step we and am wiring them directly to the batteries so that I can just plug the trickle chargers in without having to remove the step and snake a power cord into the compartment.

To provide 110v power to the chargers I have run a heavy duty contractors power cord from the propane compartment to the same side wall of the step area. Since it was easy and the small compartment at the top of it is perfect to put a power lead in. If it is something you might want more info and pic PM me and we can discuss it if interested.

The point of the whole thing is to keep me busy and also to avoid plugging in the unit all the time which WBO says not to do.