dleslie, I have read all of the great information about the battries. I am still not sure if is necessary to disconnect the cables before charging.I would like to hook up a charger to our chassis batteries.
I have a Ever Start RV/Boating Charger from Wal-Mart
Thanks , poppop
Jake, I'm not disconnecting. I pull the tray out, connect the negative and positive leads, then plug in the charger, leave it out for a while in open air and then slide it back in while it finishes the charging. Looks like it goes 10 days between recharging now - drops from 12.7V to 12.2V over that period.
__________________
2011 Itasca Impulse 26QP Silver, 2014 Jeep Cherokee Limited V6 Active Drive II
Easiest way to find out what powers what is to switch off the coach batteries and then see what still works. I think the only thing that bypasses the disconnect switch is the inverter.
On mine the 2-way radio charger is powered by the coach batteries cause I see the green lights go off when I flip the disconnect switch.
Seems the step would be powered by the chassis since you would want that to retract on engine startup even if the coach batteries were off. Like you said, not a problem though.
The HWH stuff is powered off the chassis batteries, but like the step, you don't need to change anything there after you're parked.
tom, you want me to get in trouble? If I throw that switch a lot of clocks start flashing and that annoys DW.
I just charged the chassis battery. Charger starts at 10.4 and works down to 2.4 and then says full followed by float. Then I disconnect. Looks like it will go for about 10 days before it gets down to 12.2V - when I will put the charger on again for a couple of hours.
__________________
2011 Itasca Impulse 26QP Silver, 2014 Jeep Cherokee Limited V6 Active Drive II
Don....my solution to the problem I had and you are now having was to purchase a $40. Batteryminder from Camping World and hook it up to the 2 chassis batteries..For the 2 years I have had it, it keeps the chassis batteries at a constant 13.1 volts and also desulfates them. When I am done snowbirding or sitting on a site I merely disconnect it and go..It will not boil batteries. I also have one for my 3 coach batteries when it is stored next to my house....Forget about the hassle of tracking down the elec schematics etc and get a BatteryMinder....lots of satisfied users out there, see past search threads.....RKL
RKL, I debated a BM when I had my boil over in early Feb and decided to get this larger charger. I wanted to see if I could bring the boiled Trojan's back to life - and it did do a very good job on it = and it also has a diagnostic mode that is very good. I also figured it would be useful for our two tractors at home as it provides up to 10 amps and can recharge much quicker. I took it back north last month and it brought the two tractor batteries up very quickly since it is much stronger than the BM.
I've debated adding a BM as well since it is so much smaller. The other day I described to my wife how I'd connect an extension cord to the outlet in the power compartment that is used for the engine heater. Using the SmartCharger is turning out not to be a chore though and it does give me a chance to look at the diagnostics every 10 days. On the other hand the BM is small enough to keep in the battery compartment, whereas my SmartCharger is a bit too big for that. Since I have to go to CW to get a carrying bag for our Grill 2 Go, I figure I'll pick up the BM as well.
I don't need one for the coach batteries as the Dimensions 2000 Converter/Charger does a great job on them.
__________________
2011 Itasca Impulse 26QP Silver, 2014 Jeep Cherokee Limited V6 Active Drive II
Linear Mode
