Electrical Wiring on a Horizon

LK23 · 01-12-2006, 10:47 AM

I am installing a Xantrex battery charger to charge my cranking batteries with the generator. I need to wire the AC input to a 15 amp source powered by the generator. Has anyone attempted this? Is there a central location or wiring panel to tap into?

LK23 · 01-12-2006, 10:47 AM

I am installing a Xantrex battery charger to charge my cranking batteries with the generator. I need to wire the AC input to a 15 amp source powered by the generator. Has anyone attempted this? Is there a central location or wiring panel to tap into?

John_Canfield · 01-12-2006, 11:03 AM

Rex - why don't you install an Echo~Charge or one of the other products designed to 'steal' a little current from the charging house batteries?

If the genny is running and the inverter/charger is running you are charging the chassis batteries with one of the above products installed.

This would be a whole lot simpler.

rebelsbeach · 01-12-2006, 11:03 AM

John Canfield's RV Mod Pages

He'd be your closest bet....the pages show his installing an "Echo charger" to charge the starting batts from the house batts...

He also swapped out the "Demented" inverter for a Xantrex RS-2000.

Great pics,great site and a great guy

ON EDIT.....thought you were away!!

LK23 · 01-12-2006, 11:31 AM

Hey, guys I don't think an Echo-Charge will work for me. Here's my problem. My Horizon sits in storage for several months with no source of electricity. My cranking batteries keep discharging. (I am at my wits end trying to keep them charged) My only method of charging is to stop by the storage lot and run the generator for an hour once every two weeks. I need to maximize the charge for that hour. In other words, I need two chargers charging at the same time. An Echo-charge would mean I would have to spend two hours running the generator to get the same effect. Plus, I don't want the cranking batteries depleting my coach batteries.

With that said, does anyone have any experience wiring into the AC volts run off the generator.

tomsm · 01-12-2006, 12:50 PM

A couple of ideas come to mind. First, why not start the main wrap drive (diesel) engine instead of the gennie? It needs to be exercized too and it charges both banks. However, if you're sure you want the 2nd charger, look at tapping in right at the AC input to your #1 charger. By putting the 2 chargers in parallel, #2 will have power anytime #1 has power - be it from gennie or campground power. That's assuming, of course, that the AC supply to #1 is enough to support the 2nd charger.

The "right" way to do it would be to add a breaker in your main breaker box. If there's no room for another breaker, do you have a full width breaker that can be changed out for 2 "skinny" breakers? Good luck...

LK23 · 01-12-2006, 04:08 PM

tomsm,

Thanks for the suggestion. That gives me a couple of options to consider.

Joe-K · 01-13-2006, 03:27 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by LK23:
My Horizon sits in storage for several months with no source of electricity. My cranking batteries keep discharging. (I am at my wits end trying to keep them charged) </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Maybe you can eliminate the problem rather than having to mess with charging.

I had a similiar problem that I store our Journey in an underground limestone mine for the Winter, and after 6 months used to find the cranking battery dead. The second year I stored it, I talked to Freightliner and found out that most of the battery drain comes from the Engine and Transmission ECU's as well as the air brake ECU (I didn't think the brakes had a separate ECU, but will take Freightliners word for it...maybe it's part of the anti-lock)

Anyway, Freightliner indicated that those 3 major current constant current drains are fed by a common feed from the batteries. They told me that the feed is through a inline fuse put right at the batteries and that Freightliner instructs the coach builders to pull that fuse if they are going to have chassis stored for extended periods of time at the factory.

On our chassis, there is a large bundle of wires coming from the positive battery posts. One of those wires is a 12 gauge wire. It's much thinner than the heavy battery cables. Follow that wire and within a foot or so of the battery connection you'll find a weathproof inline fuse holder. You may have to cut the tiewraps bundling the cables to get the fuse holder free.

The second year of storage when I pulled that fuse the motorhome sat for 6 months again. When retrieving it in the Spring, engine cranked but slowly on the engine battery. It started with the battery boost.

If your unit only sits 2-3 months, and you pull the fuse to eliminate the battery drain, you may not have to mess with any type of charging system. At least you won't have to make as many trips over to the unit to run it.

I'll also had that even though the ECU's were disconnected and most likely had lost some of their memory or programming, I didn't notice any driveablilty issues. I'm sure the systems reprogram themselves within a trip or two.

LK23 · 01-13-2006, 05:56 AM

Joe-K

Thanks, there's another option for longer storage. Sometimes, mine is stored for one to two months, sometimes longer. I still need a charger for the shorter intervals and will consider removing the fuse for longer intervals.

Gil L. · 01-13-2006, 07:16 PM

You can switch the 10 watt solar output to the chassis side,and with some sunlight on the roof your starting batteries will stay charged. I have done this twice and it works.

Rich Bock · 01-14-2006, 02:54 AM

Interesting thread here. I would be concerned that if you pulled the fuse feeding the ECMs the memory would dump and they all would have to go through the learning mode for the first few miles. I use a slightly different method. I start my generator, put the inverter/converter on high charge mode, and connect the two battery banks by inserting a golf score card pencil (anything will work) under the emergency boost momentary rocker switch to keep it energized. 20 minutes of genny time does the trick.

Rich