Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 03-23-2005, 04:13 AM   #21
Winnie-Wise
 
The Shadow's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Southern Ontario/Palmetto FL
Posts: 354
Yes, do take it off. A friend didn't last year and his melted. When experiencing house battery problems in early February I talked to Trojan a couple of times. One of their tech guys said they don't think running a line from house to chassis is a good idea and don't recommend it.

I suspect it is OK with the Echo Charger and it was likely developed to solve the problems that concern Trojan.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by wagonmaster2:
Have the same problem with 2004 Meridian. Read on another post the other day, use a heavy gauge wire with alligator clip on each end and connect a positive post on the engine battery to a positive post on the coach battery. This is supposed to keep the engine batteries up with the converter/inverter charger while plugged into shore power. It said to be sure the wire is disconnected before starting the engine or it will fry the wire. Not sure it will actually work but may try it when I get some heavy clips and wire.
Wagonmaster2
2004 Meridian </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
__________________
2011 Itasca Impulse 26QP Silver, 2014 Jeep Cherokee Limited V6 Active Drive II
The Shadow is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-23-2005, 05:10 AM   #22
Winnie-Wise
 
Cruzer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Sheboygan, WI
Posts: 306
I ran a BatteryMinder on my Suncruiser and had it hard wired in. On my Bus I did the same thing. It's now automatic and I don't have to pay any attention to it.

First, the BatteryMinder comes with a 120 VAC cord as well as a 12 VDC cord. The 12 volt cord has a quick disconnect coupling and a pair of leads. One lead is wire terminals for hard wiring into a system and the other is a pair of alligator clips for portable use. If you do connect the Battery Minder with the hard wired terminals the BatteryMinder will create a small drain on the batteries if you unplug the AC power cord. So, you need to unplug the DC cord when you unplug the AC cord to keep your batteries from draining down when parked without shore power.

I installed an AC outlet in my basement storage compartment that was hooked up to a non-inverter fed circuit. I then plug the BatteryMinder into this outlet. Now, whenever I plug into shore power, the BatteryMinder goes active. When driving down the road or boondocking, it is not active (nor is it needed).

I connected the two leads of the hard wired terminal cord. One went to ground and the other went to the most easily accessible chassis battery power connection point, which in my case was to the chassis side of the nearby battery isolator solenoid.

If you leave the cord plugged in all the time you'll drain your batteries down when not plugged in but this won't happen for at least a week. However, I then installed a relay with a 120 VAC coil that went active when the shore power was present and dead when the shore power was gone. The hot lead of the BatteryMinder then ran through the normally-open relay contacts before going to the isolator solenoid. Now I have fully automatic disconnect of the BatteryMinder, both AC and DC sides, and I never have to give it a second thought.

Just a note - you can leave the BatteryMinder on forever. It won't overcook your batteries and the pulse charging technology is actually good for your batteries and keeps them from sulfating.
__________________
Mark & Leann Quasius
2016 Cornerstone 45A
2007 Allegro Bus 42QRP (Sold)
2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited - Rubicon
Cruzer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-23-2005, 05:21 AM   #23
Winnebago Master
 
smlranger's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Glen Allen, VA
Posts: 2,169
Everyone must be wanting the battery minder....I ordered one from CW 3 weeks ago...they are on back-order.
__________________
'07 Country Coach Allure 470 Siskiyou Summit #31578, Cummins ISL 425; 2014 Ford F150 toad; Air Force One Toad Brake.
Glen Allen, VA; Smith Mountain Lake, VA.
smlranger is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-23-2005, 11:29 AM   #24
Winnie-Wise
 
Cruzer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Sheboygan, WI
Posts: 306
That's because the entire world is monitoring IRV2, the ultimate source for accurate information (well maybe just one or two opinions ) about anything and everything in the RV industry. We should probably stop posting for a while until BatteryMinder can get caught up on their backlog.
__________________
Mark & Leann Quasius
2016 Cornerstone 45A
2007 Allegro Bus 42QRP (Sold)
2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited - Rubicon
Cruzer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-23-2005, 11:49 AM   #25
Winnebago Camper
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 41
I had the same thing on my 04 Journey and La Mesa RV told me that they had a number of these complaints and believed it was a bad batch of batteries that Freightliner used. They took the coach to Freightliner where they tested them and replaced them last week under warranty.
__________________
2004 Journey 39K

22ft TPD Trailer
Slowdragon is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-02-2005, 02:27 PM   #26
Winnebago Owner
 
JudyandJim's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Fulltiming in AZ and CA
Posts: 64
We got a Battery Minder at CW and I had it installed when we got the new engine battery last week. They connected to the batteries with those little rings that go around the posts (sorry... girl language).. and then ran the AC cord into the storage bin that has the outside entertainment center (right next to where the battery is). I used a flat extension cord to connect to the control unit... doesn't keep the compartment door from closing and locking.

This was a simple fix compared to some of the wiring I have read above.... hopefully it works and solves our problem...

In talking with the WH service tech, he said that the battery just won't last more than a year with our type of usage.... drive a few hundred miles, then park for a month during the summer months and then parked and hooked up all winter with only short trips once in a while. We bought a new battery from him last May, and he replaced it with a new one now at no charge. So, 2 batteries in 18 months. Our original and the new one last year only lasted about 6 months each..... Let's see how long it lasts now.
__________________
Click on the link to see our new Snowbird Home....

Our homes on the road
JudyandJim is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-02-2005, 02:33 PM   #27
iRV2 Marketing
 
DriVer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: Conway, SC
Posts: 886
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by smlranger:
Everyone must be wanting the battery minder....I ordered one from CW 3 weeks ago...they are on back-order. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Did you try RV Upgrades?
__________________
03 Adventurer 38G, Workhorse W22
F&R Track Bars, Safety+ , Ultrapower, Taylor Extremes, SGII
TST 507, Blue Ox, SMI, Koni FSD, CrossFire
RV/MH Hall of Fame - Lifetime Member
DriVer is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
House batteries losing charge quickly Ramzfan Electrical | Charging, Solar and Electronics 18 10-30-2014 05:54 PM
Water tank keeps filling, even when value is closed Phelpo Plumbing | Systems and Fixtures 17 03-28-2013 12:57 PM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Winnebago Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 11:11 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.