2023 Micro Minnie 2100BH DC2DC Charger For Lithium Upgrade?

[scut85]

hi there I am still confuse, I know is highly recommended to install a DC – DC charger
I have a Durango rt town and go do I still need to install a dc-dc charger for a 100amp lifepo4 I currently have a 2023 micro Minnie 2100bh

 

[creativepart]

We'll a Dc to DC Charger is great for SOME installations, but only some of them. It's not a universal requirement. You will see all kinds of opinions on this topic.

Here's why you don't need a D2D charger:
1. Your 2023 Micro Minnie 2100BH probably has a little bit of solar panels and these will charge your battery - some, a little - while you are driving.
2. Your Tow Vehicle will also charge your battery - some, a little - while you are driving.
3. Lithium batteries charge so much faster than Lead Acid that it won't be as difficult to recharge the LFP battery.
4. One 100 amp hour battery is not a lot of power so you won't be expecting to use it for large tasks. If you had a larger battery bank, capable of doing more things, you'd no doubt take advantage of that and use up the amps you had available. That would increase your need for auxiliary charging when driving between camping areas.

So, no, my opinion is that you do not need to get a D2D charger just because other people with other RVs find that they need such a charger.

What you do most definitely do need is a portable, quiet generator of at least 1000w to be able to recharge that 100ah battery whenever it gets low. NOTE: If you want to run your A/C via generator you need at least 2500-2800w of generator power.

 

[scut85]

Thank you for your time, I guess I really don’t need it unless I decide to really go off grid

 

[Morich]

I had not thought too much about problems with adding lithium on trailers as charging is different than motorhomes.
As I understand the main issue on motorhomes that have parts to connect the tow vehicle alternator to the coach batteries is one of possibly overheating the alternator. Lithium can take a much quicker charge than lead acid, so if we just conenct lithum to the normal alternaotr, the lithium can take too much current for too long as they are connected while we drive, by OEM design.
But in a trailer situation, you have a different situation and can make different arrangements depending on how you want the lithium charged. If you make the connections from the tow hitch connection to charge the trailer batteries from the tow, then you have to deal with not overloading the alternator with too much current flowing for too long! It's a gradual process and takes some time but it is also hard to say how much, how long, for how much damage?? One thing that limits the damage prospects is the wire size from front of tow vehicle to trailer hitch as they are often not large enough to carry a really large load. They may melt down before the alternator overheats but that is kind of a guessing game!
But if you don't make any connections or plans to charge the trailer as you drive and it is not connected to the alternator, no problem overheating it!
Normally the traier items like lights, turn signals, brakes are all powered from the tow vehicle and no problem as they are not connected to the lithium feeding the other parts of the trailer like inside lights, etc.
On trailers the parts that work when the tether is unplugged are one group while the parts that work when plugged to tow are a different group and they don't connect until we make some provisions for doing that!

But that often gets back to how you want to get the trailer batteries recharged!

 

[creativepart]

One thing that limits the damage prospects is the wire size from front of tow vehicle to trailer hitch as they are often not large enough to carry a really large load.

No guessing required. Lots of folks have tested, and demonstrated with real world experience, that the charge current provided by a tow vehicle's alternator through the 7-pin is extremely limited due to wire gauge and distance from the alternator. As such there is virtually zero risk to the alternator - however, that also means there is very little charging benefit, as well.

Travel Trailer owners worried about charging while driving generally would use a DC to DC charger. But again, in real world use this is not super helpful.

If you dry camp somewhere, massively deplete your battery, then pack up and head to another campground a few hundred miles away and do that every day then sure, you'd see a big benefit from tow vehicle charging. But, that's not really how most people camp/boondock. So, going to the trouble of using a DC to DC charger with your travel trailer is not all that helpful.

 

[scut85]

Is anyway that the charging that come from the town vehicle can be disconnected so for shore I know nothing will happen to my wire or alternator I really don’t need my truck to charge my battery I really dont dry camp I always have water and electricity available and if I don’t I have a generator

 

[scut85]

I want to replace my battery with lifepo4 150 amp group 31, i only need it to keep my fridge, light and pump in travel day for the long hr drive

 

[creativepart]

There is no way to remove the Tow Vehicle charge line without you coming up with your own disconnect modification. But you do not need to worry. I know that that possibility was suggested above but it truly is not a concern for your travel trailer and the lithium upgrade you've planned.

Here's what Google says about this topic:

Yes, your pickup truck provides a charge to your travel trailer while driving through the 7-way plug
, but it is not a high-volume charge. It acts more as a trickle charger or a maintenance charge to keep the battery topped up, rather than a fast charger designed to recharge a completely dead battery quickly.

 

[klook]

In all reality, it is there to keep the battery for the breakaway switch charged up. And that does not take much.
Even with a larger battery, it is insurance.