Well, we finally got to try out the new to us camper this weekend. It was a blast. When I bought the camper the previous owner told me the battery may be bad. So I got to work on it and found that it had been over charging. It seems that the power converter in the camper puts out a direct 20 amp charge to the battery when the power is connected. The battery was cooked so I replaced it . I had to replace a broken fuse holder and added a switch to be able to turn the power off the battery when not in use. Don't know how to post pics but I have one that shows how I done this if anyone is interested I can e-mail it to you.
I now turn the fridge on a day ahead of time to cool and then when ready to leave I change it to 12 volt and run it off the battery and the truck hook up. When we get where we are going I turn the switch off and connect the power cord to elec. and save the battery from cooking. Before we decided to leave I turned the switch back on for awhile to let the battery be fully charged for the trip home. Seems to work ok.
Now my question.. Does the power converter not ever stop sending a charge to the battery when power is connected? Hope this helps someone along the way.

interesting question.. one i would like to know also. campdoc would be good to help since he dry camps also

on our old popup, which was a 2006 the battery charged when ever hooked up to the truck.. we had to take out the fuse everytime we parked it, because the fuse would blow... we never had a problem with it over charging though.. on our new travel trailer, it is the same way, it just charges while pluged into the truck. we have the 8 pin connector, which has a wire that goes to the battery, and charges it.. i dont know if this answers your question, but thought i would throw this in ! hope this help some .

Mine charges from the truck also, but it uses a 7 pin plug. But when the power is hooked up to 120 vac. it also charges from the converter. I had to install a switch to turn off when hooked up to ac or it will continuously charge.

oh, yea i didnt know... mine is a 7 pin plug too. i accidentaly typed 8. i guess we might have the same problem then. how did you put the switch on ? my email is camper1415@charter.net if you dont mind to email me a picture when you get a chance.. thanks

e-mail sent. Let me know if you get it.

http://s99.photobucket.com/albums/l298/fisherpal2k/


I think you can get there from here. you can see it by clicking on the 2006 mods. at the top.

Need help, don't undersatnd, I hope this is a tech corner lol. I have a older model class c, It has two batteries, one to run the motor and starter and I believe the other one just runs the lights inside, It also will run the gas heater blower motor, Does it not suppose to run the electric outlets, and maybe the refrig, does it not go thur the power inverter, my refrig is all electic not gas it has been changed.Also does this second battery charge when the engine is running? Sorry to sound stupid I just don't understand can anyone help straighten my out THANKS

you can also post your question on the ask a dealer since Rick normally will find out for you. Give him time to answer since he is selling rvs and getting them moved for the rv show in Knoxville this weekend

Wildaboutcamping, if the outlets are 120V you will have to be hooked up to shore power for them to work. I think the inverter changes 120V to 12V, not the other way around. If the refrig has been replaced by an all electric, if it will switch between 120V and 12V there should be a switch visible to switch it back and forth. As far as the vehicle charging the extra battery, I don't know, more are charged by the inverter when hooked up to shore power. There should be a manuel on it and if not try looking the vehicle up online and see if you can find any documentation about it.

Thanks for all info

You are correct, you should have 2 batteries; one for the coach itself and one for the 12 volt system inside (lights, water pump, furnace fan, etc.). You should have a converter, which converts 120 volts AC to 12 volts DC and charges the battery. You may or may not have an inverter, which does the opposite (12 volts DC to 120 volts AC). An inverter would be used, for example, to power a coffee maker when you are not hooked up to shore power. As far as the fridge goes, almost any fridge will drain a battery very quickly. Also, in order to provide power to an electric fridge, you would need an inverter, hooked up to the battery. Finally, the vehicle's alternator should charge the house battery, but if it's an older coach (or if the original electrical system has been modified), it may not. Hope this helps!