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Old 03-03-2018, 08:16 AM   #1
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Charging System

Hello All, we are new to MotorHoming so please forgive me for not knowing the lingo yet. We just parked our Home at friends house, no access to electricity. We would like to keep the batteries charged of course. What's the best plan? I don't think we are not equipped with a solar charging system. Do I buy one? Is this a good way to go? Please help these newbies in your world.
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Old 03-03-2018, 08:21 AM   #2
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You can get an adapter to allow you to plug into a residential outlet. This should allow you to keep the batteries charged. Camco RV Dogbone Electrical Adapter With PowerGrip Handle, 15 Amp Male to 50 Amp Female, 12-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HRHWHNW..._-0RMAbAZTZZKY
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Old 03-03-2018, 11:16 AM   #3
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I did not see what type of coach you have but you may need to adjust the charging system to let it know that you are not connected to 50A service. That way if you are only connected to a 20A service it will not try to pull too much power.

Plugging into a standard 15A/20A outlet should keep things working and charging the batteries OK.
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Old 03-03-2018, 12:08 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by DennisAC View Post
Hello All, we are new to MotorHoming so please forgive me for not knowing the lingo yet. We just parked our Home at friends house, no access to electricity. We would like to keep the batteries charged of course. What's the best plan? I don't think we are not equipped with a solar charging system. Do I buy one? Is this a good way to go? Please help these newbies in your world.
Thank You
Since you state "no access to electricity" plugging in to an extension cord does not sound like a viable option.

A solar battery charger/maintainer would be a good addition to keep the chassis batteries charged, assuming there is exposure to sunlight. I installed a 20w panel on the roof and a charge controller to maintain the chassis batteries. The system is from Zamp. In my case it is necessary to throw the battery disconnect switch as there are electronic gizmos that will draw down the batteries over time. This system does not charge the house batteries. A larger solar array would be required for that.

I know the coach will start if it has been idle for a month. It is a good practice to run the generator for an hour or so once a month and doing so provides an opportunity to fully charge the house batteries.
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Old 03-03-2018, 12:20 PM   #5
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DennisAC-

Welcome to iRV2!

Two questions:

1) What make, model and year of RV?
2) Is this storage, or do you need to use the RV while it's there?

If the answer to the second is "storage," then you should:

1) completely charge the batteries, then
2) disconnect the ground cables from the batteries

If you have an RV with a Magnum inverter, there's another step between 1) and 2).
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Old 03-03-2018, 02:05 PM   #6
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This is what they said.

" We just parked our Home at friends house, no access to electricity ".

It sounds to me like they live in it ( Home ) and there is no outlet to plug it into ( access ).

To the original poster, if you go with solar, you will need a large, 800 watts or more, solar system. That involves covering the roof of your RV.

That will only limit how much you need to run the generator for battery charging, depending on weather and location.

Living without electricity can be challenging and takes a lot of adjustment of your lifestyle.

You have a lot of learning to do. For the time being, run your generator 2 hours in the AM and 3 hours in the PM.

If your only storing it at the friends house, get 100 to 200 watts of solar and controller.
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Old 03-03-2018, 05:43 PM   #7
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If you are just storing it , make sure the batteries are fully charged , then disconnect them . They will self discharge 5% per month . You could also add solar panels to keep the house and chassis batteries charged. If the coach is being used , you might need a lot of solar.
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