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10-27-2014, 05:54 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,345
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Winter Charging
Hopefully someone can give me the straight scoop on charging my batteries during the winter. We have a 2001 31W Bounder. It has the normal 12 V chassis battery and 2 6V house batteries. My question revolves around the house and chassis switches inside the MH. If I shut those both off and have the MH plugged in will it charge my batteries? My reasoning for shutting the switches into the off position is because the LP detector does not have a shut off on it so it will constantly be drawing on the system if the batteries are left on. Since it will sit for a minimum of five months, and probably more, I hate to have the batteries run down because of the LP detector.
Any thoughtful advice would be most appreciated.
__________________
Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club
2009 Fleetwood Bounder 35H
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10-27-2014, 06:01 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Newcastle West, Ireland
Posts: 396
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LSC9901
Hopefully someone can give me the straight scoop on charging my batteries during the winter. We have a 2001 31W Bounder. It has the normal 12 V chassis battery and 2 6V house batteries. My question revolves around the house and chassis switches inside the MH. If I shut those both off and have the MH plugged in will it charge my batteries? My reasoning for shutting the switches into the off position is because the LP detector does not have a shut off on it so it will constantly be drawing on the system if the batteries are left on. Since it will sit for a minimum of five months, and probably more, I hate to have the batteries run down because of the LP detector.
Any thoughtful advice would be most appreciated.
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On my unit both the house and chassis bats are charged with both switched to the off position and I just checked them today, perfect!
__________________
'98 Southwind 34L, too many cameras, old hat, young heart.
May the light be with you.
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10-27-2014, 06:14 PM
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#3
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Community Moderator
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 6,198
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I think to be 100% sure, you need to take a digital voltmeter and measure the voltage at the batteries with the switches off and the coach plugged in.....that's the only way to be sure. If they are getting a charge you will read 13.2 volts or higher...if not, then turn the battery switches on and then check again.
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10-27-2014, 06:55 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: SW, Michigan
Posts: 629
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IF you will have the MH plugged into 110v while stored why would you want the LP detector turned off? It wont run down your batteries.
If my MH had AC power and there is an LP leak I certainly would want to know. I want all the safety devices operating.
__________________
2010 Allegro RED 36 QSA
GMC Envoy 4x4
SW Michigan to Alaska in 2015
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10-28-2014, 08:03 AM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Newcastle West, Ireland
Posts: 396
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Quote:
Originally Posted by okgc
IF you will have the MH plugged into 110v while stored why would you want the LP detector turned off? It wont run down your batteries.
If my MH had AC power and there is an LP leak I certainly would want to know. I want all the safety devices operating.
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I always close my tank valve when stored and do not rely solely on the solenoid valve and therefore no leaks and no detector turned on. If the tank itself leaks the detector will not see that as the tank is outside.
Actually in my system the detector keeps the solenoid open unless a leak is detected and so when parked it keeps the solenoid energized unless power is cut to the LPG/CO detector.
__________________
'98 Southwind 34L, too many cameras, old hat, young heart.
May the light be with you.
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10-28-2014, 08:42 AM
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#6
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Senior Member
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,345
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Quote:
Originally Posted by okgc
IF you will have the MH plugged into 110v while stored why would you want the LP detector turned off? It wont run down your batteries.
If my MH had AC power and there is an LP leak I certainly would want to know. I want all the safety devices operating.
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As I now know with the power plugged in but the switches in the off position, there is power to the detector along with the entire vehicle. It seems that you can only kill the power when you are NOT connected to shore power. This will work just fine for me. My plan is to power up the vehicle once a week just to insure that when spring arrives I can just get in and it should fire right up and the batteries will be fully charged.
I also close the valve at the LP tank to reduce the chance of any leaks. For me that only makes sense .... But that's just me.
__________________
Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club
2009 Fleetwood Bounder 35H
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10-28-2014, 11:09 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Spokane, WA
Posts: 698
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I have two switches, AUX and MAIN. When I turn them off there is no power to the coach even if it's plugged in and the propane is also turned off. I usually let the coach sit in storage for a few weeks at a time and then turn the juice back on for 24 hours and then turn the switches off again. The time in between the on/off depends on how cold it is inside the shop. It's not a heated shop so if it's freezing I'll let it sit without electricity for only a few days and then turn the switches back on. I do this so I don't boil the water out of the batteries over 5 months of storage.
__________________
02 Fleetwood Discovery 37U, 330 Cat pulling a 2006 diesel Liberty..or..2011 4dr Wrangler..or..20' Lund Salmon/Halibut Hunter
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10-28-2014, 12:08 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,345
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I will be checking this once more before I close it up for good. There may be a difference in our units also. I am an '01 gasser. Not sure if that makes a difference. My other situation is that I cover my MH so getting in and out of it isn't an ordeal I want to go through on a weekly basis. If I can just turn on a breaker in my stick & brick home and let it charge for a few hours I'll be a (2015) happy camper.
__________________
Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club
2009 Fleetwood Bounder 35H
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10-28-2014, 01:13 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Kennewick, Washington
Posts: 413
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Instead of flipping a breaker, why not get a HD timer that can be programmed for days of the week and let this happen automatically?
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10-28-2014, 01:25 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 1,345
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I am connected to a 30 AMP service outside my garage. The breaker is in my garage next to my car. Very convenient for me to turn it on at a predetermined time and shut it off at a predetermined time. Not sure they make timers for a 30 AMP service and even if they did it would mean that it would not be under cover. Your idea is great but the implementation just doesn't seem plausible for me.
__________________
Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club
2009 Fleetwood Bounder 35H
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10-29-2014, 08:10 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Kennewick, Washington
Posts: 413
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Since the only user of power would be the converter, I would run a #12 or #14 20 amp extension cord to the MH, and use an adapter to the 30 amp shore power cord.
Flipping a breaker seems easy enough, but I was doing the with a folding trailer we once had. Forgot to turn it off once for about 2 months. Battery water levels were good, but it had an unregulated converter in it, and it cooked the battery. Did not realize it until our first trip of the season. Seem to work OK for the 4 days we were dry camped, but when we got hooked-up and left, we stopped to wait for another party and shut off the T.V. When they caught-up an went by, our TV would not start. In just a little while, the battery in the T.V. would not even cause the starter solenoid to click. Found the plug for the trailer was very warm, and so was the battery in the trailer. Disconnected the trailer battery, and got a jump from a city truck what went by. The cooked Trailer battery completely drained the truck battery in a very short time. Sometimes lessons are learned the hard way.
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