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Old 02-10-2012, 02:56 PM   #1
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House batteries -vs- motor battery

My MH draines the motor battery in about a week (will check and see if there is a draw on it). I know that shore power or the generator recharges the house batteries, but is there a way to also have the motor battery charged from the generator or shore power?
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Old 02-10-2012, 04:18 PM   #2
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Generator or shore power generally does not charge the engine batteries. There is a device called Trik-L-Start which LSL sells which, when connected, charges the engine batteries from shore or generator power.

You will find there are lots of parasitic loads, including your step control, which draw down your engine batteries, even when plugged in to shore power.
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Old 02-10-2012, 04:34 PM   #3
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Hi Xpoint,
Your coach make year and model would help with a recommendation. Ensure your coach is not already set up to charge the engine batteries from shore power. Some are and some are not. A shot in the dark, some choices are:
1. solar panel
2. BIRD = Bi-Directional Isolation Relay Delay Go to B.I.R.D. DIESEL > Controllers - RV Parts Express - RV Parts, RV Accessories, Recreational Vehicle, Inverter, Converter, Camping, Motorhome, 5th Wheel, Travel Trailer, RV Repair Parts and read about it.
3. There are also numerous methods to link your coach and chassis batteries others may post the details on.
4. Separate charger for the chassis battery(s)
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Old 02-10-2012, 05:01 PM   #4
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Old 02-10-2012, 09:15 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pusherman View Post
Generator or shore power generally does not charge the engine batteries. There is a device called Trik-L-Start which LSL sells which, when connected, charges the engine batteries from shore or generator power.
When are you people going to stop espousing this out of date information. The last major MH manufacturer to produce a rig that does not charge the chassis batteries from the gen/shore power (via the converter) was Winnebago, and they corrected that in 2006 by installing a battery minder.

Most (very nearly ALL) manufacturers NOw have this feature as standard. Granted, there are a lot of older rigs that do not have this capability.
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Old 02-10-2012, 09:23 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by loulong View Post
Most (very nearly ALL) manufacturers now have this feature as standard. Granted, there are a lot of older rigs that do not have this capability.
And the OP's rig is a 1994 so it's NOT "outdated" for this thread and is relevant.
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Old 02-10-2012, 09:40 PM   #7
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The 2004 Monaco La Palma does not charge the engine batteries from shore power.

I use a small trickle charger if mine gets run down, however I normally remove battery power by a switch that disconnects the engine battery completely.
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Old 02-11-2012, 04:57 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by Mr_D View Post
And the OP's rig is a 1994 so it's NOT "outdated" for this thread and is relevant.
Good to see that someone is paying attention to the thread.
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Old 02-11-2012, 07:43 AM   #9
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From what I understand, Winnebago gas chassis coaches still don't charge tthe engine batteries from shore power. The battery minder was added to the diesels but not the gas models? Perhaps a recent model Winnie owner could confirm or deny?
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Old 02-11-2012, 08:08 AM   #10
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From what I understand, Winnebago gas chassis coaches still don't charge tthe engine batteries from shore power. The battery minder was added to the diesels but not the gas models? Perhaps a recent model Winnie owner could confirm or deny?
Yes, the Trik-L-Start was added to the Winnebago diesels beginning in 2006 from the factory. No, I don't think they're installed on the newer gas chassis's, unless this is a recent change in the last couple years.

Since the majority of us drive coaches 5+ years old or more, and there are more gas coaches out there than diesels, the information is completeley relevant to the broader population of motorhome owners, and especially to the OP.
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Old 02-11-2012, 11:22 AM   #11
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Has anyone added a Trik L Start to their gas coach? How does work for you and how hard was it to hook up?
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Old 02-12-2012, 06:55 AM   #12
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They work great and are generally very easy to hook up, depending on the specific location of the house and engine batteries. Basically just need to run a pair of wires between the two battery banks, so if they are in the same compartment it is usually easy.
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Old 02-12-2012, 10:52 AM   #13
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Winnebago installs "Automatic dual-battery charge control" on gas motor homes. It appears that they started in 2009.
It is not listed in 2008 model year brochures.

I have a 2004 and use a BatteryMinder Plus to keep the engine battery charged when connected to shore power.
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Old 02-18-2012, 06:12 PM   #14
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After I purchased my 1995 Monaco Dynasty, I determined to have your same problem, that the chassis battery would only get charged when the main engine was running. I did some research and found that Monaco befan to install these as a standard feature in 1996. This involves the addition of an electrical device made by Lambert Enterprise would allow the chassis battery to be charged whenever the Coach battery was being charged. This was a Lambert model LE-415 module and was a relative simple device and very easy to install. I do not know if these are still manufactured, but the Lambert phone number is 919-402-0900.

You can find a copy of the device and installation instructions on the Internet, as I checked it out today.

Hope this helps and good luck in your ventures.

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