Battery charging question

[jerdog]

Please pardon my ignorance on this... When plugged in to shore power or a generator, does that charge the battery or does the battery need to be charged with a battery charger?

[wags999]

Typically when your unit is connected to 120v power, your batteries are charging.

[jerdog]

Originally Posted by wags999

Typically when your unit is connected to 120v power, your batteries are charging.

Thanks, that's what I thought. So when boondocking about how long typically should a generator be run to bring the batteries up?

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by jerdog

Thanks, that's what I thought. So when boondocking about how long typically should a generator be run to bring the batteries up?

That depends on a number of factors. Foremost would be, how low were/are your batteries in the morning?

There are several folks on this site that pretty much have batteries/boondocking/generators/solar down to a science. If you search, you'll probably find many topics with helpful information. From what I recall reading here, a generator would have to run a couple of hours in the morning and a couple in the afternoon to charge the batteries enough for another evening.

[jerdog]

Originally Posted by oldmanAZ

That depends on a number of factors. Foremost would be, how low were/are your batteries in the morning?

There are several folks on this site that pretty much have batteries/boondocking/generators/solar down to a science. If you search, you'll probably find many topics with helpful information. From what I recall reading here, a generator would have to run a couple of hours in the morning and a couple in the afternoon to charge the batteries enough for another evening.

Thanks for the advice. Most likely the only thing we'd use at night are just a few lights for short periods, since we are former tent campers and use electricity very sparingly. I know there is a LOT of info out there, so much that it's a little confusing.

[wags999]

Originally Posted by jerdog

Thanks, that's what I thought. So when boondocking about how long typically should a generator be run to bring the batteries up?

You would charge faster with a batter charger plugged into your generator, rather than use the trickle charger in your rig. I would guess maybe a few hours, depending on how low the batteries are..

[Mustang65]

What year and model is your TT?
Don

[jerdog]

Originally Posted by Mustang65

What year and model is your TT?
Don

It's a 2001 Kiwi 17A.

[Mustang65]

Originally Posted by jerdog

It's a 2001 Kiwi 17A.

I just looked up the little documentation that I could find regarding the type of battery charging capabilities your TT has and it just gives a generalization:

Heat, Power and Water

• Twin 20 lb. LP-gas tanks with auto regulator mounted on frame
• Pre-wired for air conditioning
• 30-amp high efficiency electronic converter
• 28 ft. 30-amp power cord
• Auto-ignition furnace with thermostat
• Pre-wired for air conditioning
• Shurflo demand water pump
• 6-gallon gas water heater
• Monitor panel
• TV antenna w/cable hook-up

My suggestion with only this much information on your TT's battery charging capabilities is to compare the output of your generator's 12 VDC charging capacity to the above TT's unit's output.

Odds are that the TT's unit will give you a higher amp output than the generator's 12VDC output.

Personally, I would plug the TT's shore power plug into the generator and let the TT's electronics charge the batteries. The TT's system will give you a smooth voltage opposed to most generators that their 12VDC output fluctuates with the rpm of the generators motor.

See if you can find the specs to your TT's battery charge controller. I know that it is not going to be as good as the current models, but it will be better than a straight generator connection to the battery.

Just my thoughts,

Don

[jerdog]

Originally Posted by Mustang65

I just looked up the little documentation that I could find regarding the type of battery charging capabilities your TT has and it just gives a generalization:

Heat, Power and Water

• Twin 20 lb. LP-gas tanks with auto regulator mounted on frame
• Pre-wired for air conditioning
• 30-amp high efficiency electronic converter
• 28 ft. 30-amp power cord
• Auto-ignition furnace with thermostat
• Pre-wired for air conditioning
• Shurflo demand water pump
• 6-gallon gas water heater
• Monitor panel
• TV antenna w/cable hook-up

My suggestion with only this much information on your TT's battery charging capabilities is to compare the output of your generator's 12 VDC charging capacity to the above TT's unit's output.

Odds are that the TT's unit will give you a higher amp output than the generator's 12VDC output.

Personally, I would plug the TT's shore power plug into the generator and let the TT's electronics charge the batteries. The TT's system will give you a smooth voltage opposed to most generators that their 12VDC output fluctuates with the rpm of the generators motor.

See if you can find the specs to your TT's battery charge controller. I know that it is not going to be as good as the current models, but it will be better than a straight generator connection to the battery.

Just my thoughts,

Don

Thanks for the info. We had to have a new converter/inverter installed after we bought the trailer since it had been sitting unused for over 7 years.

[troutslayer]

LED lights will also help reduce your energy consumption. You can get them pretty cheap on EBay and other places. BTW, there are no ignorant questions here. I can attest to that

[jerdog]

Originally Posted by troutslayer

LED lights will also help reduce your energy consumption. You can get them pretty cheap on EBay and other places. BTW, there are no ignorant questions here. I can attest to that

Oh yeah, forgot to mention, got LED lights to replace all the interior lights. Fortunately, this little trailer only needed 8. Got them from M4 Products whom I heard about on this forum.