Battery charging at campsite question

[Kaliona]

First time TT owner here. Just picked up a 2012 26RLS and want to make sure I understand how and when the batteries get charged. I know they get charged while hooked up to the tow vehicle, but what about when plugged in to shore power? Does the inverter provide a trickle charge to the batteries?
Thanks for any info.

[TCNashville]

The answer is yes and I believe it would be the converter, not the inverter that does it.

[Greg&Nancy]

Yes. When plugged in to shore power (RV park or home) the power panel will keep a trickle charge going to your battery. We keep our TT at home when not out on the road and keep it plugged into the 120v house power. Haven't had a problem doing that.

[John from Central Florida]

Don’t expect much more than a trickle charge when you’re hooked up to your tow vehicle.

[Greg&Nancy]

X2

Originally Posted by TCNashville

The answer is yes and I believe it would be the converter, not the inverter that does it.

[Mustang65]

CONGRATULATIONS on the JAYCO!!!

...and WELCOME TO JOF!!! The members here are GREAT!!! There is a lot of GREAT information to be found here. I am sure that you will have information and pictures to share with us... so please do!!

Your TT should be equipped with a battery charge controller, not an inverter, but that is not to say that your TT may have an inverter.
The Battery charge controller converts 110VAC (Shore-Power) to 12VDC. An inverter converts 12VDC (Battery voltage) to 110VAC to run your television, and other 110VAC items.


Most TT's battery charge controller will charge your battery(s) while the TT is plugged into Shore-Power. When you are traveling, and your TT is hooked up to your TV (tow vehicle), the TV will supply 12Volt current to the TT and charge the battery(s) while traveling.

So, if you do not mind, we need to verify the type of battery charge controller your TT has. If you can, open the Electrical service panel (where your AC breakers and DC fuses are located, and give us the mfr and model of your controller. We can then let you know to what extent the controller will be charging your battery(s). Some of the older controllers left a lot to be desired in the way of charging batteries.

Don

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[Kaliona]

Wow. Thanks everyone for the quick and helpful replies. My next question was going to be since I keep my trailer at home, should I plug it in to keep the batteries maintained. Greg&Nancy do what I was hoping would be ok to do by plugging in at home. I will definitely check make and model of my controller and report back. I too would like to know to what type of charge I'm getting from the controller.

[Greg&Nancy]

Yup. Kept it plugged in all winter at our WV home. No problems. Battery is performing perfectly (knock wood.. We're on a cross country trek now. Started out from WV early June now in CA headed north)

Originally Posted by Kaliona

Wow. Thanks everyone for the quick and helpful replies. My next question was going to be since I keep my trailer at home, should I plug it in to keep the batteries maintained. Greg&Nancy do what I was hoping would be ok to do by plugging in at home. I will definitely check make and model of my controller and report back. I too would like to know to what type of charge I'm getting from the controller.

[Mustang65]

Before you leave it plugged in 24/7, let's wait until you find out what type of Battery Charge Controller your TT has. We can make a decision then, as it may be the old technology controller.

Do you know if the battery is new or old?

You also need to check the water level in each of the battery cells. A word of warning, battery acid is very dangerious and can cause blindness or skin burns. BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN CHECKING THE BATTERIES WATER LEVEL
Wear old clothes as any contact with the acid will put holes in your clothes when washed.
Don


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[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by Kaliona

First time TT owner here. Just picked up a 2012 26RLS and want to make sure I understand how and when the batteries get charged. I know they get charged while hooked up to the tow vehicle, but what about when plugged in to shore power? Does the inverter provide a trickle charge to the batteries?
Thanks for any info.

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on the Jayco TT.

As others have said, yes, the converter will charge your TT battery when on shore power.

However, keep in mind that very little charging occurs when you are towing. The current flow is too little and the voltage drop too great to recharge your TT to any real degree.

On shore power, the TT converter will charge your battery. The OEM WIFO converters do a good job a trickle charging without damaging your battery, but do a poor job of quickly charging a low TT battery.

If your camping plans include camping without plugging into shore power ('boondocking'), then you'll need to investigate how much 12volt power you'll need and how can recharge your battery(s).

(Oops. I see I've just restated what Don already said. )

[Jim Davis]

Agree on keeping it plugged in. If you can't then you will want to add a battery disconnect switch to prevent it from becoming discharged from various loads ( CO detector, radio, etc ). Also every couple months check the water in the battery, only use distilled water to top it off.

[Kaliona]

Originally Posted by Mustang65

Before you leave it plugged in 24/7, let's wait until you find out what type of Battery Charge Controller your TT has. We can make a decision then, as it may be the old technology controller.

Do you know if the battery is new or old?

Don


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I think I recall seeing the date on one of the batteries (I have two in parallel) about 5 years old. They are both fully charged but I have no idea what Ah ratings they are. I will investigate and get as much info as I can on the batteries and the controller

[Kaliona]

Originally Posted by Mustang65

Before you leave it plugged in 24/7, let's wait until you find out what type of Battery Charge Controller your TT has. We can make a decision then, as it may be the old technology controller.

Do you know if the battery is new or old?

You also need to check the water level in each of the battery cells. A word of warning, battery acid is very dangerious and can cause blindness or skin burns. BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN CHECKING THE BATTERIES WATER LEVEL
Wear old clothes as any contact with the acid will put holes in your clothes when washed.
Don


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RVing with SOLAR

I have a Progressive Dynamics Inc Power Converter System PD4045KA, input 105-130 VAC, output 13.6VDC 45A, Class CTL Distribution Panelboard. I had the trailer plugged in at home for a couple days while my wife and I learned how to work everything (AC, slide out, pumps, lights, etc). Both batteries voltage measured at 12.9 volts (which surprised me because I thought fully charged should be about 12.7). What do you think Mustang65? Will my batteries be getting charged while plugged to shore power?

[Duke4857]

Originally Posted by Kaliona

First time TT owner here. Just picked up a 2012 26RLS and want to make sure I understand how and when the batteries get charged. I know they get charged while hooked up to the tow vehicle, but what about when plugged in to shore power? Does the inverter provide a trickle charge to the batteries?
Thanks for any info.

Make sure your tow rig is charging the batteries. My neighbor had to buy and instal a fuse on his 2014 Ford 150 before the pick up would charge the trailer. I make it a practice to turn the pick up engine off when I plug or unplug the TT. The old 1990 Suburban would blow the charge fuse whenever I plugged in when the truck was running.

[Mustang65]

Originally Posted by Kaliona

I have a Progressive Dynamics Inc Power Converter System PD4045KA, input 105-130 VAC, output 13.6VDC 45A, Class CTL Distribution Panelboard. I had the trailer plugged in at home for a couple days while my wife and I learned how to work everything (AC, slide out, pumps, lights, etc). Both batteries voltage measured at 12.9 volts (which surprised me because I thought fully charged should be about 12.7). What do you think Mustang65? Will my batteries be getting charged while plugged to shore power?

That is the same unit that is in my TT and it is a good one... well at least when I had it turned on 6 years ago. For the last 6 years the 4045 has been turned off as we have SOLAR. Something you may want to think about in the future.

The 4000 series unit is one of the newer generation Battery Charge controllers that have a microprocessor running the show. As long as you check the batteries water level regularly, make sure ALL the battery connections are clean and tight you should have no issues by leaving it plugged in. Also check the FRAME ground bolt that connects the batteries NEGATIVE cable to frame ground.

A fully charged 12Volt battery is 12.6 VDC, during the boost stage the voltage can be as high as 14.4ish and then the charger will FLOAT the battery around 13.2ish. Once the charger is no longer powered by shore power, the voltage will go into rest mode (if no loads), and should stay between 12.6 to 12.8VDC. My OLD interstate batteries that used to sit under my workbench (used for electronics projects) sat at 12.8 volts for months without a charge.

Documentation on the 4000 series Power Control center


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[oldmanAZ]

I didn't see anyone suggest a digital 12volt meter that plugs into a trailer's 12v port ('cigarette ligher').

I have one in my TT's 12v port all the time. It was inexpensive and lets me know at a glance the voltage at my batteries when boondocking, voltage from my converter or from my truck.

[Kozmo]

Rather than keeping mine plugged in, I use a battery disconnect when I get home. That works wonderful. The battery maintains it's charge and is not run down by the stuff that drains power in the trailer. And, Yes, you will get a good strong battery charge when plugged in whether at home or at a campground.

[Mustang65]

Originally Posted by oldmanAZ

I didn't see anyone suggest a digital 12volt meter that plugs into a trailer's 12v port ('cigarette ligher').

I have one in my TT's 12v port all the time. It was inexpensive and lets me know at a glance the voltage at my batteries when boondocking, voltage from my converter or from my truck.

oldmanAZ is right again. It is HIGHLY recommended that you monitor your battery(s), just to be safe. The one oldmanAZ uses is the easiest to install, just plug it in and it does the trick. You will notice by watching the battery voltage if something is going wrong.

I added a few pictures below. One like oldmanAZ has and the next level up model which takes a little more work installing
Don
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[Kaliona]

Originally Posted by Mustang65

That is the same unit that is in my TT and it is a good one... well at least when I had it turned on 6 years ago. For the last 6 years the 4045 has been turned off as we have SOLAR. Something you may want to think about in the future.

The 4000 series unit is one of the newer generation Battery Charge controllers that have a microprocessor running the show. As long as you check the batteries water level regularly, make sure ALL the battery connections are clean and tight you should have no issues by leaving it plugged in. Also check the FRAME ground bolt that connects the batteries NEGATIVE cable to frame ground.

A fully charged 12Volt battery is 12.6 VDC, during the boost stage the voltage can be as high as 14.4ish and then the charger will FLOAT the battery around 13.2ish. Once the charger is no longer powered by shore power, the voltage will go into rest mode (if no loads), and should stay between 12.6 to 12.8VDC. My OLD interstate batteries that used to sit under my workbench (used for electronics projects) sat at 12.8 volts for months without a charge.

Documentation on the 4000 series Power Control center


My Registry

RVing with SOLAR

Lots of helpful and informative information. Thank you Mustang and everyone else for the tips.

[Duke4857]

We have a WFCO WF-8735 in our 2016 24RKS. I think we bought it is fall of 2015. I am not sure how that will stack up against a 4000 series, but it works for us. I keep 2 12 volt interstates and 2 6 volt Trojan batteries charged. Batteries are switched with disconnects in two different banks. I never have trusted certain, "under the bench batteries." I have had too many failures with them. I have read that if one battery fails in a bank, it might take out the whole bunch. Every thing you read on the internet may not be true but, why take a chance?