Hey all,
I am in the process of gutting my 1975 Winne chieftan 27'. So much water damage I decided to strip it down to the bones. I know, I felt bad doing it.... Anyway, I am completely redoing the entire electric system. I have installed a new shore power with transfer relay. I bought a new 3 stage power max converter. I decided to move my coach batteries to the inside passenger rear by the lp tanks. Originally under driver. My question is, can I run heavy battery cables to the engine battery and the genny battery so it charges those too? Do I need some sort of isolator or relay that opens the circuit back to the converter when driving or starting the genny? Also, I am thinking of moving all unnessesary circuits that were originally wired in the front fuse panel to the new coach fuse panel. Any thoughts on which circuits should stay on the engine battery? i??
Thanks, Curtis.
You definitely want to keep the house batteries and the chassis battery isolated most of the time. You can add a relay into the system to charge one from the other but it is not good practice to leave the all together for several reasons. The main reason is you could end up with all dead batteries and no way to start the generator to charge things. The second is that you have a starting battery for the chassis and deep cycle for the house so they sometimes do not play well together.
Ah yes. Total brain fart. Thanks Rick for pointing out my oversight. I will probably just add an extra 120 outlet by the driver seat and run a trickle charger.
Ultra TRIK-L-START (http://www.lslproducts.net/TLSPage.html)
Winnebago even used them: https://winnebagoind.com/resources/service/pdfs/2006-04%20Trik-L-Start.pdf (https://winnebagoind.com/resources/service/pdfs/2006-04%20Trik-L-Start.pdf)
Yes, as Rick noted, it's best to keep chassis systems separate from coach systems. The chassis battery, being a "starting" battery is also used to start the genny in many systems. While a weak or dead "starting battery" it's not unheard of ("I forgot to turn off the running lights or headlights!), the "MOM" (MOMentary) switch, provides a "jump" or "boost", thru relay circuits to assist starting with the house bank, on the rarely needed occasions.
This means the deep-cycle coach batteries, are subject running down when traveling on-the-road or boon docking, and will require the genny to be started occasionally (or a shoreline when available). The chassis system (engine alternator/regulator) isn't suitable to properly charge deep-cycle batteries. While some DO, the house bank will instead be composed of "marine/RV" hybrid batteries,... not truly deep-cycle. I've noticed this has become more common now, for today's demand of simplicity and convenience. BTW,... that new 3-stage Power-Max is excellent for ensuring a long life and best performance from your deep-cycle coach bank.
I often run the genny while driving to top off the house bank after a night parked somewhere quiet, and/or for coach air conditioning use while on-the-road, and shutting it down at gas stops or when unneeded. I'd rather run it on a noisy highway than in a quiet camp stop, can't hear it much on the road anyway, but I have a dash indicator by my remote starter that reminds me it's on and running when I forget. Oh, and I also have an "automotive battery charger" myself, as a "back up" that HAS been handy.
You WILL want an adequate cable from your house bank to your charger/converter and house system, not only for current draw of use, but also to fully utilize the charging capacity of your Power-Max.
I like that Trick-L-Start,.... but then the guy next to me with the dead battery would be outa luck. Nice having backups that can help others too. lol!
I like these ...............
http://www.littelfuse.com/products/battery-management/battery-isolators/smart-battery-isolators.aspx (http://www.littelfuse.com/products/battery-management/battery-isolators/smart-battery-isolators.aspx)
Available in 85 amp or 200 amp
Isolates two battery systems , charges either of them as needed , fully automatic.
I'll quickly describe my setup ......... starting , ignition , lighting battery(under the hood) is isolated from the auxillary battery (also under the hood) with a 200 amp Cole Hersey smart isolator . The house batteries (2- 6 volt) are isolated from the underhood batteries with a Cole Hersey constant duty solenoid which is closed , completing the circuit , when the engine is running. I have a 130 amp alternator that I had built . I do not have a generator , I have two 150 watt solar panels on my roof to charge the house batteries when parked. My auxillary under hood battery is for my sound system /amp , the only other purpose for this battery is ,in an emergency , by using a momentary push button , I can , if needed boost my main battery if it for some reason became discharged , this is a feature built into the Cole Hersey smart isolator , the switch is purchased seperately and wired in .For now , my solar panels only charge my house batteries . I use circuit breakers to protect all of the wiring .
Thanks guys. The trickle start and little fuse are two very great options. My genny has its own battery as well, just due to proximity of the genny to engine battery. I will definitely be purchasing two of these gagets to help my charging.
Thanks again..and I will soon be posting my project.