Charging a Motorhome vehicle battery while parked up

Geoff · Member

Charging a Motorhome vehicle battery while parked up

Blue · Senior Member

isn't there a charger installed already if you have a battery set up?

if not... use an electronic smart charger that will condition your batteries while charging so that they last longer..

2foot6 · Senior Member

Geoff,if you are there for a few weeks your battery should be OK.I use a CETECK 5 amp charger to top up the batteries after a few weeks of non use(Approx $100),

fitting a charger wouldn't do any harm though.....Peter

2foot6 · Senior Member

isn't there a charger installed already if you have a battery set up?

if not... use an electronic smart charger that will condition your batteries while charging so that they last longer.. I'm not sure about other motor homes ,but the Jayco Optimum does not charge the cranking battery from the 240 charger. Peter.

oldtrack123 · Guru

Geoff wrote:
I'm wondering whether I should wire a battery charger directly onto the vehicle battery of my Fiat Ducato (Jayco Optimum) to be plugged into the mains when parked in a Caravan Park for a few days. I recently replaced the battery which was 3.5 years old, so I am looking at doing this for a brand new battery. If so, any advice on the type/quality of charger required?

-- Edited by Geoff on Wednesday 3rd of September 2014 08:08:23 PM

HI Geoff

My reading of your post is that you are concerned about the vehicle "cranking battery" not the house batterries

The vehicle battery should not be a problem, as long as you are not using it for anything [radio ,lights etc]

But you certainly need a charger for topping up the Crank battery from time to time when the van is not in use

Any multi stage charger that suits your battery type would be ok

PeterQ

-- Edited by oldtrack123 on Wednesday 3rd of September 2014 10:17:15 PM

Geoff · Member

Thanks for that - I seem to have my 'definitions' wrong! I thought I had two separate battery systems - vehicle and house. I was referring to the vehicle, as in cranking. The house batteries are charged by a 30amp charger from the mains. Glad we sorted that out anyway!

Geoff · Member

Yeah, there is a charger installed for what I call the house batteries - I was wondering if I should have one for the truck (cranking) battery! Thanks anyway - it's all clear now!

Geoff · Member

2foot6 wrote:
Geoff,if you are there for a few weeks your battery should be OK.I use a CETECK 5 amp charger to top up the batteries after a few weeks of non use(Approx $100),
fitting a charger wouldn't do any harm though.....Peter

Thanks Peter - think I'll do that.

dragonfly1 · Senior Member

Your starting battery should also charge through your house battery charger .We have a sunliner and that's how it works

I am sure your jayco will be the same

Dragonfly1

oldtrack123 · Guru

dragonfly1 wrote:
Your starting battery should also charge through your house battery charger .We have a sunliner and that's how it works
I am sure your jayco will be the same
Dragonfly1

HI

That is not the usual setup

Perhaps you could explain more???

The House batteries can be charged via the vehicle alternator & automatically isolated when the engine is not running ,bit not the reverse.

That is the usual set up

PeterQ

dragonfly1 · Senior Member

Oldtrack

I am no expert on this but I think it is because the sunliner has 2battery isolators and a voltage sensitive relay

As you say they both charge from the engine but they both charge from the battery charger also

Recently I had to replace the starter battery because it had a crook cell and while I had the charger operating on 240 volts

it was boiling over and putting acid over the garage floor the fiat battery has a overflow tube in it

Dragonfly1

Vanderee · Senior Member

I learned the hard way about battery chargers, and destroyed two good DC HD house calcium batteries due to

over charging, from the on board battery charger in the motor home. I now use a small 240 volts smart battery charger/maintainer

at about 5 amps. I was also told that the Smart chargers are different for the battery type. (Wet cell, calcium etc),but

mates of mine use the standard wet cell charger and they reckon there is no difference.

Anyone know the price of the charger with the de-calsify feature built in ?

I am not clued up on that issue, appreciate some tech advice.Thanks.

SnowT · Guru

Look If you want to have a charger which you can plug in as a means of keeping the Start Battery at full charge..

- the CTek charger are Good..

I have linked the charger that I have Plugged in Permanently in to the battery that I use for the 12v side of All the Bus's system's. I have a 24v main Bus system and Do NOT run any 12v system off it[via a 24v>12v transformer]..

The Ctek is powered off my MH House Battery system and is on 24/7.. No I don't have any issue of the house batteries going Flat I have PLENTY of Solar/Batteries to Recharge them.. [See my Build to find out why]

The Ctek charger comes with a set of leads that you can have connected on a permanent basis as they have a disconnect Plug on them..

Juergen