penguin149
Monroeville, AL USA
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I'm not really a full-timer but I have my TT set up on a site where I leave it and use it on weekends, etc. It's hooked up to shore power all the time. I know this isn't good for the battery. It's time to replace the old battery, which needs water fairly often. I know I'm cooking the battery leaving it plugged in all the time. What should I do to make this new battery last? My TT is an "entry level" Keystone, so I doubt that the built-in charger is a real nice one!
Will a cut-off switch do the trick? I could leave it off when I'm gone and on when I'm there.
I've seen where others have added a "smart" charger. Would that be better? If so, how and where are those added? My battery is on the tongue of the TT.
Thanks for any help!
Jim
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MELM
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Post the make and model of the converter if you have teh info.
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smkettner
Southern California
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If you have utility power you do not need a battery until you move. If the battery is pretty shot just take the negative cable off and enjoy the summer.
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BFL13
Victoria, BC
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His TT is a 2002 it seems. So his converter might need the battery as a filter.
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Oswald38
3rd Rock
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I agree. Unless you have an unregulated converter, you don't need a battery for permanent AC hook-ups. When you tow it, you do for the ability to activate the brakes should you become disconnected. I've seen two this year so please have a house battery when you move it.
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penguin149
Monroeville, AL USA
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I finally had a chance to check my model number on the converter; it's a Magnetek 6345. I still haven't replaced the battery. The only thing I had planned to do was close the slide to exercise it a bit but the old battery didn't have the "umph" to do it.
Thanks,
Jim
* This post was
edited 07/21/08 07:10pm by an administrator/moderator *
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smkettner
Southern California
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Looks like Magnetek needs a battery. Watch the water in hot weather.
If you need a project consider a replacement. Parallex to Xantrex upgrade. It shows a XADC60 but IMO a 40 would be more than plenty. Call Randy he will set you up.
I highly recommend an upgrade.
On edit: The old battery may need water and a charge to get enough umph.
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bfast54
Traverse City ,Mi.
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If you have a newer rig, you should be able to run it without a bat. , as others have said.
You might be money ahead, to up-grade the charger, converter to the latest technology, and buy a good deep cycle battery.
That is the way I would go, with that kind of set-up.
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edited 07/21/08 07:10pm by an administrator/moderator *
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MELM
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The 6345 is a linear converter. MagneTek became Parallax, and there is info on their website.
The linear converters do need a battery connected. The battery serves to "filter" the output of the converter - the "ripple" can cause problems with appliance circuit board operation, and the voltage peaks may exceed the circuit max design voltage.
Here are a couple of links:
Linear Series Converters
Technical Information
Now, some options
MagneTek/Parallax adjusted the Maintenance Voltage for 13.8 volts, and that will cause high battery water usage in hot weather. If you have a friend that has some electronic tech skills, the voltage can be adjusted to a lower value and that will end the problem - takes about 20 minutes. The schematic shows the adjustment. For your location, I would suggest setting it for 13.2 volts, but up to 13.6 volts would be acceptable. (The multistage converters that are used to replace the converter section use 13.2 to 13.6 volts for the "float" voltage - the output after the battery is fully charged.)
Properly adjusted, that converter should do a good job of maintaining your battery - my 6345 has been maintaining the same pair of batteries for over 10 years. But, I did adjust the voltage.
The next option is to monitor the battery and add distilled water as needed - possibly weekly in very hot weather. During the winter, it will not need as much water.
You can replace the converter section with a number of different converters. This also takes some amount of tech skills.
Finally, I suspect that you leave the refrigerator on, and on AC power. Many require the 12 volt power to operate. There are some reefers that do not require the DC voltage to work on AC. If you post the make and model of the reefer, we can determine which you have. If you have one that doesn't need DC power to operate on AC, then you could turn off the breaker to the converter and disconnect the battery when you are not there.
Mel
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Oswald38
3rd Rock
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Good post Mel. That is the only way to make an ancient converter even come close to something modern.
As for the tech skills, my goodness people spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on trinkets for our RVs and to imagine not starting at the power supply is beyond me unless of course we are leaking gas or other safety issues. If I can replace my converter with a screwdriver and wire snips, anybody can.
To Jim...You have great advice and you can probably surprise yourself on simple upgrades to stop burning batteries. Just do a quick search and good luck!
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