Jump to content
fagnaml

Converter Trickle Charge to Engine (Chassis) Battery?

Recommended Posts

Earlier this week there was a question on the Damon owners forum on IRV2.com about whether or not the converter provides a trickle charge to the engine (chassis) batteries.   No one on that forum, including me, could provide an answer.   The attached electrical diagram from my owner's manual shows the converter, coach batteries, "automotive" (i.e. chassis) battery, gen-set, etc.  I'll confess that my chemical engineering education did not include making me knowledgeable about wiring diagrams!

So, I turn to the experts for an answer to the question "does the converter provide a trickle charge to the chassis batteries?" both for my own education and to provide an answer to the Damon owners on IRV2.com.   Thanks for the help!

 

 

2007 Damon Elec Diagram.PNG

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Very easy to verify:

Even overnight, battery voltage in the absence of a charger will dissipate the surface charge and drop below 13 VDC-- even headlights for 5 minutes is enough to accomplish this.

With a converter or charger on, battery voltage will be around14 VDC, particularly right after turning off shore power breaker and back on (so the smart charger goes into bulk mode).

So, do this and then measure voltage at each battery bank.

If chassis battery is the same as house, the chassis battery IS being charged.

If chassis battery voltage is lower, it is NOT.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

If your system is not setup to provide a trickle charge to the start batteries, it's pretty simple to fix. We use a Xantrex Echo Charger which can send up to 15 amps to the start batteries from the house battery charger. There are others out there that do the same, some with less output.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...