Camper trailer battery
Submitted: Friday, Jul 23, 2004 at 15:00
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Vince NSW
Sitting here on a Friday arvo wishing I was in the bush and thought about the battery on my camper trailer.
At the moment I have a heavy lead going from the 4by battery to the trailer plug to charge the on board battery.
What is the difference between my set up and a duel battery instalation ?
Am I getting the best out of the battery on the trailer with this set up ?
Reply By: Baz (NSW) - Friday, Jul 23, 2004 at 15:42
Friday, Jul 23, 2004 at 15:42
The second battery is further away lol, sorry !! we have almost the same setup only we use seperate wire 6mm to an anderson plug then to Arrid twin charger. Wasn't trying to be smartar@# but hey only diff i know.
Baz.
AnswerID:
69255
Follow Up By: Vince NSW - Friday, Jul 23, 2004 at 15:55
Friday, Jul 23, 2004 at 15:55
Hay Baz.
Was thinking about changing to an Anderson plug to get better contact between the truck & tralier.
My main worry is the way I have the trailer battery wired direct to truck battery where as these fancy duel battery set up have all sorts of black boxes and gismoes attached.
Vince
FollowupID:
329609
Follow Up By: Baz (NSW) - Friday, Jul 23, 2004 at 16:55
Friday, Jul 23, 2004 at 16:55
Because the battery in the trailer is along way from the car battery there is a lot of voltage drop and it is not getting the proper amount of amps to charge it properly, we were recomened the Arrid system because it send a high amp surge to the second battery initially then compansates for any voltage drop.
This will explain it better.
Arrid twin charger
Baz.
FollowupID:
329612
Follow Up By: Member - Roachie (SA) - Friday, Jul 23, 2004 at 20:36
Friday, Jul 23, 2004 at 20:36
G'day Baz,
Please excuse my ignorance.......
I've just been looking up the Arrid charger details but my tiny brain is confused.
Is the Arrid unit designed to charge using 240v input or is it simply a type of regulator from either the main battery or alternator to the camper battery? The speil on the web site doesn't seem to say??? It talks about being a charger unit, so I'm thinking it's plugged into the 240 volt mains supply. If so, it does not really solve the issue of keeping the trailer battery charger when you're on a long trip and suffering from voltage drop between truck and camper.
I'd like to know a bit more, please.
Cya
FollowupID:
329666
Follow Up By: Baz (NSW) - Friday, Jul 23, 2004 at 23:05
Friday, Jul 23, 2004 at 23:05
Hey Roachie, not electricly minded so hard for me to explain. It's basicly a 12v dual battery system Redarc and Pihrana have a similar system.
Try this
Baz.
FollowupID:
329684
Follow Up By: Baz (NSW) - Friday, Jul 23, 2004 at 23:12
Friday, Jul 23, 2004 at 23:12
Sorry Roachie having trouble with internet here, keeps crashing, starting to give me the tom tits.
Baz.
You can try www.12vshop.com.au as
well, allabout12v is NSW version of WA's 12vshop.
FollowupID:
329685
Follow Up By: Member - Roachie (SA) - Monday, Jul 26, 2004 at 18:27
Monday, Jul 26, 2004 at 18:27
Thanks Baz,
That site was very useful.
Cya mate
FollowupID:
329983
Reply By: bob - Friday, Jul 23, 2004 at 16:02
Friday, Jul 23, 2004 at 16:02
Vince,
with your currnt set up, if the trailer is left connected to the car when parked there is the chance of draining the starting battery. The second issue is that most of the "smart" battery controllers will not start charging the aux battery untill the main battery is fully charged.
Regards
Bob A
AnswerID:
69261
Reply By: The Banjo - Friday, Jul 23, 2004 at 16:02
Friday, Jul 23, 2004 at 16:02
Not a lot wrong I'd suggest - BUT your setup is unmanaged IMO - as I see it, that when you start your car, the alternator should top up the car's battery first (yours would try and do both). Also, when you stop, if you don't manually disconnect, you drain from both. The fancy gizmos you mention take care of these contingencies. Not essential though, but worthwhile for me - allows you to attend to the essentials (like beer, wine and spirits).
AnswerID:
69262
Reply By: flappan - Friday, Jul 23, 2004 at 16:08
Friday, Jul 23, 2004 at 16:08
snip>Am I getting the best out of the battery on the trailer with this set up ?<
Other then how its connected , via the trailer plug , not a lot wrong.
Mine is essentially the same.
I however use a Redarc Isolator , and an Anderson Plug from vehicle to trailer.
AnswerID:
69264
Reply By: Wazza (Vic) - Friday, Jul 23, 2004 at 16:42
Friday, Jul 23, 2004 at 16:42
No help with the battery, but I have the Friday arvo blues. Sitting here wishing I was in the bush as
well. Roll on 5 o'clock.
AnswerID:
69268
Reply By: duncs - Friday, Jul 23, 2004 at 20:48
Friday, Jul 23, 2004 at 20:48
Vince,
You have essentially the same set up as me and I have had no problems with
mine, only run a few lights from the trailer though.
The big difference is that I have dual battery set up in the car and the trailer battery is connected to the auxilary. The fridge stays int eh car and runs from the aux.
I copied my set up from my next door neighbour, who had travelled more of this great country than anyone else I have ever met. About two weeks before he left on a trip he would put the acid back in the trailer battery and hook up to a charger until the day he left. On returning
home he would drain the battery and store it dry until next time. Now that is a bit excessive for me but he claimed it was the best way to ensure good life from the trailer battery.
Happy Trvelling
Duncs
AnswerID:
69351
Reply By: Puddin & Gumnut (Sydney) - Sunday, Jul 25, 2004 at 16:15
Sunday, Jul 25, 2004 at 16:15
You really need an isolator between main battery & camper battery to stop it draining start battery. You can get an isolator for as little as $80 or as much as you want to spend
AnswerID:
69534