Trailbob
Advanced Member
I have been following these forums for a while, and have learned a lot. I have a wiring question, here is some background: I have a 2010 Hawk that is mounted on a 2015 Silverado 2500, 6.0. The truck has an auxiliary battery (blue top Optima) that is isolated from the starting battery. The camper has the original 80 ah group 24 battery, which is near the end of its life. The camper battery is connected to the auxiliary truck battery via the factory camper/trailer wiring, and a Marinco plug which I installed. The auxiliary truck battery is isolated from the camper battery by the FWC factory installed separator. The separator only allows power to flow from the truck to the camper.
I run an ARB fridge off the truck's auxiliary battery. I plan to upgrade the camper's battery in the near future to either one group 27, or two group 24s. I also plan to install a 100 watt solar panel this winter. I have wired an external plug on the camper where I can attach a portable solar panel, or the ARB fridge; this plug is wired directly to the camper battery.
I would like to be able to supplement the truck's auxiliary battery with power from the camper's battery. The ARB fridge will run the Optima down in about a day (depending on temperature, etc), so it needs to be recharged. The camper has the 30 amp IOTA charger with the smart module, and I have a Honda 2000 generator to power it. I was hoping to use the camper's charger for truck and camper battery.
My plan is to install a marine battery switch. One leg will power the separator like it is currently set up. I was going to run the second leg to the back side of the battery separator (where the truck battery is connected) so that I could bypass the separator. I could also turn the switch "off" and completely isolate the camper battery from the truck.
Currently, the camper battery hot lead is attached to the stud on the front side of the separator, and the power lead for the converter/DC panel is attached to the same stud. I plan to install a separate isolated stud for these two leads. I could also attach a future solar controller to this stud.
(Finally...) My question is: Does the above make sense, or am I missing something? If I do this, would it be worth upgrading to #8 wire from the camper battery to the - buss, and the positive distribution stud?
Sorry for the long winded explanation, but thanks for your help.
-Bob
I run an ARB fridge off the truck's auxiliary battery. I plan to upgrade the camper's battery in the near future to either one group 27, or two group 24s. I also plan to install a 100 watt solar panel this winter. I have wired an external plug on the camper where I can attach a portable solar panel, or the ARB fridge; this plug is wired directly to the camper battery.
I would like to be able to supplement the truck's auxiliary battery with power from the camper's battery. The ARB fridge will run the Optima down in about a day (depending on temperature, etc), so it needs to be recharged. The camper has the 30 amp IOTA charger with the smart module, and I have a Honda 2000 generator to power it. I was hoping to use the camper's charger for truck and camper battery.
My plan is to install a marine battery switch. One leg will power the separator like it is currently set up. I was going to run the second leg to the back side of the battery separator (where the truck battery is connected) so that I could bypass the separator. I could also turn the switch "off" and completely isolate the camper battery from the truck.
Currently, the camper battery hot lead is attached to the stud on the front side of the separator, and the power lead for the converter/DC panel is attached to the same stud. I plan to install a separate isolated stud for these two leads. I could also attach a future solar controller to this stud.
(Finally...) My question is: Does the above make sense, or am I missing something? If I do this, would it be worth upgrading to #8 wire from the camper battery to the - buss, and the positive distribution stud?
Sorry for the long winded explanation, but thanks for your help.
-Bob