Input/help needed to increase charging to my camper battery

R

radman

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Joined
May 20, 2015
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7
Location
Minnesota
After 3 years of research and stalking WTW I ordered this as my retirement self-gift in 2018:
2019 8' cabover Alaskan large single battery, solar panel, and shore station charging (all standard Alaskan).
2019 Chev diesel with dual alternators and duel batteries. I have put 25,000 miles on the truck and spent lots of nights in the camper and am very happy with my choice. As I have gotten used to it over two years I am looking to improve a few things for my style of use.

My problem:
Hobbies and passions take me into the backcountry that can have a week of mid-teens F night time weather. The furnace runs frequently as I need to keep the camper around 50 for my cpap machine. After 2 nights I run low on battery power unless the sun is shining constantly. Unfortunately that is not always the case. When I drive during these outings the standard 7 plug connection does not charge the battery. I need to spend the night with shore power to continue. I always disconnect my 7way connection while camping so that I do not draw down my truck batteries.

What I've though of:
Install another battery, but I'll likely still run low as I can be out for a week straight.
Use a generator to recharge the battery or install an auxiliary cable from my truck to the camper battery.

Help needed:
Am I missing an alternative?
Where can I get correct information on how to install the auxiliary cable from my truck so I don't mess it up?

Thank you very much in advance for your thoughts and input.
 
How many amp hour of battery do you have now? How many watts of solar do you have? What kind of charge controller?
 
Hope this is the correct information, if not just let me know.

Zamp 170 Watt Solar panel/controller
Deka GRP 31 AGM Group 31 AGM 105AH @ 20H
IOTA 45 Amp Converter/Battery Charger
 
On days when i don't get enough sun I run a 1000W generator/35A battery charger in the AM for < hour and let the sun finish with absorption. 200W solar, 208AH FLA batteries. Worked well so far.

I plan on adding a dc/dc charger later this year.
 
radman said:
After 3 years of research and stalking WTW I ordered this as my retirement self-gift in 2018:
2019 8' cabover Alaskan large single battery, solar panel, and shore station charging (all standard Alaskan).
2019 Chev diesel with dual alternators and duel batteries. I have put 25,000 miles on the truck and spent lots of nights in the camper and am very happy with my choice. As I have gotten used to it over two years I am looking to improve a few things for my style of use.

My problem:
Hobbies and passions take me into the backcountry that can have a week of mid-teens F night time weather. The furnace runs frequently as I need to keep the camper around 50 for my cpap machine. After 2 nights I run low on battery power unless the sun is shining constantly. Unfortunately that is not always the case. When I drive during these outings the standard 7 plug connection does not charge the battery. I need to spend the night with shore power to continue. I always disconnect my 7way connection while camping so that I do not draw down my truck batteries.

What I've though of:
Install another battery, but I'll likely still run low as I can be out for a week straight.
Use a generator to recharge the battery or install an auxiliary cable from my truck to the camper battery.

Help needed:
Am I missing an alternative?
Where can I get correct information on how to install the auxiliary cable from my truck so I don't mess it up?

Thank you very much in advance for your thoughts and input.
Click to expand...
The first thing to do is to connect the aux 12V from the 7-pin connector to the IOTA charger. You will need to find it on your truck's 7-pin receptacle and then trace it into your camper. The cable from your truck to your camper may or may not have the required wires. If it is a custom cable, you can add a wire to the correct terminal. Then you will need to run the wire up to the IOTA if its not already run.
 
enelson said:
The first thing to do is to connect the aux 12V from the 7-pin connector to the IOTA charger. You will need to find it on your truck's 7-pin receptacle and then trace it into your camper. The cable from your truck to your camper may or may not have the required wires. If it is a custom cable, you can add a wire to the correct terminal. Then you will need to run the wire up to the IOTA if its not already run.
Click to expand...
Ummm, I'm not so sure. The IOTA is an AC to DC charger. The OP is trying to charge when AC is not available.

A DC-DC charger will improve the charging from you truck to camper.
 
Most of these chargers support a charge from the vehicle too. The Progressive Dynamics models do for sure. Not sure about the IOTA, I removed mine from the Alaskan right away and relocated the fuse panel on the lower part of the camper along with the solar charge controller.
 
Vic Harder said:
Ummm, I'm not so sure. The IOTA is an AC to DC charger. The OP is trying to charge when AC is not available.

A DC-DC charger will improve the charging from you truck to camper.
Click to expand...
I guess you're right. I don't remember the IOTA model Alaskan specs, but I don't see the ability for DC charging on them. His solar controller my have an input for a second solar string, but would work best with a DC to DC converter as you said.
 
Not a charging solution, but install a wave catalytic heater to supplement the furnace. Furnace runs a fraction of the time, mostly to warm up when set up, wave has no battery drain. Works well for Montana nights so should help
 
Welcome to Wander the West.

As for heating....the forced air unit in the Alaskan eats both propane and power fast. My Alaskan 10 ft cabover is set up with both the forced air Suburban and a Plat Cat (http://www.ventedcatheater.com). The PlatCat (not to be confused with the wave catalytic heater) uses very little propane and power and is directly vented to the outside. I use the forced air to heat the camper up for a few minutes then switch to the Plat Cat.

As for solar: sounds like you need to figure out the truck charge line at the point the Alaskan ties into the truck electrical system.

Cheers....Lloyd Anderson
 
Yep, we had Alaskan install a PlatCat in our camper in place of the Suburban furnace. The power draw is very low (~1.5A) and it heats well, it just sips propane. The only issue we had with it is the solenoid that clicks when the heater is turned on. That clack woke us up every time! If you can leave it on it is fine. I ended up removing the PlatCat and installing a Truma VarioHeat Eco. The Truma is a step above everything in the market, efficient, powerful, and quiet, but is expensive at around $1K.

Back to charging. You should research the 12V aux input on the your 7-pin connector to see if it is protected from reverse charging (the battery having higher voltage than the charging circuit). If its protected, you can put that 12V aux directly on the positive terminal of your camper battery (negative to camper ground bus bar). Since you have lead acid battery the charging voltage should be close to optimal. I have no idea how sophisticated your truck's aux 12V charger is. They probably aren't the best chargers, but will do the job.

I switched to lithium a decade ago, and only use solar charging. This keeps it simple since I only have one charger.
 
I'm fairly sure that the charging wire in the 7 pin connector isn't going to do much, if anything, for you. For all but the smallest DC-DC charging system the wire gauge is simply too small. Vic's threads on 12VDC power have all of the info in them, maybe too much info, that you're likely to need.

The Exec Summary for direct Alternator charging:
Wire gauge between camper & truck 6ga.+
Breakers or fuses at both batteries.
Automatic Charge Relay or Voltage Sensing Relay
Anderson forklift connector
Optional: Battery monitoring system

The Exec Summary for DC-DC charging:
8ga min (some *might* be OK with 10 ga.)
Breakers or fuses at both batteries
DC-DC charger (dedicated or multiple input solar charge controller)
Anderson forklift connector or Power Pole connector (depending on wire gauge.)
Optional: Battery monitoring system.


Some opt to go with the DC-DC system whether they need to or not. Other's vehicles have "smart regulators" on their alternators and the DC-DC type system is their only choice.

Some here will disagree with me on saying that the battery monitoring system is optional, and to a degree they are correct, but I do not see it as an absolute must have. Certainly a very nice to have and very useful in tuning the system, but not an absolute requirement.
 
I don't remember for sure, the 12V aux may source 3-6 amps, which is around half of a single 12V solar panel. Direct alternator charging would get the job done way quicker!
 
ntsqd said:
For all but the smallest DC-DC charging system the wire gauge is simply too small. Vic's threads on 12VDC power have all of the info in them, maybe too much info, that you're likely to need.
Click to expand...
I resemble that remark :p . Nice exec summary!
 
I do too, just not quite as well located or organized. Thanks!

I am hoping that the Exec Summaries provide both the OP and future readers with some framework that helps them start to get a handle on what they need to do to meet their needs.
 
Radman -

What did you decide to do regarding charging your camper battery? I have the identical setup as you in my 2021 AC 7ft CO (see below). My camper is on a Ford F250 with dual batteries and a 240A alternator. I picked up my camper in May, so I've only had the chance to camp in warm summer temps. The longest I've been out has been three nights and only ran the fridge at the lowest setting. However with ski season approaching, I'd like to boondock for a night or two in winter, and stay warm, but I just don't know for how long.
  • Deka 8A31M Group 31 Intimadator Deep Cycle AGM 12 Volt 105 Ah
  • Zamp 170w solar panel on top
  • IOTA 45 Amp Converter/Battery Charger
I did have my camper wired for an external SAE port for a portable solar panel and I'm trying to decided what size to buy. But I live in Oregon so a portable panel may not be that useful in the winter ....

Just curious what you decided to do with your rig. Thanks in advance.
 
I have been working on a write-up with pictures but it'll be awhile.
Short version of my solution:

DC/DC Charger mounted in back of driver side dinette seat (removing the bottom cushion increases access, just remove the 4 nuts and the cushion pops off). Sufficient clearance and easy to attach the cables etc. I used a connector at the camper above the 7-way as I never leave my truck connected to the camper overnight ( I hate dead batteries).

Parts:
Renogy DC/DC charger 20Amp
https://www.renogy.com/12v-dc-to-dc-on-board-battery-charger/
[SIZE=11pt] Charger must be activated with a hot wire so just did a loop so that whenever connector is plugged in the charger is on. Instruction manual provides direction for cable and fuse size. Connect to battery terminal not alternator.[/SIZE]

Connector
Dual pole from etrailer.com I shortened the spring on the male end and will completely remove the spring in the future. The strain on the cable is minimal
https://www.etrailer.com/Wiring/Buyers-Products/337TC1012.html
https://www.etrailer.com/Wiring/Buyers-Products/337TC2002.html


Renogy owners manual gives good installation instructions and specifies fuses and cable diameter 8awg. I wrapped the cable in a 3/4 inch wire loom and zip tied to the frame. The only change I would do is leave another 6-12 inches of cable slack for future changes and buy a cheap hand hydraulic cable crimper instead of soldering all those connections.


Update October 2021.
Took the rig out west and boondocked for two full weeks with not much driving. Absolutely no problems, the DC/DC worked as planned and did a quick job charging up the battery when needed. I am very satisfied with the results.
-
 
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