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Old 01-18-2014, 07:56 AM   #21
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Aw! You guys are no fun. We are going to have a Pity Party and not invite you.
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Old 01-18-2014, 10:39 AM   #22
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I think there's a huge difference between ruining your recreational time in the trailer with excessive monitoring and worrying about the batteries, and spending some time and money in advance to get a system which works well.

An adequate electrical system lets you camp (which is the point); a better charging system that more effectively uses the battery capacity may let you camp longer or worry less about how much power you are using.

If "it's good enough" was reason to quit thinking about better designs, we wouldn't have Escapes - covered wagons, perhaps?
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Old 01-18-2014, 02:28 PM   #23
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Another thing I experienced with these so called "high end" smart converter/chargers is that they seem to be more delicate then the standard ones. There seems to be more electronics that don't hold up to the vibration of driving down the road. I had 2 fail after driving on some rough interstates and that makes for a bad way to start a vacation or trip. Then you have to remove it and send it back for repairs which takes about 3 weeks and reinstall it. Been there, done that and now I am happy with the system Escape installed until it breaks. It is also a 3 stage charger. Something else I would not recommend is to install a converter that is less than a 55 amp rating in these trailers.
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Old 01-18-2014, 04:32 PM   #24
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Thanks for the detail on the charger/ battery issue. The fact that you can't really buy a system for a trailer that distributes, protects and charges the batteries appropriately is surprising. The truth is that they work good enough for most people. The fact that they are never really full does not have much of an impact except when you are off the grid all the time. That and they go bad quicker than they should.

And, I think, most RV owners spend most of their time on the grid in RV parks.. So they never know the truth, and don't need it. But you sure would think that somebody out there would understand the problem, and make a product that Escape and others could install for people like me. Its just strange that the battery guys and the charger guys don't talk.
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Old 01-18-2014, 05:12 PM   #25
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I have a 10A/2A battery charger. I'm wondering if I should replace it with this 15A/2A charger, currently on sale at Canadian Tire.
Would it be sufficient to use this charger from time to time, and would it fully charge the battery? Would it be that much better than using my 10A charger?

MotoMaster 15/2A Automatic and Manual Battery Charger with 100A Engine Start | Canadian Tire
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Old 01-18-2014, 05:23 PM   #26
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Stick with the one you have. Cannot get the full specs on this one but it is really designed for charging a dead battery. It probably does that pretty well, but it does require you to monitor and turn the unit off when fully charged. It does not do any of the different stages that are recommended for Escape batteries but it will work well when you have a dead battery in the car or rv.
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Old 01-18-2014, 05:33 PM   #27
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Stick with the one you have.
Thanks. Save $100 and I don't have to leave the house today.

baglo
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Old 01-18-2014, 05:40 PM   #28
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Paul as our new resident charger guru -- what do you think of this one:Battery Tender-022-0142-DL-WH

I picked it up from Woot for $69 to use while the trailer is in storage over the winter.
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Old 01-18-2014, 09:36 PM   #29
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I have never looked much at these "home" chargers. They are interesting in their marketing ie . . . they sound really great until you read the fine print. The issue with this unit is the low amperage, 5 or 2.5 amp. It will never have enough oomph to charge dual 6 volt batteries. However, it will work fine for providing a float or trickle charge just as you are using it.

Gbaglo's charger had a feature to give your car battery a boost and enable it to start your car. A replacement for a jump start. Of course you need an outlet to use that feature.

Remember, there will be some off gassing while it is plugged in, so have it away from ignition sources and check the water level and only add distilled water.
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Old 01-18-2014, 10:03 PM   #30
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In Wisconsin you have hard water so you must use distilled water. Where I live we have soft water, tap water is OK ( according to my mechanic ).
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Old 01-19-2014, 09:46 AM   #31
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If you are going to buy a stand alone portable battery charger.
https://bestconverter.3dcartstores.c...der_p_139.html
And yes, only use distilled water to replenish the battery fluid levels.
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Old 01-19-2014, 12:19 PM   #32
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The CTEK's are also nice

http://smartercharger.com/battery-ch...ti%20US%207002

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Old 01-19-2014, 01:16 PM   #33
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Given the requirement stated by Interstate for dual 6V systems, I'm wondering if any of these (including the one I bought) are really going to be able to do anything truly meaningful beyond "providing a float or trickle charge" as Paul said. So, are we just wasting on money on these when the trailer's built in can already do that?
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Old 01-19-2014, 01:39 PM   #34
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In Wisconsin you have hard water so you must use distilled water. Where I live we have soft water, tap water is OK ( according to my mechanic ).
I wonder if the mechanic does that with his own batteries, and if he pays retail prices for batteries?
Relatively "soft" municipal water is far from pure. In many cases, the minerals that people notice have just been replaced by other salts (that's what a water softener does). For the couple of dollars, I'll keep using distilled water on those rare instances when I need to add water to a battery.
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Old 01-19-2014, 02:01 PM   #35
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Just say'n.
I bought a gallon jug of distilled water myself, which was not easy to find in the Lower Mainland.
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Old 01-19-2014, 02:06 PM   #36
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Read the description of the temp compensated Battery Minder ! It has a lot more "meaningful" functions in addition to "providing a float or trickle charge". I "wasted" money on this charger to maintain the battery on our tractor that I use during the winter for snow removal. Although the amperage may be lower (which prolongs the life of the battery) it is a better charger than the WFCO converter. I am recommending the Battery Minder as a stand alone portable battery charger based on a satisfactory experience.
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Old 01-19-2014, 02:14 PM   #37
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Jubal, I am in no way trying to insult your recommended charger, if that is how you took my reply. It sounds like very much like a quality unit as does Tom's recommendation.

The manufacturer's description of the one I bought makes it sound like it is the greatest thing since sliced bread. And I use it on my tractor and field brush mower and it works well for that. What I am questioning is their value with dual 6v systems given the Interstate recommendations.
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Old 01-19-2014, 04:22 PM   #38
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boiled water can be made into distilled water, real cheap to create. Just need to boil and capture the steam and let it condense.
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Old 01-19-2014, 04:40 PM   #39
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Quote:
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I bought a gallon jug of distilled water myself, which was not easy to find in the Lower Mainland.
I'm surprised at the difficulty of finding it up there. It's here in every grocery store right next to the gallon jugs of spring water and the fancy name-brand waters.
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Old 01-19-2014, 04:58 PM   #40
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I think the distilled water shelf space has been displaced by flavoured and carbonated spring waters by Nestle, Pepsico and Coca Cola. I eventually found it at a Safeway ( where I had looked before ). $6.99 or so for four liters.
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