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Old 01-04-2009, 07:55 PM   #1
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How long to charge the battery

Any idea normally how long it take to charge the battery via the 120 volt home circuit and what the heck via the car if you happen to venture a guess. As a scenario the battery is 1/4 full capacity before charging..

Just trying to get an idea how far in advance I need to charge up my Escape prior to taking it out..


thanks
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Old 01-04-2009, 11:32 PM   #2
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Re: How long to charge the battery

Hi all,
I am under the impression that the battery charges while one travels. How long that must be, I have no clue. I'm sure the Escape Master will have the answer.

Are you planning an Escape soon?
Sandra
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Old 01-05-2009, 10:31 AM   #3
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Re: How long to charge the battery

We're doing a short tune-up to Morro Bay (leaving tomorrow) for just a couple of day .. then coming back and heading down towards San Diego after the Liana completes Jury duty.. We're thinking of doing a couple of longer trips later on though .. I was trying to get an idea on the battery charge just for a rule of thumb type thing..
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Old 01-05-2009, 11:00 AM   #4
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Re: How long to charge the battery

Reace suggested to me that about 3 hours at highway speeds should have things charged up. As for plugged in, not sure, but I suspect about the same.
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Old 01-05-2009, 11:25 AM   #5
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Re: How long to charge the battery

Thanks.. and great job on your site. I like the "Scream" photo and of course patient Fin.. Makes me want to Escape!
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Old 11-02-2009, 07:03 AM   #6
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Re: How long to charge the battery

Hi: All...Plugging the trailer in for 24-48 hrs. should be enough to fully charge the battery. If you leave the trailer plugged in to long you risk boiling and toasting them all at once. Be kind to your batteries and check fluid levels and add only distilled water if necessary.Alf
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Old 08-22-2010, 05:45 AM   #7
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Re: How long to charge the battery

I'm a newbie, and we have an Escape 19 on order. Does the last post from Escape Artist mean that if we remain plugged in to an AC power source in a campground, say for several days, we run a risk of damaging our batteries? This is an interesting issue because -- as I understand the situation -- one needs to remain plugged in to AC to use the wall outlets in the trailer. No doubt I'm missing something here, so having someone straighten me out on this will be welcomed. In our prior camping (tent and slide-in camper), we have not had battery power. For what it is worth in responding to this, we hope to have the solar-panel option on our Escape.
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Old 08-22-2010, 08:06 AM   #8
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Re: How long to charge the battery

Paul, my understanding is that the charger/converter built into the Escape will not overcharge the battery - at least not for the times your are camping. I would not leave it plugged in all the time while in storage.
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Old 08-22-2010, 10:21 AM   #9
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Re: How long to charge the battery

I've been plugged in over the entire winter to run a small oil filled heater when it gets really cold and over the summer so I am ready to go at any time. You just have to check the levels in your battery cells (every month or two ) and keep them topped up.

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Old 08-22-2010, 10:44 AM   #10
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Re: How long to charge the battery

Quote:
Originally Posted by gbaglo
I've been plugged in over the entire winter to run a small oil filled heater when it gets really cold and over the summer so I am ready to go at any time. You just have to check the levels in your battery cells (every month or two ) and keep them topped up.

baglo
That's good to know that it works for you. Escape must put in a high quality charger/converter that does a good job monitoring the battery condition and delivering charge appropriately.
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Old 08-22-2010, 10:45 AM   #11
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Re: How long to charge the battery

As Baglo said, be sure to check the water level in the battery every 1-2 months and all will be well. We left our Casita plugged in 24/7 and never had a problem. I added distilled water occasionally, but most of the time it never needed a drink. I carry a 1 liter Nalgene bottle of distilled water during our travels...but have never needed it. It is, however, a good use of one of the BPA Lexan bottles.

Unless you are going on a very long trip, there should be no problem if you leave home with a charged and watered battery.

YMMV;
Dave

p.s.: regular tap water can be a battery-killer. distilled only please.
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Old 08-22-2010, 01:06 PM   #12
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Re: How long to charge the battery

Thanks to everyone for the excellent suggestions. What a forum! I'm mighty happy to be aboard.
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Old 08-22-2010, 01:53 PM   #13
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Re: How long to charge the battery

I keep Hokie plugged in all the time. Though I check the water level ever couple of months, I've never (so far) had to add any water to it. But still, you need to check just to be sure. I keep a cube heater on very low in the winter, and the AC on very low in the summer to keep moisture from building up inside. I also keep the refrig on electric, so it's ready at any moment to throw some food into it and GO!!!!!!
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Old 08-22-2010, 08:13 PM   #14
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Re: How long to charge the battery

Quote:
Originally Posted by PaulA.
I'm a newbie, and we have an Escape 19 on order. Does the last post from Escape Artist mean that if we remain plugged in to an AC power source in a campground, say for several days, we run a risk of damaging our batteries? This is an interesting issue because -- as I understand the situation -- one needs to remain plugged in to AC to use the wall outlets in the trailer. No doubt I'm missing something here, so having someone straighten me out on this will be welcomed. In our prior camping (tent and slide-in camper), we have not had battery power. For what it is worth in responding to this, we hope to have the solar-panel option on our Escape.
There is a thread entitled "Long Term AC Hookup" from back in January 2010 that has lots of good info regarding your questions including two posts from Reace. http://escapeforum.org/index.php?topic=1022.0

Generally, we don't worry about the batteries when plugged into AC except in the wintertime when we leave a small cube heater on for extended periods during freezing temps. For those times, we flip the battery "kill switch" as suggested by Reace, which isolates the batteries from charging. The 12v lights, outlets, etc still work because the converter does it's job stepping down the AC power to 12v but there's no worry about any potential battery overcharge b/c it is isolated. Our solar panel & charge controller still provide staged charging (even when the kill switch is "on") so we don't have to worry about the battery draining over time. Those without solar should probably check the charge & fluids once a month & maintain as necessary.
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Old 11-05-2010, 09:02 PM   #15
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Re: How long to charge the battery

I remove my battery out of the trailer into my attached garage that stay above freezing. I connect it in parallel with another deep cycle battery that has a 60 watt solar array and charge controller. When the batteries are full, the controller goes into a pulse mode to keep the batteries charged and prevent sulfation.
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