On Board Battery Charging

KarenNGeorge

Hi, I am getting tired of unhooking the battery wires and removing the battery to charge it at my garage. My T@B is currently in outside storage.
Hoping this will work, I took an idea from a trailer website that consists of a few bolts, nuts and PVC pipe fittings along with the car end of the seven way connector. This should plug into the trailer electric cord, then I would attach the plus and negative clamps to the bolts. Here is my concern: Do I have to make any disconnect to safely protect the on board converter? And what if any connections. Pictures may explain.
George
Our T@B "S" Jan of 2014

Michigan_Mike

George,

The electric converter in your T@B is essentially a battery charger. When you use your trailer power cord and plug into shore power (120V) the electric converter in your T@B will charge the battery. No disconnecting of the trailer battery is necessary and there will be no need to use the set-up above. You can buy an adapter for the trailer power cord and plug it into your garage and you should be good to go.

The specs here show that your T@B has battery charging capability.

KarenNGeorge

Hi Mike, Your explaination is 100% correct. I should have been clearer regarding charging with a multi stage charger at my parking site hooked up to a nearby 120V line without using the onboard converter. My reason is that the multi stage would be quicker than the converter to reach full charge. Is that correct? In doing a charge with the multi stage charger through the trailer power cord I didn't want to do damage to the electric system / converter.
George, Our T@B "S" Jan of 2014

Michigan_Mike

Hi George,

You might want to contact Ed Kauffman at the factory for more of a technical explanation on what you are trying to accomplish as I'm not too well versed on the device you have in hand. I'm also not clear on what impact if any it would have on the electrical converter onboard your T@B.

What I've read or know about deep cycle charging is that it requires a slower process as it's possible to damage a battery and the cells therein. But on the flip side and depending on who you talk to some people say it is okay to charge them quickly, so there are pros and cons. I always charge my deep cycle batteries at the lower rate and will find out what impact if any the electric converter has on my golf cart size deep cycle battery as I use it when the trailer is in my garage.

As for your multi-stage charger, there are people out there who swear by them but I have never used one.

[Deleted User]

The converter itself is a "multi-stage" charger. When connected to shore power it charges at 3 different rates based upon the sensed voltage of the battery. For lack of a technical explanation, consider it a fast, medium and slow charge rate. The later being what is called a "maintenance" charge where it is just "trickling" in a bit at a time.