Eric M Posted January 1, 2020 Share Posted January 1, 2020 Hey there, looking for a battery charger for my RV. This is the starting battery. (I thought the plug in thing would charge both..... maybe it doesn’t) All the “automatic” ones say it’s charged, because it’s going to 13V, but it’s a car charger, it probably taps out at 600CCA. When my battery is 1440CCA. So once my heating glow plugs warm up, starter click on, and it doesn’t move. It doesn’t have enough juice. I'm going to sound like a old timer here... looking for a MANUAL 10/20/50/200 AMP charger that I can set for a period of time, regardless if it “says” anything. They say, 20AMPS for 2 1/2 hours. I look at Walmart,Amazon, auto parts stores. They don’t have the old fashioned charger on wheels anymore (Amazon does have one. A blue one. They want $250 for it) anyone know of a store I can get this from, that isn’t the price of a car payment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ray Davis Posted January 1, 2020 Share Posted January 1, 2020 I bought one on wheels at Sears 3 or 4 yrs back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philcarrell Posted January 1, 2020 Share Posted January 1, 2020 Try Sears, Harbor Freight, Northern Tools. Go to any parts store Advance auto, O'Reillys, Auto zone etc. Lots of places sell them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven P Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 Eric, my 06 Diplomat didnt charge the chassis batteries when hooked to shore power as many other models do not either. I bought an Amp L Start on Amazon and installed it and it keeps the chassis batteries charged when hooked to shore power now. Could that work for yours? In the pic, it's down low under the battery switch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr4Film Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 Eric, I agree with Steven unless you specifically want a portable charger for other purposes. But if you only want to keep the chassis battery fully charged when on shore or generator power then the AMP-L-START is your best choice. Steven, in your photo you referenced your Battery Switch. That sure looks like a BEP Battery Switch. Check it out to make sure it is NOT. If it is then I strongly suggest you get it replaced ASAP. Those BEP switches are fire hazards. Blue Seas, Perko and Guest are all decent battery switches. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Nodine Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 Just like Steven we have a 2006 Diplomat and installed the Trk-l-Start many many years ago. We located ours next to the contactor that connects the two battery banks because all the connections you need are there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven P Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, Dr4Film said: Eric, I agree with Steven unless you specifically want a portable charger for other purposes. But if you only want to keep the chassis battery fully charged when on shore or generator power then the AMP-L-START is your best choice. Steven, in your photo you referenced your Battery Switch. That sure looks like a BEP Battery Switch. Check it out to make sure it is NOT. If it is then I strongly suggest you get it replaced ASAP. Those BEP switches are fire hazards. Blue Seas, Perko and Guest are all decent battery switches. Doc, this is a zoomed in pic. These came on the coach. I'll have to look closer next time I go to the coach and see. Thanks for the heads up. I have not heard of them causing issues. I did a quick google search on fires w them and cannot find anything? Any thoughts on how to dig further into this? In looking at new ones, are there specs to consider? I'm thinking heavy duty switches are needed? Edited January 5, 2020 by Steven P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr4Film Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 Steven, the old Monacoers site had photos of a BEP switch that had caught fire. I can't find it here on our new site plus the old site is pretty much useless now as everything is gone. Maybe someone who has those photos will post them here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven P Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 I did a search on the Monaco Facebook site and found several posts and have already ordered Blue Seas. Thank you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Y Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 6 hours ago, Steven P said: I did a search on the Monaco Facebook site and found several posts and have already ordered Blue Seas. Thank you. Good choice Steven, I replaced my switches that were just like yours about a year ago. I went with the Blue Seas as well. Everything I've seen from Blue Seas are very well built quality products. Chad Y 07 Neptune Back in Lexington NC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lusgi Posted January 6, 2020 Share Posted January 6, 2020 are the battery switches necessary or could they just be bypassed like the salesman relay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David White Posted January 7, 2020 Share Posted January 7, 2020 (edited) Ken P, The switches could be bypassed, but not a good idea. There are times you will need to disconnect both (or either) of your systems from the battery supply and if connected with no cutoff, you could be in trouble. I would also agree with the earlier post that a good switch, such as Blue Seas, should be used. Those standard switches deteriorate fast and will leave you stranded, or with other problems. Edited January 7, 2020 by David White Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven P Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 On 1/5/2020 at 8:51 AM, Dr4Film said: Steven, the old Monacoers site had photos of a BEP switch that had caught fire. I can't find it here on our new site plus the old site is pretty much useless now as everything is gone. Maybe someone who has those photos will post them here. I replaced both of my BEP switches today. It went smoothly, but the old chassis switch fell apart as I took it off. Glad the suggestion to change was made. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr4Film Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 7 hours ago, Steven P said: I replaced both of my BEP switches today. It went smoothly, but the old chassis switch fell apart as I took it off. Glad the suggestion to change was made. Thanks again. Glad you got it replaced before something more serious had happened. This post should be a warning and wake-up call for anyone who hasn't replaced their BEP battery switches. It has been talked about for MANY years and was first recommended by Fred White (RIP) so there is no excuse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric M Posted January 13, 2020 Author Share Posted January 13, 2020 Well, I learned.... there was nothing wrong with my battery. I bought another 1440 CCA. Battery. It did the same thing. i got desperate, I called a diesel mechanic. He came out. turns out, my grounding strap cable was corroded. And he cleaned it off, and it ran fine. after $480 of fees to clean a cable. But.... it’s done, and it runs 😊 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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