camper battery charging

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bcbouy

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does anyone know (not think) what fuse or relay i should check to find out why my 2500 isn't charging my camper battery?
 

Padilen

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Well you said know not think! And I think it's more likely to be bad wire or contact than fuse or relay. Because in my past issues a fuse and or relay controlled the 7 way. Not 1 wire. But since I don't know[emoji56]. I haven't yet used my 7 just my 4 on my 12. When you have it figured out will you post your solution? Since I'll be needing mine for my CT conversion. I'd like to know the fix if I have an issue. Thanks
 

whatroads

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I don't know what you are towing. I'm going to go out on a limb here. Not trying to be a smart A--. Just trying to help

I don't depend upon the my tow vehicle to charge my camper battery. Before I leave I make sure my camper battery is at least 12.6 volts charge. Even if my truck could charge my camper battery, I would not count on it. Camp sites with electric will keep your camper battery charged. Should you arrive at the site with a dead camper battery you can jump it from your tow vehicle.

If you camp off the grid I would suggest using 2 camper batteries, (seperately not 24 volt). I would use a minimum of a group 27 or larger. I would also have a solar panel to help keep the battery, not in use, charged. I would swap batteries at around 12.4 volts to minimize charging effort by the solar panel
 

stoney

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Could also be your tipm that needs a reset, happened on my old truck. Safety feature that it will shut down that pin in case of short occurs, dealer resets it.

Like stated, I charge at home first, if I want to charge while camping, always best to use jumpers wires from truck battery to camper battery, direct connect, but my two 6 volt batteries last us s long time, as long as you are being cautious with power usage.
 

stoney

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The other thing, have you checked the voltage at the 7 pin plug to see what voltage you are getting there?
Could be a camper wiring issue.
 
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bcbouy

bcbouy

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2 group 27 deep cycles,camper is brand new ,only 2 months from the factory,i keep it fully charged,but the o2 detector and some other stuff run it down while it's parked at work during the week and no,i can't plug it in while it's there,and the plug runs the camper lights ok.its a camper,not a travel trailer.the truck is equipped with the integrated trailer brake and the tow package.i've also pulled a dump trailer with it and the lights and brakes worked that time. i try to charge it when i get home from camping but it bleeds down during the week it sits,and i'm usually travelling 3 to 400 kms per trip and that should recharge them,so all i can think of is it's a fuse or relay that's not working.
 

stoney

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2 group 27 deep cycles,camper is brand new ,only 2 months from the factory,i keep it fully charged,but the o2 detector and some other stuff run it down while it's parked at work during the week and no,i can't plug it in while it's there,and the plug runs the camper lights ok.its a camper,not a travel trailer.the truck is equipped with the integrated trailer brake and the tow package.i've also pulled a dump trailer with it and the lights and brakes worked that time. i try to charge it when i get home from camping but it bleeds down during the week it sits,and i'm usually travelling 3 to 400 kms per trip and that should recharge them,so all i can think of is it's a fuse or relay that's not working.

I pull the fuse for the radio and detector when we are dry camping.
If I am storing the camper in between trips, I pull the negative led off of the battery.
Where the kids sleep, I remove the bulbs, they like to play with the switches and turn lights on and off when in their bed.

I am not sure about our current trailer & truck, but for others I always found the truck charging system never fully charged the trailer batteries.
I would put an actual battery charger on them, but our new trailer has a built in charger when I plug it into the house when I have the trailer at home before we leave for a trip.
 

silver surfer

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Check for a small door seal heating switch in your fridge. It draws straight from the battery and will draw it down in a few days. Turn it off.
 
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bcbouy

bcbouy

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so i checked the fuse,all good.i should clarify,the battery drain is minimal,only about 5% over a 6 day stretch.nothing to worry about .a 4 day weekend of camping runs them down to around 65%.its the strata ****'s who freak out when my truck is parked in front of my garage all night while i recharge with the smart charger overnight.the converter takes too long to charge them.so i'm back to square 1.
 

Padilen

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I've always been told/taught to charge batteries before using with charger not converter. But now there are smart chargers in converters so I'm old. I was also taught to turn fridge on and get it at operating temp before loading food.
 

NewBlackDak

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You won't get a full charge from the stock 7-pin. It can keep them topped off if they're already there when you start out. The wires are just too small to carry the current for that distance. I know people who have put thicker wires in both truck and trailer, so they can do this very thing.
I think the best solution is a solar panel. If you're only getting down to 6% on a 4-day trip, and small panel should be able to keep you running indefinitely.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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bcbouy

bcbouy

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agreed,a solar panel would help,however,the truck still doesn't charge the batteries at all even after a 5 hour drive. something's not working.
 

hunter99

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I just have a small teardrop but have no issues charging the battery when driving. I have a fridge cooler setup and if it's on it does a pretty good draw on the battery but the truck keeps it topped off. I do keep my battery in my trailer on a smart charger.

Now if I boondock I use a solar panel to keep the battery topped off. Now the WFCO converter in my trailer has a battery charge maint. mode built in but I don't use it to not put undue stress on the converter.

If I were you I would put a meter on the pins in your 7-way and see if a charge is getting back there. Also, how old is the trailer battery. I have seen some that wouldn't really charge from the tow vehicle and only from a campsite hookup due to more juice. Also remember if the deep cycle battery on your trailer is getting down before it's hooked up it may be too much for your truck to bring it up.

Lots of variables.
 
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bcbouy

bcbouy

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i have the same converter,its a brand new camper .took the truck into the dealer,and they say it's putting power to the plug. they tried charging me 300 bucks to change 3 fuses,even after i specificly told them i'm only authorizing 1 hour labour,knocked it down to 200 after i freaked out on the service manager. next stop is the camper dealer after the fall fishing trips end.then back to the dealer to fix the trailer plug warning message issue.i'm really starting to regret not buying the ford.
 
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