Installation of BatteryMINDER Plus - Fiberglass RV
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Old 11-19-2006, 05:43 PM   #1
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Trailer: Casita 16 ft 1984 and U-Haul CT13 1985
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Hello My Friends!

I'm just starting to install the new BatteryMINDER Plus 12V Charger-Maintainer-Conditioner (BMP C-M-C) that I read about on FGRV into my '84 Casita. But I'm not sure about the location in the electrical circut where I should connect the the POS and NEG wires from the BMP C-M-C. I would like to keep the BMP C-M-C inside the trailer where it will be plugged into an AC power outlet located on the side of the kitchen cabinet, and then run the charging wires underneath the Gaucho bed to hook up with the POS and NEG wires that come into the trailer from the external from the battery.

My installation alternatives and specific questions are:

(1) Direct to Battery Terminals: Do I have to connect the POS and NEG wires from the BMP C-M-C directly to the POS and NEG terminals on the trailer battery (which is a sealed gel type located outside the trailer)? This will require running the BMP C-M-C wires from inside the trailer to the outside where they will be exposed to movement, water, corrosion, and wear 'n tear.

(2) Immediately Inside Trailer: Alternatively, will it cause problems with the charging system if I hook up the wires from the BMP C-M-C to the POS and NEG wires from the battery immediately after they enter the trailer? This is my preferred alternative since the BMP C-M-C wires will remain safe and dry inside the trailer.

(3) After Cut-Off Switch and Fuse: Or another alternative, is it advisable to hook the BMP C-M-C into the power system after the cut-off switch and fuse? This also appears to be a good alternative but I'm not sure if the fuse and cut-off switch will have any effect on the delivery of the charging pulses delivered to the battery by the BMP C-M-C.

Thanks for any advice and suggestions!

Steve
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Old 11-19-2006, 10:34 PM   #2
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Trailer: Casita 17 ft Liberty Deluxe
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Jeanne/Steve, I'm just curious why you would want to install the battery minder inside the trailer. You can install an Anderson SB connectors on the wires that go to the battery and one on the battery minder. This would give you dual use, one as battery disconnect and a place to plug the battery minder into for charging and maintaining the battery.

This would require the purchase of three connectors, one that attaches to battery wires going into trailer, one that attaches to wires that go to battery and one that attaches to battery minder. Each connector would house the positive and negative wires.

Here is a link to Pete and Dee's web site "Casita Modifications". Scroll down and you will see what one looks like installed on a Casita. They are called Anderson SB connectors and come in different amps and colors. The one shown in the picture is 50amp model.

LInk to Pseabolt Web Site Showing Casita Mods!

This way you only power the battery minder and not the whole trailer all the time. Of course I'm assuming here, so forgive me if I'm not understanding what you are trying to do.
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Old 11-19-2006, 11:02 PM   #3
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Kent - Thanks so much for pointing out the Anderson SB connectors - I was not aware of them and they may help me out with the wiring and installation of my BatteryMINDER Plus. The reason that I want to install the charger-maintainer inside the trailer is that I currently do not have an on-board charger of any kind, and I am looking for a convienent way to keep the battery fully charged here at home and also topped off on the road when I have access to shore power. I do carry a Vector 10/6/2 smart charger when I travel to charge up the battery when it is low, but I have to hook it up each time outside.

Thanks again for your help!

Steve
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Old 11-20-2006, 01:35 PM   #4
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I don't have a good place to put a charger/maintainer outside of the trailer body, so I would prefer an inside installation, as Steve has proposed. There, it can be left in place all of the time, even when it is not in use.

Cutoff switches and fuses won't make any difference to charging (as long as the switch is on!), but which side of each device to choose for connection may matter for issues such as which wires are safe when the disconnect switch is off.

Drawing power from the battery while charging it with a low-output maintainer is not likely a good idea, thus Kent's one-or-the-other plug-in configuration. That may be a good reason for some more management of the connections than just wiring it in full-time. In my case, the trailer's converter does not supply the battery, so when the converter is turned on the battery is disconnected from everything else in the trailer: the switching would be done for me if I just supply AC power to the charger/maintainer from the same source as the converter.
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