Adding a deep cycle battery. - Fiberglass RV
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Old 01-21-2019, 09:33 PM   #1
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Name: Menno
Trailer: Boler/ trillium/cadet
Alberta
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Adding a deep cycle battery.

Our Trillium originally never had a battery hook up, I think it would only get the 12volt from the tow vehicle.

Has anyone added a separate 12volt deep cycle to their fiberglass trailer?
How did you do it? How do you keep the battery charged?

Thanks for sharing.
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Old 01-22-2019, 12:46 AM   #2
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the standard RV setup is a 12V power center that takes in 120VAC and turns it into ~12VDC to charge the battery, the power center also provides fuses for the various DC circuits, also the battery is connected to the tow vehicle power so it gets some charging while you're traveling, then optionally many folks have solar panels on their roof that also charge the battery.
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Old 01-22-2019, 01:07 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Menno View Post
Our Trillium originally never had a battery hook up, I think it would only get the 12volt from the tow vehicle.

Has anyone added a separate 12volt deep cycle to their fiberglass trailer?
How did you do it? How do you keep the battery charged?

Thanks for sharing.



This brings up a whole lot of questions First what are you going to power with a 12 volt battery?
Is trailer wired for a 12 interior system.
FYI NOTE: Tail lights, brake lights, back up lights, running lights, and turn signals are all powered in all trailers from the tow vehicle.
Do you have propane furnace that requires 12 volts to run the fan.
That's a good start.
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Old 01-22-2019, 07:01 AM   #4
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Menno, if you have a power converter (shore power connection supplying 120 vac outlets AND 12 vdc for lights), in your Trillium it might look like the photo in this link:

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/a...9&d=1490452049

It allows you to switch back and forth between shore power (labelled TRANS) and battery (labelled BATT).
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Old 01-22-2019, 08:46 AM   #5
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Name: JD
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Personally I added a Progressive PD 4045 since it had distribution for 12 volt and 120 volt for a small trailer.
The following You Tube shows installation in a Tiny House, but it was intended to go into an RV.



The unit will provide 45 amps of DC and charging with the charge wizard and 30 amps of 120 VAC distribution.
I consider this on be perfect for my application.

Here is what Charge Wizard does for you:

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Old 01-22-2019, 10:07 AM   #6
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Name: Michael
Trailer: Casita 16ft.
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If think what you are asking is how to use primarily use your 12v system without a tie to the grid. The simplest answer would be that you need to:
1) install a separate 12v wiring system into your trailer if it does not already have one
2) charge your battery from your tow vehicle's electrical system.

This good for short term stays off grid with minimal power demands ( good for LED lights, vent fans, smart device charging etc. Not refrigeration in most cases) To do that you will need a circuit to tie your 12v trailer battery to your tow vehicle's electrical charging system. That requires a proper plug between the trailer and the TV which that adds a connection to a heavy gauge 12v power feed wire between your TV and your trailer system. You will also need an appropriately sized circuit breaker (HUGELY IMPORTANT) in that line and an isolator to disconnect the circuit when your TV isn't running. This eliminates the possibility that you might drain your TV's battery while parked. You can find instructions and diagrams online for how to do this. Youtube is also a good source. If you do a search on this forum or most any other RV related site you will find those answers too.

If your power needs go up, your charging needs go up too. This is where you will need to add charging ability. Solar panels are the other way to do that if you plan to use your trailer off grid. If you plan to stay in parks with grid power hookups, the before mentioned 120vac>12vdc invertor/ converter systems are the way to go.

If you are not confident in your electrical / mechanical skills, I suggest that you hire this work done by a competent service person. A trailer of RV dealer should employ one. Remember, typical 12vdc. systems powered by a deep cycle / automotive battery carry power approaching 100 amps. Circuits not protected by proper circuit protection can and will cause a fire if something goes wrong. This must be done properly.
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Old 01-25-2019, 07:29 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nor Cal Mike View Post
[Y]ou will need a circuit to tie your 12v trailer battery to your tow vehicle's electrical charging system. That requires a proper plug between the trailer and the TV which that adds a connection to a heavy gauge 12v power feed wire between your TV and your trailer system. You will also need an appropriately sized circuit breaker (HUGELY IMPORTANT) in that line and an isolator to disconnect the circuit when your TV isn't running.
What gauge should that wire be? What size should the circuit breaker be? What does the isolator look like and where does it fit in the circuit? Thanks.
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Old 01-25-2019, 08:10 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by Brian G. View Post
What gauge should that wire be? What size should the circuit breaker be? What does the isolator look like and where does it fit in the circuit? Thanks.
A good idea would be to add a breaker and a relay at the battery.
The relay should be pulled in by a 12 volt source that comes on with the engine running. The wire should be sized for the breaker used and vice versa.
I installed a 30 amp circuit breaker and relay. Run a wire suitability sized to the trailer plug, the larger the better.
The wire can be oversized, but the breaker not. The breaker protects the wire!
If you consider the distance to be about 20' at 3% voltage drop with that 30 amps a #6 wire would be required.
For a 10% voltage drop over 20' a #12 would do.
A good compromise would be a #10 wire since it will be safe for the 30 amps, but at that current level there would be a fair amount of voltage drop.
The #10 wire is OK for the 30 amp breaker as well.
Usually there is not that much current drawn from the TV, but with too much drop the battery will be very slow to charge while towing, particularly if there is a 12 volt load in the trailer at that time.
If you use a diode isolator you should be aware that the drop across the diode would add to the voltage drop and give less charging voltage.
The diode drop is usually about .6 volts so at that 10% voltage drop current that would be 1.38 volts plus .6 volts for a total of nearly 2 volts less .
If the 13.8 at the battery is dropped that 2 volts you have 11.8 at the trailer and no charging. (Assuming 30 amp load)
Lower load less drop from the wire, but the same.6 volts from the diode
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Old 01-25-2019, 11:43 AM   #9
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Trailer: Casita 16ft.
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For 12vdc. only, ( no 120vac ), if you are charging your battery you are really talking about two separate electrical systems. 1) the trailer itself and 2) your tow vehicle. These two systems are connected at the hitch via the same plug that operates your trailer stop, turn & tail lights.

Does your trailer have an existing 12vdc system? If so, what kind and what power rating of any appliances? I doubt if it is that much for such a small trailer as yours. If the trailer has a 12vdc system where did it get it's original power from? That original supply point is the most logical place for the battery to tie in. There should be some kind of fuse of circuit breaker as close to the power supply as practical. The size of breakers and wire are dependent on the expected current draw your system will demand. I doubt that the inside of your trailer will need any size wire above 16 ga. with most of the circuits not larger than 14 ga.

As to the car end, I can tell you that I am using 10ga wire running from the battery to my 7 pin connector at the bumper. Just off of the battery, I have a 30a circuit breaker. I chose 30 a because my 12v electrical system isn't very demanding in terms of power usage. The least expensive isolator would be a solenoid type which would go into the line right after the breaker. Solenoid isolators also require a smaller switched wire which activates the solenoid to turn on the power when your TV's ignition switch is turned on.

I did a search for "12vdc wiring diagrams in travel trailers" and found a bunch of schematics and tutorials on the topic in no time at all. I could have copied and pasted links here but refrained because linking to other websites in a no no on most web forums. I suggest that you do the same in search for more detailed information.
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Old 01-25-2019, 07:13 PM   #10
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Hi Menno... we have a deep cycle 12 volt battery in our 1976 Trillium. When my father still had the trailer, he connected it to the pre-existing 12 volt system in the trailer. There was/is no power centre like on other trailers. Aside from the 3 way fridge, only the interior reading lights use the 12 volt system. There should be a light fixture above the counter/sink area that runs on city power. I use a Genius charger to recharge the battery as needed. It has the added bonus of being able to recondition your battery sometimes if it seems to be going bad. Just make sure you disconnect the battery before you use it. I find the battery will usually last me 2 to 3 weeks on a single charge as it only gets used for lighting. City power gets used for the fridge and anything else. Hope this helps you out.
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Old 01-25-2019, 07:46 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Byron Kinnaman View Post
This brings up a whole lot of questions First what are you going to power with a 12 volt battery?
Is trailer wired for a 12 interior system.
FYI NOTE: Tail lights, brake lights, back up lights, running lights, and turn signals are all powered in all trailers from the tow vehicle.
Do you have propane furnace that requires 12 volts to run the fan.
That's a good start.
Hi Byron... depending on the age of their Trillium, they may have a convection type of propane furnace. That's all we've ever needed. [emoji4]
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Old 01-25-2019, 08:39 PM   #12
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I'm not the original poster but I'm glad Menno asked the question. Just like Mike suggested, I looked at a lot of wiring diagrams when I installed my 12vdc circuits. It was actually a lot of fun.
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Old 01-26-2019, 08:45 AM   #13
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Name: Menno
Trailer: Boler/ trillium/cadet
Alberta
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Lots of info thanks you all for that.


I really want to keep it all simple so what I think I want to do is keep the shore power separate from the 12 volt. I replaced all the lighting with LED bulbs and added a few usb plugs to charge the electronic devices. I think i'm going to get a 100 watt solar panel to charge the battery when off the grid. I have a 3 way fridge but I wont hook up the 12volt wiring. and if worse comes to worse I can a battery charger and I have a 2000 watt champion invertor so I could charge the battery that way as well.
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Old 01-26-2019, 02:50 PM   #14
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many of those 3-way fridges need 12V to light the propane... if you have to match-light the pilot, then probably not.

fully charging a 50% discharged battery can take like 6-8 hours, thats a long time to run a generator.

if you ever think you'll be camping at an RV park with electric hookups, its probably worth it to get a power converter/center
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