Battery Charging Carbon 338

[newman]

Hello,

Quick question. When using shore line to charge battery does the battery need to be in the on position?

Same questions for when using the generator that comes with 5th wheel- not an add on... Does battery need to be in the own position?

Thanks for help

[JRTJH]

First, welcome to the forum, we're glad to have you join with us to better understand your RV.

Now, with no knowledge of what RV you own, what condition it is in, whether it's new, in "factory OEM condition and factory OEM wiring" or whether it's a "new to you trailer" and that some other owner might have changed the wiring configuration....

So, this refers ONLY to OEM wiring connections in every Keystone trailer that I've seen with OEM configuration:

The battery cutoff switch is typically the type with a red key to turn it on/off. If the key can be removed, the BCO is OFF/disconnected and if the key can not be removed the BCO is in the ON/connected position.

So, if your BCO "red key" can not be removed from the switch, the BCO is ON and the converter "should be charging the battery/batteries"... If the key CAN be removed, the BCO is OFF and the converter can not charge the battery/batteries.

There are two fuses on the face of the converter, that are typically "red 40 amp plug in fuses" and they are called "reverse polarity fuses". Their purpose is to protect the trailer (and converter) electronics from the mistake of connecting the battery "backwards". If they are blown, the converter can not charge the battery/batteries.

There are two (or more) automatic resetting circuit breakers directly connected to the POS battery cable, usually within 24" of the battery. ALL power goes through the first circuit breaker and some power is split there and goes to the second circuit breaker. The BCO is connected AFTER the first circuit breaker as is the converter. So, if one of those circuit breakers is defective/broken the converter can not charge the battery.

Lastly, if the battery/batteries are defective, the converter will not be able to charge the battery. If there are two batteries, if one is defective, it MAY be preventing all other batteries in the system from receiving a charge, so if you have two batteries, if one is defective, it may affect the entire system.

If you find any battery in the system is defective, it's recommended to replace ALL the batteries. Any replacements should be the same size/brand. Pairing "new/old" or "mismatched size/amperage" batteries is an easy way to damage them.

So, in short, if you can remove the "red key" the batteries should not be charging and if the "red key" is inserted and can not be removed, the converter should be charging the battery/batteries.

[travelin texans]

Regardless if it's the key type disconnect or the red knob type, it must be in the "on"/"connected" position for the batteries to charge. If plugged in & charging while being stored be sure to check the water levels in the battery cells periodically topping off with distilled water.
Neither of those disconnect types will completely disconnect the parsitic drains on your batteries. The CO/LP detector along with a few other items connected directly to batteries will drain them in a couple days or weeks. Removing the the negative cable going directly to ground will completely disconnect those drains or add a disconnect to that cable.