Charging coach batteries while your Born Free is in storage
Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2009 4:40 pm
Here are a couple of recommended ways to keep your coach batteries fully charged and protected from over-charge while your Born Free coach is in storage.
First off, if you are one who has removed the original single-stage Magnetek/Parallax 7345 Charger/Converter and replaced it with a modern 3-stage charger/converter such as the WFCO unit or one of the Progressive Dynamic units then all you need to do is plug your coach into a source of 120 VAC shore line power and make sure your coach battery master switch is turned ON. These modern 3-stage units will keep you coach batteries fully charged with no danger of over-charging them with the resulting loss of battery acid and reduction in battery life. Please do not use the standard 7345 Charger/Converter with the coach plugged into shore line power over extended periods of time for this purpose while in storage as this will result in damage to your batteries.
If you still have the original Magnetek/Parallax 7345 Charger/Converter, then I would recommend a separate 3-stage trickle charger such as the VDC Electronics P/N 12117 Battery MinderPlus be used. Click on the manufacturer's website below for info on this device.
http://www.batteryminders.com/batterych ... 16134.html
To use it, in this case you want your coach battery master switch turned OFF. Then use the supplied cable with the red and black alligator clips attached to the Battery Minder. Open up your coach battery compartment and slide your battery tray out about half-way. Connect the black alligator clip to a battery negative (-) terminal and the red alligator clip to a battery positive (+) terminal and then plug the Battery Minder into a source of 120 VAC power.
The Battery Minder can be purchased directly from the manufacturer's website above for the current price of $69.95 or generally for less at various other online vendors. It currently can be purchased for $45.29 from the following Amazon.com website link: http://www.amazon.com/Electronics-Batte ... sim_misc_3
First off, if you are one who has removed the original single-stage Magnetek/Parallax 7345 Charger/Converter and replaced it with a modern 3-stage charger/converter such as the WFCO unit or one of the Progressive Dynamic units then all you need to do is plug your coach into a source of 120 VAC shore line power and make sure your coach battery master switch is turned ON. These modern 3-stage units will keep you coach batteries fully charged with no danger of over-charging them with the resulting loss of battery acid and reduction in battery life. Please do not use the standard 7345 Charger/Converter with the coach plugged into shore line power over extended periods of time for this purpose while in storage as this will result in damage to your batteries.
If you still have the original Magnetek/Parallax 7345 Charger/Converter, then I would recommend a separate 3-stage trickle charger such as the VDC Electronics P/N 12117 Battery MinderPlus be used. Click on the manufacturer's website below for info on this device.
http://www.batteryminders.com/batterych ... 16134.html
To use it, in this case you want your coach battery master switch turned OFF. Then use the supplied cable with the red and black alligator clips attached to the Battery Minder. Open up your coach battery compartment and slide your battery tray out about half-way. Connect the black alligator clip to a battery negative (-) terminal and the red alligator clip to a battery positive (+) terminal and then plug the Battery Minder into a source of 120 VAC power.
The Battery Minder can be purchased directly from the manufacturer's website above for the current price of $69.95 or generally for less at various other online vendors. It currently can be purchased for $45.29 from the following Amazon.com website link: http://www.amazon.com/Electronics-Batte ... sim_misc_3