Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 4:12 pm
CORRECTION! In my last post, the battery cutoff switch is located below the left side of the driver's side seat - not the right side.
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Rather than try to manage the time the converter is turned on, I take a different approach than Bill. If I have shore power available, I will plug in and disconnect the batteries with the battery disconnect switch. After driving to the camp ground we usually arrive with the batteries fully charged. There's no need to plug into shore power and continue charging them. In fact, I only turn the battery switch back on when I unplug the shore power. The solar controller keeps them topped off while disconnected from the converter.whemme wrote:<snip>
First, from your recent postings, you never mention using your coach battery cutoff switch which leads me to believe that you may not be aware of it. As Mike and Jean mentioned in their recent post when putting your coach into storage you need to shut of this switch to remove all loads from your coach batteries. Now if you want your interior lights, water pump, etc to work during storage of course you will need to turn this switch back ON or plug into shore line power. In my 2002 26' RSB coach and in my earlier 1999 24' RB coach, this cutoff switch was located down below the right side of the driver's side front seat. It may be located elsewhere in other BF coaches.
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Also remember that you can overcharge your batteries while out camping and hooked up to shoreline power. Extended periods of time connected to shoreline power while camping is no different than while connected during times of storage. To avoid overcharging your batteries while camping and plugged into shore line power you can shut off the battery charging section of the Parallax 7345 Charger/Converter by just shutting OFF the 30-amp MAIN circuit breaker in your power panel during the day when your are gone from your coach. Refer to my Photo #2 in the link to my website showing the detailed installation procedure for the PD9160A system. The left most circuit breaker is the MAIN breaker and when shut off will stop and charging of the coach batteries from the shore line power connection. Of course when you are back in the coach and need to run AC powered items, you will need to turn this breaker back ON.
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Bill,whemme wrote:Below is my website link containing 20 pages of detailed instructions and photos on how to replace the existing Parallax 7345 Charger/Converter with a new Progressive Dynamics PD9160A Charger/Converter: http://home.earthlink.net/~whemme/
Bill,whemme wrote:The main reason I chose the PD9160A over some of the units with less output current was that the physical dimensions of that converter fits the best in the metal enclosure from which the old 7345 components were removed.