Outline · [ Standard ] · Linear+ truck camper/rv electrical assessment, need a 12 volt rv system guru

[lyman guy]

I have a 2013 livin lite 10', and we are very pleased with the quality of the camper and its components. But I am at a loss on being able to assess the effectiveness of our F250 alternator in charging the battery while we are on the road, and of the built in charge maintainer, which is part of the camper electrical system. This started when the truck stopped charging the camper battery, while traveling last year. We had never had a problem with our truck charging the battery on our 20 year old camper and running the 12 vt refrigerator while traveling. Ended up that there was a "hidden fuse" under the sink that had not been mentioned in any of the manuals we got when we bought the camper.
I have read a whole lot of online experts on the merits of built in trickle chargers in the inverters supplied with campers, and how they just maintain when on shore power. Some experts suggest to supplement the inverters with a more sophisticated and to be honest, more confusing charging set up, while on shore power.
We do not use a microwave, and have led's in all our lights. I would like to be able to trust our truck to maintain the refrigerator while traveling, and to be able to trust the battery to run our furnace for several nights without running the truck. One wrinkle is our electrical corner jacks. I had used our onboard camper battery to raise and lower the camper at the beginning of the trip when we lost the truck being able to charge while traveling. It was a 15 amp 12 vt fuse that had burned out, probably when we were not plugged in, and burned out while we were traveling. But I would like to be able to use the jacks when we are not plugged in, not regularly, but as a backup in case we were stuck somewhere.

I am looking for a certified expert with experience in assessing RV charging systems who is not trying to sell me anything I don't need, but giving me an idea of what I have, should it work, and what I might need for an alternator upgrade in my truck, or a separate charging system when we are plugged in. I am not interested in solar charging systems, but in knowing exactly what I have, and how it should be working.

Can anyone recommend someone they know who is an expert in this, in Vermont or in the New England area? Thanks for any help.

[RV_Tech]

I have a 2013 livin lite 10', and we are very pleased with the quality of the camper and its components. But I am at a loss on being able to assess the effectiveness of our F250 alternator in charging the battery while we are on the road, and of the built in charge maintainer, which is part of the camper electrical system. This started when the truck stopped charging the camper battery, while traveling last year. We had never had a problem with our truck charging the battery on our 20 year old camper and running the 12 vt refrigerator while traveling. Ended up that there was a "hidden fuse" under the sink that had not been mentioned in any of the manuals we got when we bought the camper.
I have read a whole lot of online experts on the merits of built in trickle chargers in the inverters supplied with campers, and how they just maintain when on shore power. Some experts suggest to supplement the inverters with a more sophisticated and to be honest, more confusing charging set up, while on shore power.
We do not use a microwave, and have led's in all our lights. I would like to be able to trust our truck to maintain the refrigerator while traveling, and to be able to trust the battery to run our furnace for several nights without running the truck. One wrinkle is our electrical corner jacks. I had used our onboard camper battery to raise and lower the camper at the beginning of the trip when we lost the truck being able to charge while traveling. It was a 15 amp 12 vt fuse that had burned out, probably when we were not plugged in, and burned out while we were traveling. But I would like to be able to use the jacks when we are not plugged in, not regularly, but as a backup in case we were stuck somewhere.

I am looking for a certified expert with experience in assessing RV charging systems who is not trying to sell me anything I don't need, but giving me an idea of what I have, should it work, and what I might need for an alternator upgrade in my truck, or a separate charging system when we are plugged in. I am not interested in solar charging systems, but in knowing exactly what I have, and how it should be working.

Can anyone recommend someone they know who is an expert in this, in Vermont or in the New England area? Thanks for any help.

I do not know the Certified RV Techs in your area, but can tell you it does not take a great deal of expertise to evaluate your checking system. I can not tell you at a distance the amp draws and amp output of your charging systems (on-board power converter (not inverter) nor the amp output of charge lead from your truck, but those questions can be answered in very little time by anyone who has a quality multimeter and knows how to use it.

I would not add components until you understand what you have and whether your expectations are reasonable given your system. One of my initial thoughts is available 12-volt power is quite limited, if you have only one battery on-board and either solar panels or a small generator would be worthwhile considerations if you intend to spend much time "off-the-grid".

Steve

[skyhammer]

Check out http://truckcamperwarehouse.com/livin-lite/, they are a full service dealer and sell your brand of camper. They are just north of Brattleboro VT. On the road to Keene,NH.