Escapees September-October 2024

Installing Dual Input in Tow Vehicle

Let’s begin with a few questions. Do you… • Travel in a motorhome, van, travel trailer or fi fthwheel? • Want to get away from crowds and boondock in beautiful, remote areas? • Prefer to charge your RV battery bank without using a gas generator? • Want to maximize the charging current you get while driving? • Often travel in low sun environments or at night? If you’ve answered “yes” to any of these questions, integrating a DC to DC charger into your solar-powered RV or van adds an easy third way to keep your battery bank charged up. It’s like solar’s little helper when the sun angle is low, when sunshine is non-existent or anytime while you’re driving. We’ve been using a DC to DC charger in our solar-powered rig for about three and a half years, and it’s been a complete game changer! Simply put, if you have an engine that drives, pulls, pushes or otherwise moves your mobile house around, then you have a built-in way to charge up your deep-cycle RV battery bank. Many tow-behind RVs claim that the RV battery bank will charge while driving. While this is true, the small trickle charge (usually around 5A) isn’t powerful enough to do more than keep the batteries topped off once they are already fully charged. Many vans and motorhomes have battery isolators which perform a similar job, but miss out on the opportunity to integrate solar into a multi-source battery charging plan. No matter what time of day you’re driving or whatever the weather conditions may be, these two types of DC to DC chargers will help extend your off-grid experiences! 1) A STANDARD DC TO DC CHARGER boosts the trickle charge coming from the starting battery/alternator (usually between 20A and 60A, depending on the model). 2) A DUAL INPUT DC TO DC CHARGER canaccept a charge from the towing vehicle engine and a solar panel array, eliminating the need for a separate solar charge controller in your system because this device combines the functionality of a charge controller and standard DC to DC charger.

How do DC to DC chargers work? While driving, the alternator acts like a small generator that charges the starting battery and keeps your electronics running in your vehicle (e.g.: stereo, fan, compressor, windows, door locks, etc.). A DC to DC char ger takes advantage of some of this extra charging current, boosts it like a pump and sends it to a deep cycle battery (or battery bank) to which it is connected, thus, more effectively charging your RV or van battery bank while driving. Selecting the correct type, and size, and using the appropriate wiring, is key to both the safety of your system as well as your satisfaction with its performance! Standard DC to DC Charger A standard DC to DC Charger is ideal, if you: • Drive often and want to take advantage of the boost in charging current coming from your alternator to charge your deep-cycle RV battery bank. • Already have a solar suitcase or portable solar panel with a built-in charge control ler that you use while camping. • Don’t have (nor plan to install) permanent solar panels on your RV or van roof. • Live or travel in a region (or season) with low sun availability.

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ESCAPEES Magazine September/October 2024