Sprinter chassis battery

[Winterbagoal]

Originally Posted by JoeC

You can have solar panels too if you choose. The Amp-L-Start is all solid state with built-in intelligence to not drain the coach battery and only charges the chassis battery when there is excess power (>12.8 or 6.4 volts) when some form of charger is applied to the coach battery. However after reading the specs again, it unfortunately is not available for 24 VDC systems, just 12 and 6 VDC systems.

When dry camping, you will be draining your coach battery at a far greater rate than the chassis battery and will require a generator run or shore power plug-in long before the chassis battery runs down. Chassis batteries get run down during long periods of not running the engine, normally the only source of charge power. Amp-L-Start fixes this problem although currently only for 12 and 6 VDC systems. So until another product is produced for 24 VDC systems, solar may be the only option, provided it too is somehow connected to both the chassis and coach batteries.

I actually mentioned solar in my post which you quoted. Perhaps it wasn't obvious. I mentioned having the "2X100W panels" available as an off grid alternative to charge the coach batteries, when not plugged in or able to run the generator.
Also, 24V refers to the Winnebago View/Navion model, not a reference to a specific voltage. You seem to be misinterpreting the prior "24V" reference in your response. The OP has a 2019 24V, Texasview has the 2018 View 24V and I also have a 2018 Navion 24V, and all came with 2 X 100W solar panels on the roof as standard equipment.
Thanks for the info on the TriklStart and Amplstart only working when the house/coach batteries are above 12.8V or are actively being charged. That did answer my question about same.

[JoeC]

Thanks for the clarification. When talking about battery issues, we must be careful to describe the issue and precede the 24V with "model" so as not to confuse the model number with voltage of the electrical system.

[akeagle]

Arguably the easiest way to ensure all batteries are kept charged while in winter storage is to faithfully visit your rig once a month and start the chassis engine and coach generator and let them run for at least an hour. Just about everything I read about the generator said it had to be under load, so I turn on a milkhouse heater. This method worked fine last winter in Anchorage with no ill effects noted.

[JoeC]

Originally Posted by akeagle

Arguably the easiest way to ensure all batteries are kept charged while in winter storage is to faithfully visit your rig once a month and start the chassis engine and coach generator and let them run for at least an hour. Just about everything I read about the generator said it had to be under load, so I turn on a milkhouse heater. This method worked fine last winter in Anchorage with no ill effects noted.

This method will keep the batteries from running down fully which is bad for battery health, but not fully charging the batteries is also not good for them either. Lead acid batteries take a long time to fully charge as they resist charging when nearing the full charge point. Continual partial charging leads to sulfation and reduction in battery capacity over time. This is one reason why some RVers are looking at converting to lithium batteries, which lose very little charge disconnected and charge fully very quickly in just a few hours instead of days. The major drawback is cost; at about $1,000 per typical battery plus a new power supply / charger designed to properly charge lithium batteries. And you need to prevent the engine alternator from over charging the lithium batteries which can be very damaging to them.

Even disconnected, lead acid batteries lose significant charge in a month's time and require charging. The best way to keep your batteries healthy is by connecting them to a multi-stage charger for at least several days at a time or staying plugged in to shore power where the rig's power supply / charger will properly maintain the batteries.