# When Does The Outback Battery Charge?



## Fanatical1 (Jan 9, 2006)

I have a couple of battery charging questions to help me better understand how the battery in the Outback is charged. I know it charges 
when hooked up to 110V but....

Does the battery charge when your towing or hooked up to the tow vehicle while the engine is running?

Does the battery charge when it's hooked up to the tow vehcicle when the engine is not running?

I want to know if I am dry camping and need to charge the battery a little, can it be hooked up to the tow vehicle and get a small charge?

Thanks,

Mark


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## Katrina (Dec 16, 2004)

I can't speak on dodge trucks in particular.
I will say that no truck is confirmed charging until you check it with a test light or meter.
If it's a new GM truck, you have to install a fuse before it will charge. If it's a very new GM truck, you have to connect a wire before it will charge. 
Then the GM trucks charge all the time.

If it's a ford truck, you have to install a relay before it will charge. Even then, the fords only charge with the ignition on.

Not sure if the Dodges will charge from the factory or not, but you should really test it before you assume it's charging.


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## Ghosty (Jan 17, 2005)

Your battery is charged via a 110 Inverter while hooked to a shore line. However you should -- when you can -- also "top" off the charge with a good battery charger ... My Outback will charge my batteries to 94% of their capacity -- i use a charger to get them to 100%...

My vehicle trickle charges the batteries when i have it connected to the truck. Of course each make is different so check your manufacturer.

Once again dependant on your make -- but if i hook my outback up to my truck and the engine is NOT running -- my Outback still charges off the truck battery (drains it) --and yes -- has the potential to drain the battery... (my Chevy has a battery saver onit that will only allow the main battery to drop to a certain point before it disconnects everything) ... but yep -- there has been several horror stories on this board where folks has overnighted (ie WalMart parking lot) .. did not disconnect their truck.. ran the heater all night .. and had a DEAD TV in the monring...

so yes -- if you are dry camping and need some juice -- then yu can hook it up -- but you are NOT going to be charging that dead battery very much at the same time... (ie -- you can't hook that dead outback up and run the truck for 30 minutes and have a fully charged Outback -- you would have to run it a very long time... actually in that case you would be better to unhook the battery from the outback -- and charge it directly from the truck)

my .02


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## Justman (Jul 22, 2006)

Howdy!

I think most people would agree that the only time your battery is actually charging is when it's hooked up to shore power. You may get a small charge from your TV while it's hooked up and the engine is running, but it will literally take FOREVER to do this unless you have a higher capacity altenator. You can purchase an after market altenator that will charge the battery faster, but a good generator will do the same thing for a lot less (in cost of operation anyway).

Case in point... I've driven for 2 hours on a medium charged battery and had exactly the same amount of charge that it had when I left the house. It might have been more, but it sure wasn't measurable. I think the reason this is (others can chime in here if I'm incorrect) is that your vehicle draws quite a bit of the power that your altenator is producing. If you buy a larger capacity altenator, then the excess power can be used to charge your battery.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

On my 04 Suburban, I get power from just plugging the trailer into the Suburban (engine off). I did this once as a test....just to see what would happen.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

1 - Yes

2 - Not really but it can equalize voltage if the TV batteries are at a higher charge state then the TT batteries.

3 - Yes


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## lori26 (Jul 23, 2007)

Thanks for asking this question. I wondered about this too.

Lori


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## Steve McNeil (Aug 30, 2004)

Katrina said:


> I can't speak on dodge trucks in particular.
> I will say that no truck is confirmed charging until you check it with a test light or meter.
> If it's a new GM truck, you have to install a fuse before it will charge. If it's a very new GM truck, you have to connect a wire before it will charge.
> Then the GM trucks charge all the time.
> ...


Katrina,

I have a 2006 GMC truck and I never connected a wire for it to charge. I am I missing something. Also, i have another question. It is time to replace my battery. What is the best battery for the RV to use (12 volt)?

Thanks

Steve


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Steve McNeil said:


> Also, i have another question. It is time to replace my battery. What is the best battery for the RV to use (12 volt)?


Steve....check out this thread. The battery conversation comes up all the time.

http://www.outbackers.com/forums/index.php...723&hl=dual


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## Katrina (Dec 16, 2004)

Steve McNeil said:


> I can't speak on dodge trucks in particular.
> I will say that no truck is confirmed charging until you check it with a test light or meter.
> If it's a new GM truck, you have to install a fuse before it will charge. If it's a very new GM truck, you have to connect a wire before it will charge.
> Then the GM trucks charge all the time.
> ...


Katrina,

I have a 2006 GMC truck and I never connected a wire for it to charge. I am I missing something. Also, i have another question. It is time to replace my battery. What is the best battery for the RV to use (12 volt)?

Thanks

Steve
[/quote]

Steve, there's no wire to connect on a 2006. That started with the new style 07 models.
There is a fuse that needs to be installed under the hood though. unless you have a diesel with dual batteries from the factory.
The diesels come with the fuse already installed for some reason.
If you already installed the fuse, you should be good. If you have doubts, let me know here and I'll try to get you a pic of where it goes.


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## Steve McNeil (Aug 30, 2004)

Katrina said:


> I can't speak on dodge trucks in particular.
> I will say that no truck is confirmed charging until you check it with a test light or meter.
> If it's a new GM truck, you have to install a fuse before it will charge. If it's a very new GM truck, you have to connect a wire before it will charge.
> Then the GM trucks charge all the time.
> ...


Katrina,

I have a 2006 GMC truck and I never connected a wire for it to charge. I am I missing something. Also, i have another question. It is time to replace my battery. What is the best battery for the RV to use (12 volt)?

Thanks

Steve
[/quote]

Steve, there's no wire to connect on a 2006. That started with the new style 07 models.
There is a fuse that needs to be installed under the hood though. unless you have a diesel with dual batteries from the factory.
The diesels come with the fuse already installed for some reason.
If you already installed the fuse, you should be good. If you have doubts, let me know here and I'll try to get you a pic of where it goes.
[/quote]

Thanks Katrina,

I have a diesel truck with the fuse. I had just hadn't heard about the wire part. my ob is 3 1/2 years old and my second battery is shot. I really needed to know what the best way to go with on me battery, so I don't have to replace it again in the next year and half.

Steve


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## wildeyedandbuckwild (Jan 2, 2008)

I have a 07 5er; I pull it with a 2000 F250 with 7.3. I have not been a long time hauler but I have live in my camper over the last year for 80% of the year, pulling it up and down the East Coast for work. And I can tell you this that I have had my batteries in the camper 1/3 charged and left a camp site that morning and pulled into another campsite that afternoon and the batteries are 100% charged. So I would have to say that, when you are hook to the T.V. yes you are charging. Good little test is to run your batteries down, not drained all the way. Hook you T.V. to it and let it run. That will tell you if it charging your battery.


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## OutbackPM (Sep 14, 2005)

Steve McNeil said:


> . my ob is 3 1/2 years old and my second battery is shot. Steve


Steve

Do you diconnect your battery when you store it? The propane detector draws alot of current and in about 2 weeks it will flattent the battery. It will also give you an alarm when the battery volatage is low. The battery will wear out much faster if it discharges fuuly each time you have it back in storage. There have been some threads with usefull links that estimate the life based on the depth of discharge.

My OB is 2.5 yearas old and I have disconnected the battery each time. I even leave it on the trailer in winter time as we do go out with it. I don't boondock so it does not have the deep discharge that it might camping without shore power.

Better luck with your third


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Steve McNeil said:


> Thanks Katrina,
> 
> I have a diesel truck with the fuse. I had just hadn't heard about the wire part. my ob is 3 1/2 years old and my second battery is shot. I really needed to know what the best way to go with on me battery, so I don't have to replace it again in the next year and half.
> 
> Steve


Steve,

It sounds like the battery is being abused somehow. There are several ways to kill them, but the most popular are probably: Completely draining of power from them being left hooked up; Cooking them dry by overcharging (check water levels and make sure the charger is working properly); Letting them freeze (They freeze much easier if discharged).

My pop up used to do a good job of cooking them. The OB charger is much better, but not perfect. It's ok though since I don't leave it plugged in. Forgetting to disconnect them while in storage or running the furnace until they are dead is another good way to kill them.


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## Morgueman (Dec 3, 2006)

Couple of clarifications...

1. Converters convert 120AC (shore line) to 12V DC current. Outbacks come with a converter.
2. Inverters convert 12V DC current to 120AC. Outbacks DO NOT come with an inverter.
3. My understanding is that you will charge your Outback batttery(ies) when electrically connected to your tow vehicle WHEN your tow vehicle is running at least 2500 - 3000 rpms. Therefore, you cannot expect to leave your parked TV running while connected and expected the Outback batteries to get charged. If you try it, you'll be putting your exhaust manifold at risk of damage.

Hope that helps!
Eric


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Morgueman said:


> Couple of clarifications...
> 
> 1. Converters convert 120AC (shore line) to 12V DC current. Outbacks come with a converter.
> 2. Inverters convert 12V DC current to 120AC. Outbacks DO NOT come with an inverter.
> ...


Not going to happen on a Diesel. I get full current output by 1000 rpm and it will charge at a lower rpm. The limiting factor is not speed but the wire size from the engine compartment to the trailer connection.


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## bigdisneydaddy (Oct 26, 2007)

CamperAndy said:


> Couple of clarifications...
> 
> 1. Converters convert 120AC (shore line) to 12V DC current. Outbacks come with a converter.
> 2. Inverters convert 12V DC current to 120AC. Outbacks DO NOT come with an inverter.
> ...


Not going to happen on a Diesel. I get full current output by 1000 rpm and it will charge at a lower rpm. The limiting factor is not speed but the wire size from the engine compartment to the trailer connection.
[/quote]

Agreed, my truck doesnt get over 2000 RPM on the road. Most alternators are made to produce their peak output much lower than 2500 rpm. Beside wire size the capacity of the alternator as well as load have an impact.


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## Steve McNeil (Aug 30, 2004)

Nathan said:


> Thanks Katrina,
> 
> I have a diesel truck with the fuse. I had just hadn't heard about the wire part. my ob is 3 1/2 years old and my second battery is shot. I really needed to know what the best way to go with on me battery, so I don't have to replace it again in the next year and half.
> 
> Steve


Steve,

It sounds like the battery is being abused somehow. There are several ways to kill them, but the most popular are probably: Completely draining of power from them being left hooked up; Cooking them dry by overcharging (check water levels and make sure the charger is working properly); Letting them freeze (They freeze much easier if discharged).

My pop up used to do a good job of cooking them. The OB charger is much better, but not perfect. It's ok though since I don't leave it plugged in. Forgetting to disconnect them while in storage or running the furnace until they are dead is another good way to kill them.
[/quote]

I think my problem is leaving the tt plugged in during storage. I do keep an eye on the water level in the battery, to keep at the proper level. I also use distrilled water to fill the battery, when needed. I friend told me to buy some type of acid to refill the battery up.

Steve


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## map guy (Jan 11, 2007)

Steve McNeil said:


> Thanks Katrina,
> 
> I have a diesel truck with the fuse. I had just hadn't heard about the wire part. my ob is 3 1/2 years old and my second battery is shot. I really needed to know what the best way to go with on me battery, so I don't have to replace it again in the next year and half.
> 
> Steve


Steve,

It sounds like the battery is being abused somehow. There are several ways to kill them, but the most popular are probably: Completely draining of power from them being left hooked up; Cooking them dry by overcharging (check water levels and make sure the charger is working properly); Letting them freeze (They freeze much easier if discharged).

My pop up used to do a good job of cooking them. The OB charger is much better, but not perfect. It's ok though since I don't leave it plugged in. Forgetting to disconnect them while in storage or running the furnace until they are dead is another good way to kill them.
[/quote]

I think my problem is leaving the tt plugged in during storage. I do keep an eye on the water level in the battery, to keep at the proper level. I also use distrilled water to fill the battery, when needed. I friend told me to buy some type of acid to refill the battery up.

Steve
[/quote]

Does seem like your battery life is short even if a 12v marine combination cranking /deep cycle type.

What type of camping do you do? With or without hook-ups? This will have great influence on how your battery performs - normal starting (cranking) type batteries, really doesn't matter the voltage, cannot withstand repeated deep discharge cycles between charging sessions. Marine/combination starting/deep cycle batteries are more tolerant of moderate depth of discharge between charging sessions. To be able to pull your battery or batteries down to the 50% range of discharge a true deep cycle or AGM battery is needed to last any length of time. Power consumption/camping conditions (hookup/no hook ups) really determine what type battery to buy and how much capacity those battery (ies) need to contain.

So a little more info on your camping habits needs to be known to determine if current usage patterns are actually why the batteries are not lasting or not. Also, you must keep the batteries full charged when idle for maximum life.

Map Guy


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## 2500Ram (Oct 30, 2005)

Morgueman said:


> 3. My understanding is that you will charge your Outback batttery(ies) when electrically connected to your tow vehicle WHEN your tow vehicle is running at least 2500 - 3000 rpms. Therefore, you cannot expect to leave your parked TV running while connected and expected the Outback batteries to get charged. If you try it, you'll be putting your exhaust manifold at risk of damage.
> 
> Hope that helps!
> Eric


My truck doesn't reach 2500rpm while towing, maybe a short burst while passing but it's around 2000 rpm normally and yes it will charge a low battery in a few hours from 1/3 to Full. Now I believe I have a larger alternator (guessing as I don't know what a gas ram has) but I'm constantly charging 2 for the truck and 2 for the TT. I carry a gen when dry camping so I've never high idled the truck to charge this TT. Now our old popup I used to remove the battery and run it in my bronco to charge if we were going to town.

Good luck.

Bill.


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## Steve McNeil (Aug 30, 2004)

map guy said:


> Thanks Katrina,
> 
> I have a diesel truck with the fuse. I had just hadn't heard about the wire part. my ob is 3 1/2 years old and my second battery is shot. I really needed to know what the best way to go with on me battery, so I don't have to replace it again in the next year and half.
> 
> Steve


Steve,

It sounds like the battery is being abused somehow. There are several ways to kill them, but the most popular are probably: Completely draining of power from them being left hooked up; Cooking them dry by overcharging (check water levels and make sure the charger is working properly); Letting them freeze (They freeze much easier if discharged).

My pop up used to do a good job of cooking them. The OB charger is much better, but not perfect. It's ok though since I don't leave it plugged in. Forgetting to disconnect them while in storage or running the furnace until they are dead is another good way to kill them.
[/quote]

I think my problem is leaving the tt plugged in during storage. I do keep an eye on the water level in the battery, to keep at the proper level. I also use distrilled water to fill the battery, when needed. I friend told me to buy some type of acid to refill the battery up.

Steve
[/quote]

Does seem like your battery life is short even if a 12v marine combination cranking /deep cycle type.

What type of camping do you do? With or without hook-ups? This will have great influence on how your battery performs - normal starting (cranking) type batteries, really doesn't matter the voltage, cannot withstand repeated deep discharge cycles between charging sessions. Marine/combination starting/deep cycle batteries are more tolerant of moderate depth of discharge between charging sessions. To be able to pull your battery or batteries down to the 50% range of discharge a true deep cycle or AGM battery is needed to last any length of time. Power consumption/camping conditions (hookup/no hook ups) really determine what type battery to buy and how much capacity those battery (ies) need to contain.

So a little more info on your camping habits needs to be known to determine if current usage patterns are actually why the batteries are not lasting or not. Also, you must keep the batteries full charged when idle for maximum life.

Map Guy
[/quote]

Map Guy,

Almost all of my camping is done with Full Hook-ups. The battery that I have right now is a Marine battery. It actually started releasing acid out of the top of it and onto the ground. I had it unplugged from power for a few weeks with the cables off of it. I hooked the battery back up and I was back in my building a few hours later and the alarm was going off. I went and checked the lights, they worked. Once I hit the main light switch, the alarm stopped going off. I then plugged the tt back into the power outlet. I check the water level about every week to week and half and make sure the water level is correct. With the tt pluged in almost 90% + of the time, it should be keeping the battery charged.

Steve


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## Morgueman (Dec 3, 2006)

Diesel vs. gas differences noted...Thanks for the education. How will your diesels do, in terms of charging your Outback battery(ies), when idling. Is this not recommended, as it is with the gassers?


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## map guy (Jan 11, 2007)

Steve McNeil said:


> Map Guy,
> 
> Almost all of my camping is done with Full Hook-ups. The battery that I have right now is a Marine battery. It actually started releasing acid out of the top of it and onto the ground. I had it unplugged from power for a few weeks with the cables off of it. I hooked the battery back up and I was back in my building a few hours later and the alarm was going off. I went and checked the lights, they worked. Once I hit the main light switch, the alarm stopped going off. I then plugged the tt back into the power outlet. I check the water level about every week to week and half and make sure the water level is correct. With the tt pluged in almost 90% + of the time, it should be keeping the battery charged.
> 
> Steve


Did the red above happen while charging? Some boiling is normal but having a battery expel a bunch of electrolyte quickly is a sign of over charging or bad battery. If a Grp 24 battery was left sitting for a time period like two weeks less than fully charged it has some sulfation damage to the lead plates. A desulfation routine may help but it is a big maybe.....

Seems like you need to do some troubleshooting with a meter to determine if charger/converter is working properly. Along with making sure you have no loose connections/corrosion issues in the charger and battery wiring. Not sure what you have for a charger/converter in your 28RSS but early Outbacks had two stage battery boiler Charger/converters. Late model Outbacks have a decent WFCO charger/converter that is three stage. Early ones killed batteries when connected for long time periods even with constant watering. Late model WFCO if working/wired properly shouldn't hurt batteries or need constant watering.

Map Guy


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Morgueman said:


> Diesel vs. gas differences noted...Thanks for the education. How will your diesels do, in terms of charging your Outback battery(ies), when idling. Is this not recommended, as it is with the gassers?


They actually charge really well at idle. A lot of diesel owners idle their trucks a lot as they do not like to temp cycle them. The pulley sizing is such that even at 700 rpm there is a very good output from the alternator and between 1000 and 1200 rpm full output is available.


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## 2500Ram (Oct 30, 2005)

CamperAndy said:


> Diesel vs. gas differences noted...Thanks for the education. How will your diesels do, in terms of charging your Outback battery(ies), when idling. Is this not recommended, as it is with the gassers?


They actually charge really well at idle. A lot of diesel owners idle their trucks a lot as they do not like to temp cycle them. The pulley sizing is such that even at 700 rpm there is a very good output from the alternator and between 1000 and 1200 rpm full output is available.
[/quote]

But be careful your not washing/wet stacking your cylinders idling a 3/4 or 1 ton diesel truck. As it's explained to me Washing/wet stacking is when the truck egt's lower due to prolonged idling and the cylinder walls cool and you don't finish the entire combustion of the fuel and the leftover fuel will get past the rings into the oil, Google reference. High idle 1200rpm stops the cylinder walls from cooling and you can idle all day and night if you want, the key is to maintain, I was told 275* pre turbo.

A lot of big rigs never shut off except for oil changes but they have high idle enabled.

You can buy or might already have (I believe 03+ Rams/Cummins are enabled from the factory for high idle but that's only for cold air temps) a high idle feature if you have a computer programmer installed, also with high idle you get a turbo timer to allow your turbo to cool, so you shut off your truck, remove the keys, lock the door and your truck is still running until a set temp is meet and then it will shut off. Another good thing.

Good luck
Bill.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Never said it was a great idea but it will work. No one wants to listen to a diesel truck on fast idle in a campground. Only do it in an emergency.


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## 2500Ram (Oct 30, 2005)

Maybe I gave the wrong impression in my post. It was meant to inform that idling a diesel is OK if done at high idle. Too many people read diesel and think it can idle all night like the big rigs.

Agree who wants to hear my noisy 2nd gen Cummins even rolling into the campground at idle. Your 3rd gen is like a gas engine to me sound wise.

Bill.


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## Fanatical1 (Jan 9, 2006)

Normally when I go camping I pull the Outback from storage into my drive and plug it into 110 the
night before the trip. This allows the fridge to get cold and the battery to charge while it's been in storage for a week or two
so when I leave for the campground my battery is always fully charged. By doing this I have no idea if the tow vehicle is
charging the battery in the Outback since it's at full charge when I leave for a trip.

It appears that it does charge based on the posts here. This summer I plan to do my own test and leave for a trip with
the battery at half charge or so and then check it when I arrive at the campground. This should give me a general idea
of how quickly it will charge based on the length of the trip.

The Dodge diesel I have is not reccomended for extended idling for a number of reasons, one of which is the 
EPA equipment installed on the newer diesel trucks. However, it does have a high idle feature that is controled while
in park by using the cruise control accel/decel button which will allow you to raise the idle from 700RPM all the way to 1200 RPM.
Higher RPM idle will not cause any issues with the engine.

I do not plan on extended battery charging while dry camping by using the tow vehicle, but it's helpful to know it can be done
if necessary.

Thanks again for everyones input!


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