So I installed trik-l-charge still have a few questions...

[Rick Penick]

So i was having issues with charging my chassis batteries. Eric and others were kind enough to guide me along. They suggested echo charge so i looked and was readying and found what is called TRIL-L-Charge. These are made in the USA and the are 59.95 plus shipping. I hooked it up and she is working like a champ. I plug into shore power and it bleeds off the house batteries like ech charge. It also is 10 amps.
So question i have is how much electric am i consuming by having it plugged in constantly? I have solar on the roof but i am getting 10.5 volts total from what i can tell with what i have which is old panels some are original to the coach. I have some 100 watt panels i am considering installing later. I have a trace c40 charge /load controller which should be able to handle the new panels. So if i increase the panel sizes will that  charge all my batteries with out plugging in?
Also i did find a parasitic draw from and old security system on the coach i removed the fuses and that went away.
Also i have the inverter/converter switched on below and the panel in the coach on as well to get all this to work.
The trik-l-charge has monitoring indicator lights and i mounted that overhead when i open the door it is clearly visible.

Thanks
Rick

[Eric Maclean]

Rick
Provided you have most things turned off in the coach except the inverters charger that it takes very little electricity to maintain the batteries.

On your solar panels I believe in our model year there are three panels on the roof two fourth watt panels for the coach and one 15 watt for the chassis .
For some reason the chassis panel is connected with a fuse to the chassis side of the boost solenoid without any forum of regulation I assume this is because  fifteen watts is only a tricks charge at best .

The two forty watt panels are connected to a small yellow charge controller at the other side of the isolator board.
The wires run to the rear of the coach and up to the roof up the rear cap and on tongue centre of the roof .
These wires two positive and one negitive ( shared between the panels) are all only ten AWG  which is not heaven enough for much more panel meaning your will need to run new wirers up there to allow higher current panels without excessive volt drop.
Because volt drop is your enemy when it comes to solar charging.

On the panels you have the old. Circuit voltage ( not connected to the charger controler) in full sun should be in the 20 volt range
At ten volts they certainly won't charge a 12 volt battery.
Coincidentally I removed all the panels from my roof and am in the process of installing six one hundred watt panels and new wIreing and charge controller.

Hope this helps
Eric

[Rick Penick]

 Eric would you mind sending me some pictures of what you are doing. I did see a solar PVM box thing in the engine area but there are so many wires it is a night mare and its like a rats nest not sure the reason on that but that is what it is there are two smaller panels up there than two next to that a little bigger than one big one in the back i took picks of the info on these but will hav to find them. Anyway i would be grateful if you did take pics of what you are doing. I am trying to attack the issues one at a time water is fixed also but now going to replace all the facets all leak and not a fan of gold haha.

Thanks again
Rick