Trickle Charger for dual batteries on my 14FK

[Shutterbugstudio]

I am new to all this so bear with me. I am not interested in full solar panels but just putting a small solar trickle charger on my 2 batteries. Can I plug a trickle charger (9 watt) into the SAE(?) connector on my Geo Pro 14FK? Will it automatically switch to charge both?

[TitanMike]

If the polarity of the SAE connector on your trickle charger matches that of the "port" it should work just fine. The port should be wired directly to the batteries which should be wired in parallel.

One thing to note however. If you have two batteries wired in parallel, that means that you have twice the self discharge current of a single battery. Add that to any parasitic draws like LPG leak detector, etc, and a 9 watt trickle charger may be struggling to keep up.

If you already have the trickle charger, give it a shot. If it doesn't keep up look at a larger size, perhaps a "Smart" charger like those from Battery Tender, NOCO, or CTEK. "Smart Chargers" will sense the state of charge on the battery(s) and when fully charged will drop to a float charge. If the self discharge and parasitic loads draw the battery down any, the smart chargers kick on a higher charge rate until the battery is back to 100% SOC again.

[boondocking]

Originally Posted by Shutterbugstudio

I am new to all this so bear with me. I am not interested in full solar panels but just putting a small solar trickle charger on my 2 batteries. Can I plug a trickle charger (9 watt) into the SAE(?) connector on my Geo Pro 14FK? Will it automatically switch to charge both?

Is the SAE connector a "solar ready" feature on your RV?
If so the majority of "solar ready" set ups do not run the wires direct from the plug to the battery. This is because a charge controller needs to be installed between the plug and battery by the owner.

So it may not be a direct connection and may not work as planned for you.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by boondocking

Is the SAE connector a "solar ready" feature on your RV?
If so the majority of "solar ready" set ups do not run the wires direct from the plug to the battery. This is because a charge controller needs to be installed between the plug and battery by the owner.

So it may not be a direct connection and may not work as planned for you.

It's been my experience that they do run directly to the battery as these "ports" are designed for portable "suitcase" solar setup that has the controller built in.

Exception would be those units with solar "pre-wire" to the roof, not out the side of a trailer.