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Old 07-13-2014, 06:44 PM   #1
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Battery Tender Hook-up

I have a new 21FBRS with two Trojan 6V deep cell batteries. I want to use a Black & Decker Battery Tender to look after my batteries because it shuts off when the batteries are full and turns on when required. I need to know the best way to connect it. Now, I have the FR 21FBRS system charger going with my shore power, which I don't need when I'm not using my trailer for a month or two. I need to disconnect the charger when I'm parking for awhile and reconnect when I hit the road. Some tech help please.
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Old 07-13-2014, 07:02 PM   #2
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Unplug from shore power and hook up your tender to the poss/neg terminals to one battery. The tender will maintain both.
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Old 07-13-2014, 07:28 PM   #3
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Unhook the batts from the unit as you will have parasite drainage.
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Old 07-13-2014, 07:33 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by Still Kickin View Post
Unplug from shore power and hook up your tender to the poss/neg terminals to one battery. The tender will maintain both.
Actually positive to one battery and negative to other battery as he has two 6 volts battery in series.
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Old 07-13-2014, 07:35 PM   #5
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Not neccessary, since the tender will compensate for the parasitic drain. Done this exact procedure for three years now. House batteries are still in the "good range", after hydrometer check, even after many boondocking drawdowns to 50+%.
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Old 07-13-2014, 07:50 PM   #6
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Yes, the tender will charge more because of the power usage from the unit. Why not then just use the 'shore power" (which he is doing anyway with the tender but may be leaving the batts hooked to the unit) and keep the batts topped off with the convertor? No need for a tender then as the converter will power up and down as needed. Am I missing something?
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Old 07-18-2014, 09:44 AM   #7
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FR and Camping World and Trojan batteries all say; isolate the batteries (disconnect from shore power) and turn off all parasites. Set the maintenance keeper to 12V, connect Plus lead to one battery and minus lead to the other battery. Check water often.
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Old 07-19-2014, 11:05 AM   #8
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How do you "turn off all parasites" without completely disconnecting the battery(s)??
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Old 07-19-2014, 11:07 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Henboy View Post
How do you "turn off all parasites" without completely disconnecting the battery(s)??
There is no way to remove those parasitic drains other than.
1) unhook battery.
Or
2) install a battery disconnect.
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Old 07-19-2014, 11:13 AM   #10
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Easy in, easy out, no holes to drill or wires to cut.

Battery Disconnect Switch from PPL Motor Homes - PPL Motor Homes
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Old 07-20-2014, 07:25 PM   #11
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My 21FBRS has a factory battery shut-off. To find out if you have one, disconnect the shore power and turn on lights. If a light comes on look by the electrical panel for a switch. On a 21 FBRS its a pull/push switch below the fridge. If you can use the switch and turn off lights, you have a battery isolation switch. On my old Sunline I installed one.
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Old 07-22-2014, 11:11 AM   #12
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Factory shore power charging will overcharge and dry the batteries. Tender is a much better choice. IMHO
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