SC40-12 Traxide to charge Camper battery

[mattg]

Hi All I have a deep cycle battery set up in the Camper can I install this next to my main Battery and run 8 Gauge cable to an Anderson Plug at the towball to charge the camper battery or should I go bigger?

cheers

Matt

[drivesafe]

Hi Matt, as long as you do not have an auxiliary battery in your tug, that will work.

But if this is to be in regular use, and you want to charge the camper battery from a low state while driving, I would suggest you go to 6B&S ( 6 Gauge ) cable.

While 6B&S is only a 60% increase in the cable size over the 8B&S, it will more than double your charging capability.

BTW, if you do have an auxiliary battery in your tug, the SC40 is not capable of handling more than one battery at a time. This is why I ceased manufacturing them some years back.

[mattg]

Thanks mate. No duel battery in the disco unfortunately. I have a agm 105 in the camper as well. This will be on solar panel charging and only used for the fridgemate the deep cycle will be used for the lights and charging stuff.

I'll see if I can find some 6g tomorrow. Is a 50a Anderson big enough for for 6g

Should I open it up an shoulder in 6g from the board?

[drivesafe]

Hi Matt, and no need to change the wiring in the SC40.

The SC40's wiring is safe for the amount of current it is going to handle and while the SC40's cabling is thin, it is also amounts to a very small percentage of the whole cable run. Probably less than 0.5% of the total circuit.

But you will still need to increase the rest of the cable run, not because 6B&S will allow you to draw more current, it is because it will reduce the amount of voltage drop, which in turn WILL allow your house battery to draw more current and charge faster.

All sounds like double dutch you can't have higher current without having higher voltage as well, so the of thick cable is required to improve both the voltage level getting to the battery which then gives the battery the ability to draw more current, particularly when it is in a low state of charge.

So while there will be a very, VERY small additional voltage drop through the SC40's thinner cables, this will be more than catered for by using 6B&S for the rest of the cable run.

[mattg]

Well all hooked up and running. Only lifted voltage in the camper yesterday to11.7v after a 5 hour drive. With fridge on the other battery. Doesn't seem correct to me what you think.

[drivesafe]

Hi Matt and yes, there is something wrong.

Your battery should not be that low in the first place, so you better give us a rundown of your whole setup.

Start with the size of cable running from the cranking battery, via the SC40, to the camper trailer's battery?

Is that via a set of Anderson plugs?

Also post up the size of your earth/negative return cabling and where it is located.

Is the fridge a compressor type or a 3 way fridge?

Add any other details you know of.