Will RedArc Battery Charger Work With Solar Panel and 7-Way to Charge Camper Battery

Question:

I have a 2013 F250 diesel and a Northstar 850SC pop up camper. The camper has a converter and a 100watt solar panel and Zamp controller. The camper is connected to the truck by the 7 way plug. The 7 way will not charge the battery and only maintain. On long drives, I like to keep the refrigerator running in 12v mode. This eventually kills the camper battery as it draws more than the solar can charge and the 7 way provides. Could I add this in addition to what is currently set up in the camper or will it conflict somehow with the charges the battery is receiving from the 7 way and solar controller? I would simply put the charger in the camper, hook to the battery bank, and then run a connection back to truck battery? Also, with a 2 battery setup in the diesel truck, which battery should I connect to? Thanks

asked by: David

Helpful Expert Reply:

I reached out to a representative of Redarc who told me that the Redarc In-Vehicle BCDC Battery Charger # 331-BCDC1240D is the correct charger for your application and there will be no interference or conflict with the charges the battery is getting from the solar set up.

The input to the BCDC Charger will be sourced from your F-250's start battery (which is going to be on the passenger's side of your 2-battery set-up) with the 60-Amp MIDI Fuse Kit for Redarc In-Vehicle 40-Amp BCDC Battery Charger # 331-FK60.

expert reply by: Kyle S

Dale H.

4/26/2020

2019 F-150 with tow package17’ travel trailer with 12v fridge100Ah AGM battery May build out to 200Ah30amp PD converter200w solarWill a bcdc dc to dc converter have any impact/overload on the truck thru the 7pin 12v connection? Does that circuit need to be isolated/disconnected or fused in the trailer to protect an overload to the truck wiring/electronics as this isn’t designed for the output the bcdc charger is generating??What Amp 25 or 40 bcdc is appropriate for this application?

Chris R.

4/28/2020

The 12V circuit on the truck's 7-Way isn't sufficient to adequately handle the power of a BCDC charger so it's definitely best to have a dedicated power feed ran through the truck. I reached out to my contact at Redarc and he suggested either the 40 amp # 331-BCDC1240D or 50 amp # 331-BCDC1250D given your future plans of a 200Ah battery bank. You'll need to add the Fuse Kit # 331-FK60 for protection (one fuse at main battery and another at the auxiliary) and an Isolator # 331-SBI12 to allow power supply only when the vehicle is running.

Ned R.

11/25/2020

@ChrisR I thought the 331-bcdc1240d has a built in isolator. Just wondering why you spec an sbi12 as well in this application?

Jon G.

11/25/2020

If you check out the second wiring configuration photo for the BCDC # 331-BCDC1240D you'll see that the isolator is actually installed after the auxiliary battery bank. So it's not as much for the starter battery than it is for your battery bank. The BCDC does have an isolator built in to help protect your start battery.