Recommended Solution for 2017 F-150 Battery Not Charging RV Battery Fully To Run Refrigerator
Question:
When I connect my camper to my F150 I hold the brake to engage the 12v. Does Ford only send 12v to the back? That isnt enough to charge the battery when the refrigerator is on. Also the truck battery is getting 13.5 from the alternator. So how does it only send 12v?
asked by: Allison M
Expert Reply:
I'll start by saying, there's going to be a little bit of a power drop off from the alternator back to the 7 way connector on your 2017 F-150; this is perfectly normal-it's not going to be exactly 12v, but it should be close.
When it comes to your 7-way's 12v circuit charging the battery, a lot of this depends on the battery bank size, but refrigerators do use up a significant amount of power and running it off a single battery is extremely difficult. For that reason, you may want to consider adding the Redarc In-Vehicle BCDC Battery Charger - Dual Input - DC to DC - 12V/24V - 25 Amp # 331-BCDC1225D. A standard 7-way trailer connector is limited to 10 or 15 amps of current, which will not be able to fully restore a battery for use. But this charger can transfer up to 25 amps of current to both charge and maintain your auxiliary battery. The BCDC system also has a battery isolator function prevents charger from pulling power from start battery when vehicle is off. This would be a good solution to help provide additional charging power for your battery to help power the fridge.
We do recommend adding the 40-Amp MIDI Fuse Kit for Redarc In-Vehicle 25-Amp BCDC Battery Charger # 331-FK40 when using the BCDC in order to help protect your vehicle from any shorts or overloads in the system.
Another great thing about the BCDC kit is that it is also is solar capable, so if you wanted to add a small solar panel at some point that would be another great option to help charge the batteries without the vehicle's battery. For that I would recommend either part # 287-32406 which is capable of 50 watts, or part # 287-32408 which is capable of 100 watts.. No other hardware or install wiring would be needed.
Products Referenced in This Question
Goal Zero Boulder 50 Solar Panel - 50 Watts
- Portable Solar Panel
- Panel Only
- 1 - 50 Watts
- 0.1 - 5 Amps
- Lithium-ion
- Goal Zero
more information >
Goal Zero Boulder 100 Briefcase Solar Panel - 100 Watts
- Portable Solar Panel
- Panel Only
- 51 - 100 Watts
- 5.1 - 10 Amps
- Lithium-ion
- Goal Zero
more information >
40-Amp MIDI Fuse Kit for Redarc In-Vehicle 25-Amp BCDC Battery Charger
- Accessories and Parts
- Battery Charger
- Fuse Kit
- Redarc
more information >
Product Page this Question was Asked From
Redarc In-Vehicle BCDC Battery Charger - Dual Input - DC to DC - 12V/24V - 25 Amp
- Battery Charger
- Battery Charger
- RV/Camper
- Trailer
- 75 Ah
- 200 Ah
- Charges/Maintains
- 12V
- Solar Panels to Auxiliary Battery
- Vehicle Battery to Auxiliary Battery
- Redarc
more information >
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