Do I Have to Connect To Battery for 12v Power with RedArc In-Vehicle BCDC

Question:

i have a 7 pin trailer harness. Wondering if the RedArc BCDC can be used to charge the batteries in my camper trailer to 100 in a slower manner than having to run a direct wire to my battery and complicate my install process? I read a direct connection will allow the max charging amps, but wondered if there is an easier, yet slower charging method that also works? My assumption is that my car does NOT have as smart charging alternator connection since my truck came standard with a 7pin connector on the back.

asked by: James

Expert Reply:

You will need to connect to the tow vehicle battery in this case. The issue with trying to install and run the RedArc In-Vehicle BCDC # 331-BCDC1225D via the 7 way is that the 10 gauge wiring in a 7 way trailer connector isn't sufficient to provide a charge to your battery. Since this is exactly what you would want to use the BCDC charger for, using it with the 7-Way would almost defeat its purpose so I cannot recommend that you wire it differently in this case.

When installing this charger it is recommended that you use 6 gauge (or larger) wiring instead and going directly to the battery on your tow vehicle. You can add some Quick-Connects # BDW20047 to maintain a convenient plug-in setup. Redarc also recommends using the 40-Amp MIDI Fuse Kit # 331-FK40 because the particular fuses in this kit are isolated and better protected than standard alternatives.

I have linked an installation video you can use as a guide when you go to install it.

expert reply by: Erik B