First, I nursed the battery back to 11 volts on a steady rate charge, and then switched over to a bulk charge rate to bring it back. Took a while, but managed to get back to 12.4 volts (after resting 2 hrs) at the end of the day. Next day, placed on the solar charger and let the sun do the work and the battery is back to 12.7 / 12.8 V at rest.
So,.. learned my lesson. Time to get wiring a disconnect switch that I've had planned for a while now. Since we are going to be off the grid and using solar panels to recharge the battery, I need a way to monitor the voltage as well as isolate the battery for charging, or isolate it from the parasitic draw of the LP/CO detector when in storage (without disconnecting the terminals). The Blue Sea 6007 marine switch will do just that.
Off - disconnects everything from the battery
1 - Battery connected to camper as currently wired. All functions work, needed to be in this position for towing to have brakes active and permit charging of the battery during tow.
2 - Battery disconnected from Camper, Solar charge controller connected to Battery for charging via solar panels.
1+2 - at a camping location, solar panels in use and connected, camper in use for LED lighting and water pump.
Mounting Box |
Switch Fit Up |
Mounted to Camper, In Position 1 as shown. 4 Ga wire to Battery |
To make this nice, I found a solid receptacle blank cover and got to work with my dremel. A few cuts later and melted plastic, I was able to clip in my meter and switch and prepare the leads.
Completed Dremel Work |
Nice Clean Installation |
So now I will have to mount the volt meter in the camper when I open it up next prior to camping. I'll post an updated photo of the finished condition in working order from our camping trip.
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