• Re: Charging from tow vehicle

    From sticks@wolverine01@charter.net to rec.outdoors.rv-travel on Thu Mar 6 17:56:09 2025
    From Newsgroup: rec.outdoors.rv-travel

    On 3/6/2025 7:54 AM, Ted Heise wrote:
    On Wed, 5 Mar 2025 19:55:25 -0600,
    sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:
    On 3/5/2025 2:03 PM, Ted Heise wrote:

    My thinking was to take a reading from the LiIon battery app
    with the battery connected to the trailer and then with the
    fridge started (I think it may run off the batt for a minute
    or two). Then I would connect the 7-pin to the running TV and
    repeat these readings. Does that seem like a reasonable
    approach?

    In truth, I think it is pointless in your case. I think we
    already have agreed now you simply cannot get enough power to
    charge your lithium batteries from the 7 prong. I would,
    however, like to know if there is power coming in, and going
    out to the trailer. If there is a power wire hooked up on the
    7 prong on the trailer, where exactly does that power go?
    Obviously the trailer lights you can easily figure out, and
    they don't use power from the trailer battery. They draw
    directly from the towing vehicle. Usually the power tab is for
    trailer brakes, or an accessory of some sort or another. Were
    you under the impression it somehow went to your battery?
    Obviously it can't go directly there since it would be
    incapable of charging lithium batteries, so does it go to the
    controller you speak of later? You need to find out exactly
    where that power goes, and here's why.

    Okay, here are some aditional points of information.

    I'm positive there is power coming out of the 7-pin connector,
    because I've frequently operated the powered lift jack without any
    battery connected (i.e., only the 7-pin connected to the trailer).

    Pretty sure there is power going into the trailer too, because my
    memory (though not certain) is that the interior lights and other
    12 V things work in the same circumstance (i.e., no battery
    connected, just the running TV).

    It looks like the PD 4000 power controller you have only does one thing
    that I can tell, that being to convert AC power into DC power. It
    operates when it is plugged into shore power and charges the batteries,
    but will also provide power for the DC power outlets without the need
    for the battery. So you can rule out using this controller for charging
    from the DC supplied power from the 7 prong plug.

    So you do have some AC outlets in the unit I believe, and these most
    likely only work when the shore line cord is plugged in. There might be
    a disconnect switch somewhere, but it probably just has a bank, or
    something like a electrical box that ties in all the AC outlets to the shoreline somehow. To get AC power without being plugged in, you would
    need an additional inverter that would change the DC battery power into
    AC for use at those outlets. So far, you have not said you have such an inverter.

    I think you're ability to use the lift jacks off the 7 prong is
    interesting. I think it is probably wired mainly for trailer brakes,
    although it looks like the dry weight of your unit is around 3,000 lbs
    and 4,000 is the legal requirement for trailer brakes. Do you have a
    brake controller in the Acadia and use trailer brakes on your Lance?

    How else it could be wired into the Lance's volt system is an
    interesting question. You say you think you also get lights. Sounds
    like there must be some other kind of control box then if this is true,
    and I would certainly follow the power lead off the 7 prong to find out
    where it goes. Mainly, because it should NOT be going directly to the
    battery since it is a Lithium. You simply cannot charge a Lithium
    battery properly from the alternator of a modern vehicle on it's own.
    It would never charge the Lithium, and it could harm the alternator.
    That capability requires the addition of the DC to DC generator.

    You say you get these lights "without any battery connected." I'm
    assuming you mean you either have a disconnect switch, or you have the
    battery cable actually disconnected. You see what I'm getting at? If
    the interior DC circuits have no access to the battery, how is it they
    are getting power from the 7 prong. Where does it get hooked into the
    system?

    As I lay awake in bed last turning this over and over in my mind,
    I seemed to recall the Acadia had a 110 V outlet in the second row
    of seats. Indeed there is when I checked it this morning. Rated
    at 150 W max, it seems I could use this with my NOCO GENIUS 5
    charger (max 75 W draw) to charge the trailer battery in a pinch.
    Might could even use it to run the coffee grinder. ;)

    It looks like this unit is more for non-lithium batteries, but it does
    say it can charge them. I'm not sure, though. Doesn't seem to have
    enough power capability to do much of anything.

    Gotta run to see the cardiologist now, but will come back to this
    later today.

    Hope you got some good reports!
    --
    Better Days Ahead!
    Darwinism Is Junk Science!!
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From sticks@wolverine01@charter.net to rec.outdoors.rv-travel on Thu Mar 6 19:49:46 2025
    From Newsgroup: rec.outdoors.rv-travel

    On 3/6/2025 5:56 PM, sticks wrote:

    ---snip to add direction---

    OK, I think we're getting somewhere with figuring out Ted's options. I
    want to split this now into the second area we need to look into, which
    is solar power generation. We do need to keep going on the other part
    till we've reached consensus and answered all the questions.

    On Ted's Lance, he says he has what is called a "solar panel connector".
    I too have one of these for adding additional panels to my setup.
    These Lance trailers do have the option for a factory installed solar
    power panel, which I assume includes a controller and gets wired
    directly to the battery bank. I don't think Ted had this option when he purchased, though he certainly could get this done aftermarket. (I
    would and I'll explain why). As far as I can tell, the solar panel
    connector port on the Lance is simply wiring from the input spot to the batteries. There is no controller as far as I can tell, and the port is mainly for adding fully enclosed solar panels that have their own
    charging controller. My unit now has 2 100 watt panels on the roof and
    go to a controller that has the capability to have added panels, up to
    450 watts, and be able to use the same controller. I also have the same
    type of port as the Lance, that I think works the same as Ted's, meaning
    it has to have it's own controller. My solar charging system works all
    the time, even when I turn everything off it seems, and just keep
    charging whenever they can. The house batteries are always full.

    OK, what to do?
    So I think we should continue on with the alternator charging setup
    options Ted has for his Lance lithium batteries, so he can arrive at a
    new site with as much charge as possible. This is his first charging
    method.
    His second charging method is via his PD4000 series controller that
    works nicely, if he has shore power. In a pinch, he can also plug his
    shore line into his portable generator and it should work the same way,
    though it might be slower as you're going from a 30 amp shore power to I
    think his generator is around 1800 watts. It'll be the same, just slower.
    The third option is solar power. I have not been a fan of solar power
    in the past, I've always hated what it does to the environment
    especially with the mining and disposal of things, but have really come
    to appreciate the options it opens up for RVing. That said, you could
    very easily go out and buy a plug and play setup that would give you all
    the power you would want and just plug into the solar power connector.
    The big problem I have with doing this is the security of your
    investment. I don't know if you can tie these down in any way or not,
    but I'm sure that could easily be overcome by any potential thief. Now
    the little $25 panel w/controller I stick in my windshield to charge my chassis battery I would not like if some ass hole came and five fingered
    it, but that wouldn't break the bank. A much more expensive and Lithium capable system for his house battery is another story. I know Ted is
    like me and my spouse in that they get somewhere, and might be gone all
    day riding their bike or otherwise exploring. Seeing that solar panel
    just sitting there for the taking seems like a big temptation for the
    average shit head. If'n it was me, I'd bite the bullet and get a setup
    on the roof with a proper controller and as big as you could go, and be
    done with it. (I'm pretty good at spending other people's money.) I
    have mostly decided I will be adding as many panels as I can fit on the
    roof, and am even willing to upgrade the controller if necessary to
    handle more wattage. I even saw a video where you don't have to drill
    into the roof anymore with the new tape systems and products available,
    so the possibility of leaking is minimized.

    To summarize, power is probably the main thing Ted needs to get
    optimized to fully enjoy his Lance time. He seems to have a decent
    handle on his water and sewer options if I recall.
    First, gotta solve the alternator charging problem (still a few
    questions unanswered there).
    Second, he can charge via his PD4000 if he can access shore power, and
    if boondocking could use his portable generator (not optimal..noise,
    fuel, timing when it runs low, etc.)
    Last, investing in solar power greatly enhances his boondocking
    capability, and reduces the length of time either option 1 or 2 would be needed to recharge.

    Does this thinking sound right to others?
    --
    Better Days Ahead!
    Darwinism Is Junk Science!!
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Ted Heise@theise@panix.com to rec.outdoors.rv-travel on Fri Mar 7 16:55:33 2025
    From Newsgroup: rec.outdoors.rv-travel

    On Thu, 6 Mar 2025 17:56:09 -0600,
    sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:
    On 3/6/2025 7:54 AM, Ted Heise wrote:
    On Wed, 5 Mar 2025 19:55:25 -0600,
    sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:

    In truth, I think it is pointless in your case. I think we
    already have agreed now you simply cannot get enough power
    to charge your lithium batteries from the 7 prong. I
    would, however, like to know if there is power coming in,
    and going out to the trailer. If there is a power wire
    hooked up on the 7 prong on the trailer, where exactly does
    that power go? Obviously the trailer lights you can easily
    figure out, and they don't use power from the trailer
    battery. They draw directly from the towing vehicle.
    Usually the power tab is for trailer brakes, or an
    accessory of some sort or another. Were you under the
    impression it somehow went to your battery? Obviously it
    can't go directly there since it would be incapable of
    charging lithium batteries, so does it go to the controller
    you speak of later? You need to find out exactly where
    that power goes, and here's why.

    Okay, here are some aditional points of information.

    I'm positive there is power coming out of the 7-pin connector,
    because I've frequently operated the powered lift jack without
    any battery connected (i.e., only the 7-pin connected to the
    trailer).

    Pretty sure there is power going into the trailer too, because
    my memory (though not certain) is that the interior lights and
    other 12 V things work in the same circumstance (i.e., no
    battery connected, just the running TV).

    It looks like the PD 4000 power controller you have only does
    one thing that I can tell, that being to convert AC power into
    DC power. It operates when it is plugged into shore power and
    charges the batteries, but will also provide power for the DC
    power outlets without the need for the battery. So you can
    rule out using this controller for charging from the DC
    supplied power from the 7 prong plug.

    I think that's probably correct. Here is the (typical) exterior
    wiring diagram from the manual...

    https://panix.com/~theise/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Lance-1475-ext-wiring-traced.pdf

    This shows that the 7-pin does connect to the battery, and seems
    consistent with the trailer manual statement that "Normally the
    battery will be kept charged by either the tow vehicle charging
    system while on the road or by the AC/DC power convertor when
    plugged into AC service." It looks like the TV is wired directly
    to the battery and not by way of the PD4000 load center (though
    it's also wired into the load center).

    From some sites I've looked at while trying to figure this all out
    (can't remember where) I've gotten the sense that the Acadia would
    be trickle charging the trailer battery. And of course the car's
    system is designed for lead acid chemistry, so isn't going to be
    very (or at all) effecive for charging the trailer's lithium
    battery. I also have the sense that the fridge must draw more
    than the Acadia supplies and be drawing the difference from the
    trailer battery when towing.

    The Lance manual also says, "The 30 amp main circuit breaker
    located on the chassis in the car connector junction box will not
    allow power into the trailer or the battery(s) to be charged when
    an overload or short circuit occurs." That said, I'm not sure
    this junction box warrants further investigation so long as the
    trailer is getting power. Stil need to double confirm the trailer
    is in fact getting power from the Acadia, and will try to get that
    done tomorrow morning.


    So you do have some AC outlets in the unit I believe, and these
    most likely only work when the shore line cord is plugged in.
    There might be a disconnect switch somewhere, but it probably
    just has a bank, or something like a electrical box that ties
    in all the AC outlets to the shoreline somehow.

    Yes, correct, there are AC outlets in the Lance. Looks like the
    power goes from the shore line to the outlets by way of the load
    center...

    https://panix.com/~theise/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Lance-schematic.jpg


    ...To get AC power without being plugged in, you would need
    an additional inverter that would change the DC battery power
    into AC for use at those outlets. So far, you have not said
    you have such an inverter.

    Pretty sure there is no inverter in the trailer (though it seems
    there must be one in the Acadia to run its low power AC outlet).


    I think you're ability to use the lift jacks off the 7 prong is
    interesting. I think it is probably wired mainly for trailer
    brakes, although it looks like the dry weight of your unit is
    around 3,000 lbs and 4,000 is the legal requirement for trailer
    brakes. Do you have a brake controller in the Acadia and use
    trailer brakes on your Lance?

    Yes, there is a brake controller in the Acadia, installed by the
    RV dealer I got the Lance from.


    How else it could be wired into the Lance's volt system is an
    interesting question. You say you think you also get lights.
    Sounds like there must be some other kind of control box then
    if this is true, and I would certainly follow the power lead
    off the 7 prong to find out where it goes. Mainly, because it
    should NOT be going directly to the battery since it is a
    Lithium. You simply cannot charge a Lithium battery properly
    from the alternator of a modern vehicle on it's own. It would
    never charge the Lithium, and it could harm the alternator.
    That capability requires the addition of the DC to DC
    generator.

    So the diagram I posted shows the power does go from the Acadia to
    the Lance battery. Is that a problem? I don't think there's any
    other kind of control box, unless it's in the junction box under
    the Lance tongue (or maybe in the Acadia's tow system).


    You say you get these lights "without any battery connected."
    I'm assuming you mean you either have a disconnect switch, or
    you have the battery cable actually disconnected. You see what
    I'm getting at? If the interior DC circuits have no access to
    the battery, how is it they are getting power from the 7 prong.
    Where does it get hooked into the system?

    Yes, the interior lights go on with no battery in place (or with
    it and disconnected), I think the wiring schematic shows it goes
    into the load canter.


    As I lay awake in bed last turning this over and over in my
    mind, I seemed to recall the Acadia had a 110 V outlet in the
    second row of seats. Indeed there is when I checked it this
    morning. Rated at 150 W max, it seems I could use this with
    my NOCO GENIUS 5 charger (max 75 W draw) to charge the trailer
    battery in a pinch. Might could even use it to run the coffee
    grinder. ;)

    It looks like this unit is more for non-lithium batteries, but
    it does say it can charge them. I'm not sure, though.
    Doesn't seem to have enough power capability to do much of
    anything.

    Gotta run to see the cardiologist now, but will come back to
    this later today.

    Hope you got some good reports!

    Thanks! Just sporadic supraventricular arrhythmias, not a fib.
    Pretty benign according to the cardiologist.
    --
    Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> West Lafayette, IN, USA
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Ted Heise@theise@panix.com to rec.outdoors.rv-travel on Fri Mar 7 16:58:00 2025
    From Newsgroup: rec.outdoors.rv-travel

    On Thu, 6 Mar 2025 19:49:46 -0600,
    sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:
    On 3/6/2025 5:56 PM, sticks wrote:

    ---snip to add direction---

    OK, I think we're getting somewhere with figuring out Ted's
    options. I want to split this now into the second area we need
    to look into, which is solar power generation. We do need to
    keep going on the other part till we've reached consensus and
    answered all the questions.

    I'll come back to this tomorrow or after, once I've had a chance
    to check out the trailer. For now, I can say I'm pretty sure I
    would need a controller for any solar I added. Also, I'm giving
    up on the generator option. It's just louder than I want for
    camping, and to much weight and hassle.
    --
    Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> West Lafayette, IN, USA
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From sticks@wolverine01@charter.net to rec.outdoors.rv-travel on Fri Mar 7 11:48:30 2025
    From Newsgroup: rec.outdoors.rv-travel

    On 3/7/2025 10:55 AM, Ted Heise wrote:
    On Thu, 6 Mar 2025 17:56:09 -0600,
    sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:
    On 3/6/2025 7:54 AM, Ted Heise wrote:
    On Wed, 5 Mar 2025 19:55:25 -0600,
    sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:

    In truth, I think it is pointless in your case. I think we
    already have agreed now you simply cannot get enough power
    to charge your lithium batteries from the 7 prong. I
    would, however, like to know if there is power coming in,
    and going out to the trailer. If there is a power wire
    hooked up on the 7 prong on the trailer, where exactly does
    that power go? Obviously the trailer lights you can easily
    figure out, and they don't use power from the trailer
    battery. They draw directly from the towing vehicle.
    Usually the power tab is for trailer brakes, or an
    accessory of some sort or another. Were you under the
    impression it somehow went to your battery? Obviously it
    can't go directly there since it would be incapable of
    charging lithium batteries, so does it go to the controller
    you speak of later? You need to find out exactly where
    that power goes, and here's why.

    Okay, here are some aditional points of information.

    I'm positive there is power coming out of the 7-pin connector,
    because I've frequently operated the powered lift jack without
    any battery connected (i.e., only the 7-pin connected to the
    trailer).

    Pretty sure there is power going into the trailer too, because
    my memory (though not certain) is that the interior lights and
    other 12 V things work in the same circumstance (i.e., no
    battery connected, just the running TV).

    It looks like the PD 4000 power controller you have only does
    one thing that I can tell, that being to convert AC power into
    DC power. It operates when it is plugged into shore power and
    charges the batteries, but will also provide power for the DC
    power outlets without the need for the battery. So you can
    rule out using this controller for charging from the DC
    supplied power from the 7 prong plug.

    I think that's probably correct. Here is the (typical) exterior
    wiring diagram from the manual...

    https://panix.com/~theise/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Lance-1475-ext-wiring-traced.pdf

    This shows that the 7-pin does connect to the battery, and seems
    consistent with the trailer manual statement that "Normally the
    battery will be kept charged by either the tow vehicle charging
    system while on the road or by the AC/DC power convertor when
    plugged into AC service." It looks like the TV is wired directly
    to the battery and not by way of the PD4000 load center (though
    it's also wired into the load center).

    From some sites I've looked at while trying to figure this all out
    (can't remember where) I've gotten the sense that the Acadia would
    be trickle charging the trailer battery. And of course the car's
    system is designed for lead acid chemistry, so isn't going to be
    very (or at all) effecive for charging the trailer's lithium
    battery. I also have the sense that the fridge must draw more
    than the Acadia supplies and be drawing the difference from the
    trailer battery when towing.

    Your pic show about the same thing I found out today. First, I got two
    pics from the manual and the first from page 50 does state the power
    prong on the 7 prong plug goes to the battery and will provide charge.

    <https://postimg.cc/gallery/r4xVRjj>

    The second pic is similar to your showing the PD4000 as well as the 7
    prong. It has a smallest size of 8 gauge right at the generator and has
    a capability of 35 amps, though it has a 30 amp inline mini breaker.
    This would be a nice setting for charging the Lithium and probably close
    to what you'd get if you did a DC to DC generator at either 20 or 30 amp.

    I would agree this setup is not really taking into consideration having
    a lithium battery, though I don't think ti hurts anything if you leave
    it as is and go ahead and install a DC to DC converter. It is just a
    trickle going to that.

    The Lance manual also says, "The 30 amp main circuit breaker
    located on the chassis in the car connector junction box will not
    allow power into the trailer or the battery(s) to be charged when
    an overload or short circuit occurs." That said, I'm not sure
    this junction box warrants further investigation so long as the
    trailer is getting power. Stil need to double confirm the trailer
    is in fact getting power from the Acadia, and will try to get that
    done tomorrow morning.


    So you do have some AC outlets in the unit I believe, and these
    most likely only work when the shore line cord is plugged in.
    There might be a disconnect switch somewhere, but it probably
    just has a bank, or something like a electrical box that ties
    in all the AC outlets to the shoreline somehow.

    Yes, correct, there are AC outlets in the Lance. Looks like the
    power goes from the shore line to the outlets by way of the load
    center...

    https://panix.com/~theise/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Lance-schematic.jpg

    Yep. You plug in your shore cord, you will get power at the AC outlets.
    Since you have no inverter, these should be dead unless you plug in the
    shore line.



    ...To get AC power without being plugged in, you would need
    an additional inverter that would change the DC battery power
    into AC for use at those outlets. So far, you have not said
    you have such an inverter.

    Pretty sure there is no inverter in the trailer (though it seems
    there must be one in the Acadia to run its low power AC outlet).

    Yes, any AC outlets in the Acadia have to be powered by an inverter.
    They're getting quite big these days. I think yours is 150 watt max. I remember years ago I needed one on my work truck and spent a good penny
    on a 100 Watt. I could run my laptop at work and other things. I
    thought I was so cool Ha!



    I think you're ability to use the lift jacks off the 7 prong is
    interesting. I think it is probably wired mainly for trailer
    brakes, although it looks like the dry weight of your unit is
    around 3,000 lbs and 4,000 is the legal requirement for trailer
    brakes. Do you have a brake controller in the Acadia and use
    trailer brakes on your Lance?

    Yes, there is a brake controller in the Acadia, installed by the
    RV dealer I got the Lance from.

    Great. You got brakes!


    How else it could be wired into the Lance's volt system is an
    interesting question. You say you think you also get lights.
    Sounds like there must be some other kind of control box then
    if this is true, and I would certainly follow the power lead
    off the 7 prong to find out where it goes. Mainly, because it
    should NOT be going directly to the battery since it is a
    Lithium. You simply cannot charge a Lithium battery properly
    from the alternator of a modern vehicle on it's own. It would
    never charge the Lithium, and it could harm the alternator.
    That capability requires the addition of the DC to DC
    generator.

    So the diagram I posted shows the power does go from the Acadia to
    the Lance battery. Is that a problem? I don't think there's any
    other kind of control box, unless it's in the junction box under
    the Lance tongue (or maybe in the Acadia's tow system).

    You could ask the dealer if this can be left alone if you add a DC to DC converter, or even if they think it will harm the alternator on the
    Acadia, but I don't think it would matter and could just be left alone.



    You say you get these lights "without any battery connected."
    I'm assuming you mean you either have a disconnect switch, or
    you have the battery cable actually disconnected. You see what
    I'm getting at? If the interior DC circuits have no access to
    the battery, how is it they are getting power from the 7 prong.
    Where does it get hooked into the system?

    Yes, the interior lights go on with no battery in place (or with
    it and disconnected), I think the wiring schematic shows it goes
    into the load canter.


    As I lay awake in bed last turning this over and over in my
    mind, I seemed to recall the Acadia had a 110 V outlet in the
    second row of seats. Indeed there is when I checked it this
    morning. Rated at 150 W max, it seems I could use this with
    my NOCO GENIUS 5 charger (max 75 W draw) to charge the trailer
    battery in a pinch. Might could even use it to run the coffee
    grinder. ;)

    It looks like this unit is more for non-lithium batteries, but
    it does say it can charge them. I'm not sure, though.
    Doesn't seem to have enough power capability to do much of
    anything.

    Gotta run to see the cardiologist now, but will come back to
    this later today.

    Hope you got some good reports!

    Thanks! Just sporadic supraventricular arrhythmias, not a fib.
    Pretty benign according to the cardiologist.


    Good to know. Keep the rubber down!
    --
    Better Days Ahead!
    Darwinism Is Junk Science!!
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Ted Heise@theise@panix.com to rec.outdoors.rv-travel on Sat Mar 8 19:38:39 2025
    From Newsgroup: rec.outdoors.rv-travel



    Okay, I'm a dumbass. I made up a table of the various cases I
    wanted to test, but when I got back from a couple of hours at the
    storage place and started writing up a summary I realized I had
    filled in the most critical combination with info that should have
    gone in a different row. So I had to go back and test that last
    case.

    Bottom line is the Acadia will in fact charge the LI battery
    installed on the Lance via the 7-pin connection, but with the
    fridge running the battery discharges. See inline for more.



    On Fri, 7 Mar 2025 11:48:30 -0600,
    sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:
    On 3/7/2025 10:55 AM, Ted Heise wrote:
    On Thu, 6 Mar 2025 17:56:09 -0600,
    sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:
    On 3/6/2025 7:54 AM, Ted Heise wrote:

    Pretty sure there is power going into the trailer too,
    because my memory (though not certain) is that the interior
    lights and other 12 V things work in the same circumstance
    (i.e., no battery connected, just the running TV).

    I've confirmed that the Lance's 12 V system is powered when
    connected only to the running Acadia via the 7-pin cord (i.e.,
    without the LI battery connected). As expected, the 120 V system
    in the Lance does not have power in this case.


    I think that [PD 4000's limitation] is probably correct.
    Here is the (typical) exterior wiring diagram from the
    manual...

    https://panix.com/~theise/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Lance-1475-ext-wiring-traced.pdf

    This shows that the 7-pin does connect to the battery, and seems
    consistent with the trailer manual statement that "Normally the
    battery will be kept charged by either the tow vehicle charging
    system while on the road or by the AC/DC power convertor when
    plugged into AC service."

    Your pic show about the same thing I found out today. First, I
    got two pics from the manual and the first from page 50 does
    state the power prong on the 7 prong plug goes to the battery
    and will provide charge.

    <https://postimg.cc/gallery/r4xVRjj>

    The second pic is similar to your showing the PD4000 as well as
    the 7 prong. It has a smallest size of 8 gauge right at the
    generator and has a capability of 35 amps, though it has a 30
    amp inline mini breaker. This would be a nice setting for
    charging the Lithium and probably close to what you'd get if
    you did a DC to DC generator at either 20 or 30 amp.

    I would agree this setup is not really taking into
    consideration having a lithium battery, though I don't think ti
    hurts anything if you leave it as is and go ahead and install a
    DC to DC converter. It is just a trickle going to that.

    I looked at quite a variety of things, but the gist of it is that
    voltage at the LI battery when connected to the running Acadia
    mirrors that on the Acadia's dash gauge: in the vicinity of 13.4
    to 14.0 V. The LI battery app shows that it's getting about 2 A
    from the Acadia. If my rough calculations are correct, 6 hours of
    towing would add back about 12 Ah, so the charging at this rate is
    not going to be fast.

    FWIW, the LI battery app showed 0.6 hours to full charge at the 2
    A rate when it was 98/99% full.


    So you do have some AC outlets in the unit I believe, and
    these most likely only work when the shore line cord is
    plugged in. There might be a disconnect switch somewhere,
    but it probably just has a bank, or something like a
    electrical box that ties in all the AC outlets to the
    shoreline somehow.

    Yes, correct, there are AC outlets in the Lance. Looks like
    the power goes from the shore line to the outlets by way of
    the load center...

    https://panix.com/~theise/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Lance-schematic.jpg

    Yep. You plug in your shore cord, you will get power at the AC
    outlets. Since you have no inverter, these should be dead
    unless you plug in the shore line.

    Correct, no juice at the 110 V outlets when on the Acadia and/or
    the LI battery.

    Interestingly, I noticed an old cigarette lighter plug-in on an
    interior wall receptacle along with a 5 V USB jack. I'm guessing
    that would provide 12 V.


    So the diagram I posted shows the power does go from the
    Acadia to the Lance battery. Is that a problem? I don't
    think there's any other kind of control box, unless it's in
    the junction box under the Lance tongue (or maybe in the
    Acadia's tow system).

    You could ask the dealer if this can be left alone if you add a
    DC to DC converter, or even if they think it will harm the
    alternator on the Acadia, but I don't think it would matter and
    could just be left alone.

    I think this is right. The low power over the 7-pin is pretty
    unlikely to ever get the LI battery up to full, unless it's very
    close before starting a day of towing.

    I also tested the system with the fridge running. With only the
    LI battery connected, its app showed the fridge was drawing about
    17 amps and that it would be discharged in under 6 hours. With
    the running Acadia also connected, the LI battery app showed a bit
    over 7 A draw, with somewhat over 14 hours of runtime left.

    From this, I take that the fridge draws so much that it robs from
    the LI battery as well as from the Acadia. My impression is that
    if the LI battery is relatively full at the start of a towing day
    I should just disconnect it while towing so it doesn't get drawn
    down and it's SOC is preserved. The fridge should run okay on
    only the jiuce from the Acadia via the 7-pin.

    on the other hand, if the LI is low on charge when I start a day
    of towing, I could consider leaving it connected and running the
    fridge on propane.


    mind, I seemed to recall the Acadia had a 110 V outlet in
    the second row of seats. Indeed there is when I checked it
    this morning. Rated at 150 W max, it seems I could use this
    with my NOCO GENIUS 5 charger (max 75 W draw) to charge the
    trailer battery in a pinch. Might could even use it to run
    the coffee grinder. ;)

    It looks like this unit is more for non-lithium batteries,
    but it does say it can charge them. I'm not sure, though.
    Doesn't seem to have enough power capability to do much of
    anything.

    So to recap, I'm now thinking the Acadia can charge the LI
    battery, albeit on the slow side.


    Gotta run to see the cardiologist now, but will come back to
    this later today.

    Hope you got some good reports!

    Thanks! Just sporadic supraventricular arrhythmias, not a
    fib. Pretty benign according to the cardiologist.

    Good to know. Keep the rubber down!

    Thanks! The temps here are approaching 50 F and the wind is light
    (for here), so I'm gonna head out on the bike shortly. Will do my
    best to keep the rubber down!
    --
    Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> West Lafayette, IN, USA
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Ted Heise@theise@panix.com to rec.outdoors.rv-travel on Sun Mar 9 14:33:49 2025
    From Newsgroup: rec.outdoors.rv-travel

    On Sat, 8 Mar 2025 19:38:39 -0000 (UTC),
    Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> wrote:

    You could ask the dealer if this can be left alone if you add
    a DC to DC converter, or even if they think it will harm the
    alternator on the Acadia, but I don't think it would matter
    and could just be left alone.

    I think this is right. The low power over the 7-pin is pretty
    unlikely to ever get the LI battery up to full, unless it's
    very close before starting a day of towing.

    I also tested the system with the fridge running. With only
    the LI battery connected, its app showed the fridge was drawing
    about 17 amps and that it would be discharged in under 6 hours.
    With the running Acadia also connected, the LI battery app
    showed a bit over 7 A draw, with somewhat over 14 hours of
    runtime left.

    From this, I take that the fridge draws so much that it robs
    from the LI battery as well as from the Acadia. My impression
    is that if the LI battery is relatively full at the start of a
    towing day I should just disconnect it while towing so it
    doesn't get drawn down and it's SOC is preserved. The fridge
    should run okay on only the jiuce from the Acadia via the
    7-pin.

    on the other hand, if the LI is low on charge when I start a
    day of towing, I could consider leaving it connected and
    running the fridge on propane.

    A couple of additional thoughts I meant to work in.

    First, I expect the fridge was at its max demand when I tested
    yesterday, because I'd just started it up. Seems the draw would
    be less (at least the duty cycle would be lessened) once the
    inside has reached temp.

    Second, it seems possible that once the Acadia's battery has been
    fully charged the alternator output might drop and the trickle
    charge going out via the 7-pin to the Lance would also drop. I
    figure I can watch this next time we are actually towing.
    --
    Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> West Lafayette, IN, USA
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From sticks@wolverine01@charter.net to rec.outdoors.rv-travel on Sun Mar 9 16:39:12 2025
    From Newsgroup: rec.outdoors.rv-travel

    On 3/9/2025 9:33 AM, Ted Heise wrote:
    On Sat, 8 Mar 2025 19:38:39 -0000 (UTC),
    Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> wrote:

    You could ask the dealer if this can be left alone if you add
    a DC to DC converter, or even if they think it will harm the
    alternator on the Acadia, but I don't think it would matter
    and could just be left alone.

    I think this is right. The low power over the 7-pin is pretty
    unlikely to ever get the LI battery up to full, unless it's
    very close before starting a day of towing.

    I also tested the system with the fridge running. With only
    the LI battery connected, its app showed the fridge was drawing
    about 17 amps and that it would be discharged in under 6 hours.
    With the running Acadia also connected, the LI battery app
    showed a bit over 7 A draw, with somewhat over 14 hours of
    runtime left.

    From this, I take that the fridge draws so much that it robs
    from the LI battery as well as from the Acadia. My impression
    is that if the LI battery is relatively full at the start of a
    towing day I should just disconnect it while towing so it
    doesn't get drawn down and it's SOC is preserved. The fridge
    should run okay on only the jiuce from the Acadia via the
    7-pin.

    on the other hand, if the LI is low on charge when I start a
    day of towing, I could consider leaving it connected and
    running the fridge on propane.

    A couple of additional thoughts I meant to work in.

    First, I expect the fridge was at its max demand when I tested
    yesterday, because I'd just started it up. Seems the draw would
    be less (at least the duty cycle would be lessened) once the
    inside has reached temp.

    Yeah, I thought that too, and it kind of is confirmation where in the
    Lance docs is says to turn it on a day ahead of time to get it cold. I
    don't think it's that it uses less power, it just runs less. When you
    first fire it up, it runs constantly until interior temps go down, and
    the interval of restarts get smaller and smaller.
    FWIW, I did think the 17 amp you said it draws was high, but I'm kind of uninformed on fridges. When my AC kicks in it hits 20, but goes down to
    about 11 IIRC.

    Second, it seems possible that once the Acadia's battery has been
    fully charged the alternator output might drop and the trickle
    charge going out via the 7-pin to the Lance would also drop. I
    figure I can watch this next time we are actually towing.

    Well, it does appear you've got a much better handle on exactly what
    your equipment does, and what the capabilities are. If you choose to
    improve on them with a DC to DC generator or a solar array, you now have
    a good base of information to go with. Nice job, Ted!
    --
    Better Days Ahead!
    Darwinism Is Junk Science!!
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Ted Heise@theise@panix.com to rec.outdoors.rv-travel on Sun Mar 9 23:33:21 2025
    From Newsgroup: rec.outdoors.rv-travel

    On Sun, 9 Mar 2025 16:39:12 -0500,
    sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:
    On 3/9/2025 9:33 AM, Ted Heise wrote:
    On Sat, 8 Mar 2025 19:38:39 -0000 (UTC),
    Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> wrote:

    ...The low power over the 7-pin is pretty unlikely to
    ever get the LI battery up to full, unless it's very close
    before starting a day of towing.

    From this, I take that the fridge draws so much that it
    robs from the LI battery as well as from the Acadia. My
    impression is that if the LI battery is relatively full at
    the start of a towing day I should just disconnect it while
    towing so it doesn't get drawn down and it's SOC is
    preserved. The fridge should run okay on only the jiuce
    from the Acadia via the 7-pin.

    on the other hand, if the LI is low on charge when I start
    a day of towing, I could consider leaving it connected and
    running the fridge on propane.

    A couple of additional thoughts I meant to work in.

    First, I expect the fridge was at its max demand when I tested
    yesterday, because I'd just started it up. Seems the draw
    would be less (at least the duty cycle would be lessened) once
    the inside has reached temp.

    Yeah, I thought that too, and it kind of is confirmation where
    in the Lance docs is says to turn it on a day ahead of time to
    get it cold. I don't think it's that it uses less power, it
    just runs less.

    Ueah, that's what I meant by a lower duty cycle, running less of
    the time. Maybe I misused the term.


    Second, it seems possible that once the Acadia's battery has
    been fully charged the alternator output might drop and the
    trickle charge going out via the 7-pin to the Lance would also
    drop. I figure I can watch this next time we are actually
    towing.

    Well, it does appear you've got a much better handle on exactly
    what your equipment does, and what the capabilities are. If
    you choose to improve on them with a DC to DC generator or a
    solar array, you now have a good base of information to go
    with. Nice job, Ted!

    Thanks, sticks! I appreciate all the feedback as I worked through
    this. I don't have a final plan yet, but feel pretty well up on
    what's happening and what my options are.
    --
    Ted Heise <theise@panix.com> West Lafayette, IN, USA
    --- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Carol@cshenk@virginia-beach.com to rec.outdoors.rv-travel on Mon Mar 31 01:05:10 2025
    From Newsgroup: rec.outdoors.rv-travel

    Ted Heise wrote:

    On Mon, 3 Mar 2025 21:44:52 -0600,
    sticks <wolverine01@charter.net> wrote:
    On 3/3/2025 7:39 PM, Ted Heise wrote:
    On Tue, 4 Mar 2025 00:37:03 -0000 (UTC),
    Carol <cshenk@virginia-beach.com> wrote:
    Ted Heise wrote:

    I'm now wondering if my best bet may just be to minimize use
    of the battery so it might last a couple of days. The
    fridge seems likely to the biggest draw, and is probably why
    the batterys has lost a significant portion of its capacity
    after a day of towing. Would it be unacceptably dangerous
    to run the fridge from the propane tank while towing?

    Any thoughts about running the fridge on propane while towing?

    As far as I know, it's not illegal. You can do it, but it does
    open up a slight bit of risk should something happen to the now
    open gas tank.

    Yeah, that's sorta been my read of the situation too. Though some
    of my web searches suggested it might not be strictly legal.


    ...Seems to me the little juice those fridges pull you'd
    be better off just using the trailer battery and figuring out
    how to keep it charged up.

    I would also think the fridge (Norcold N4000) has light electrical
    use, but the 100 Ah LIon battery is down to 80 or less after a
    half day of towing. I can't think of much else in the unit that
    draws meaningful power while towing.

    If I'm reading things right (from web searches), it seems the
    fridge should run at somewhere in the 50-100 W range. Assuming
    worst case 100 W for five hours, I think that's 6 Ah used, so the
    battery should not be getting drawn down as much as I'm seeing.
    Maybe my calculations are off base.

    On the other hand, I seem to recall that the fridge has stopped
    running after a modest (less than an hour) time on the 12 V
    system. I suppose I need to check this out further.

    Regardless, it seems pretty clear my Acadia tow vehicle is not
    producing enough juice to help. Maybe my assumption that power
    could be supplied by way of the seven pin connector is wrong.


    ...Save the gas for hot water and heat if you need it.

    Yeah, makes sense, but the quick searches I've done suggest the
    fridge should run for weeks on a standard tank, so that doesn't
    seem like a few days should wipe it out.


    FWIW, I think you've gone to the expense of installing a
    Lithium battery in your unit, and we should go back to the
    start here and help you work through this problem of getting
    and keeping it charged.

    Yeah, a Li Time 100 Ah battery.


    ...I am still recovering from surgery, and not in top form,

    Thanks for the reminder, hope your recovery continues to proceed
    well!


    but this effort could be used here as a study in how to help
    fellow RVers with similar problems. One way or another we
    should come to some kind of consensus on what the group thinks
    is a good way to solve this problem. There will be others like
    Ted who are going to have the same questions.

    LOL, you sound like some of the folks I work with in writing ISO
    standards. Not that there's anything wrong with that. :)


    The first problem is whether or not you can use the tow vehicle
    to charge the trailer when moving from site to site. I assume
    you would leave for any trip with it fully charged, so this
    would be for mostly when packing up and going elsewhere. I
    still think a DC-DC charger is your best bet here, and not as
    complicated as it might initially appear.
    Probably more affordable than you think too. We'll have to
    look for good options on that. Once you have that, it could
    also be used in an emergency to charge the trailer batteries
    flatspotting, as well as using your generator.

    Yep, I always start from home with everything fully charged. I
    only have standard 110 outlets, so learned from experience that if
    I run the trailer's AC it melts the plug of a light duty extension
    cord. All seems to be okay with the larger gauge cord(s) I've
    since picked up.

    I do agree that beefing up the towing system feels like the best
    option for me, not least because I could use it in a pinch to
    charge the trailer battery when flatspotting. As I mentioned in
    another post, the small generator I've used seems not worth it.
    The car runs more quietly, and there wouldn't be the weight and
    fumes we get from the generator.

    I'm just a little daunted by the idea of installing additional
    equipment in the car (convertor plus heavy gauge wiring to an
    additional plug in at the rear of the vehicle).


    Next, if your boon-docking, you need to get the battery charged
    back up as it gets depleted. I know there were some additional
    notes recently on what you have currently in the Lance, but I
    was a little too under the weather to get into them too much.
    I'll try and give a look tomorrow.

    That said, it is my understanding you don't have a solar panel
    of any type at the current time. So, we have to know if the
    Lance does have a controller in it, just not hooked up, and if
    it does have a plug in for the solar panel. I know you have
    the generator you could use to charge the battery if you had
    to, but to me the proper use of a solar panel and controller
    that could keep the Lithium charged is the solution you should
    be aiming for. Then, you'd only really use the generator if
    you don't have shore power and need AC. On my unit it is
    installed on the roof and keeps my pair of deep cycles fully
    charged quite easily, with the fridge running too. I do like
    the idea of having a portable panel that allows you to park the
    Lance under a more shaded area and then place the panel more
    out in the direct sunshine.

    I think the trailer has only the Power Dynamics unit for power
    management. It includes a setting for LIon batteries, but I don't
    believe it would accomodate a solar panel without needing an
    additional controller for the panel. It does have the solar on
    the side connector, but I think a controller would be needed for
    any panels I might use.

    I'm also a little daunted by the notion of installing panels on
    the roof. On the other hand, putting out panels after arriving at
    camp would be playing catch up after the drain from a day of
    towing.


    Maybe I am just still under a little brain fog from the
    procedure, but it just seems like we are getting into the weeds
    and not being helpful recently. But, I do think we can all put
    our heads together and help you make a good decision on this
    battery charging problem of yours. It's a universal concern for
    RVers.

    Really appreciate your kind and thoughtful help here.


    ---snip---

    So if I'm reading this right, the concept would be to use some
    kind of portable power station as something like a backup for
    the trailer's installed battery? Seems it would be handy, and
    might be simplest to set up with solar panels.

    IMO, this power station idea is not what you need. You already
    have one, an expensive and capable one, with your lithium
    battery. A solar setup is another thing. You just have to
    figure out how to get the power to it. Answer the questions
    posed above about what you have now and let's work through this
    again, Ted.

    That makes sense. I guess one thing that caught my eye with the
    power station was the 110 V outlet. Other than the AC, we would
    have to do without the microwave and the electric kettle for
    coffee on 12 V only. We have to have our morning coffee (dark and
    strong with an Aeropress), and I have yet to find a kettle that
    could run on 12 V. We could use the stove and a tea kettle, I
    guess.

    Anyway, I think I answered all your questions, but maybe not in a
    very concise way. Thanks again for the help!

    Catching up here but related to the roof mount. look at amazon. They
    have a bazillion types of solar panel attachment gear for use on RV
    roofs. Some obviously flat mount but I think that affects how much
    solar you get. You still get some.

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