QS10 - Does the battery charge off shore power?

[khughes222]

I have had my QS10 for 6 months and the only way I have ever been able to charge the battery is with an external battery charger.

I learned this the hard way through a few "powerless" camping trips. The first assuming the battery would charge off of the tow vehicle (wrong), then the second by leaving it plugged into the house using the external cord and finding out again that the battery was dead only a week after confirming it was fully charged and then plugged in the entire time.

So I just figured or accepted that the battery is not capable of being charged by the trailer at all. I bought a solar charger and controller and leave it sitting on top of the camper 24/7. I test the battery before I leave and its always 100% now.

But I have been skimming the forums and have noticed a couple comments that lead me to believe that plugging the trailer into shore power should in fact charge my battery without an external charger.

So what is the real story?

Thanks,

[charliem]

[font size="3"]First, if properly wired the battery should "charge" from the tow vehicle, but may be minimal. "Properly wired" means a seven pin circular (Bargman) connector and adequately sized wire. Most vehicles, even those with the proper connector, do not have adequate wiring to properly charge the battery. As such the vehicle should really be considered a charge maintainer.

Second, the converters in the QSs have a strange wiring quirk that leads to blown fuses when charging from shore power. The onboard converter should charge the battery, but it sometimes blows a 15A fuse. There is also a reverse polarity fuse that will blow if the battery is ever connected backwards, even for an instant. Check all your fuses. If you find a blown fuse that's probably the problem. Short of rewiring the power distribution system, some owners have reported success by replacing a 15A with a 20A fuse. This is not a safety issue and is worth a try. You can verify charging by measuring the voltage at the battery. A battery being charged will read greater than 13 volts. Left overnight, the onboard converter will fully recharge a depleted battery.
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[offroadgirl]

I have successfully charged my battery using the trailer many times without incident.  Either plug it in to 30amp at the campsite or get a converter to use your 30amp outlet with 110v at home.  Both options work nicely.  Have fun with your new QS10 -- I love mine!