Lazy Daze Owners' Group

Many words have been expended on this LDO board about the merits, pro & con, of various battery charger/maintainer devices such as the vaunted Trk-L-Charge or the Amp-L-Charge. Today I was introduced to a new (to me) and different device, Battery Doctor. Reading about it, it would seem to be more advantageous than the others of its kind.

How about some comments from you gadgetteriers out there in Lazy Daze Land?


Amazon.com: WirthCo 1213.1241 20092 Battery Doctor 125 Amp/150 Amp Battery...

The Wirth Company also has many other items that may be of interest to an LDO.

My starter battery is kept fully charged with a solar charge regulator connected to the house battery's solar panels. It's a $30 solution that was easy to add to my system.

Hi Steve (Lazy Bones);  This device doesn't do what the Trik-L-Start does.  The pdf files for this reference a manual shut off switch, so they are useless! This is more like the Lazy Daze installed heavy duty relay switch of later model years.  This battery Doctor is categorized as a VSR; a Voltage Sensing Relay.  When the alternator is charging the chassis battery, this relay (switch) closes to also charge the auxiliary battery. When the engine is off, this relay stays on until both batteries voltages (shorted together) drop to disconnect the batteries.  I can't see how this could be a good thing for the chassis battery.  The Battle Born Battery Isolation Manager  (BIM)  LiFePO4 Battery Isolation Manager (BIM) | Battle Born Batteries  turns on and off in a timed cycle in order to check the voltage of the chassis battery, and won't re-connect after the engine alternator isn't providing power.
    What the TrikLStart does is use excess solar power, or converter power (shoreline or generator) to keep the chassis battery charged up. Something this 'Battery Doctor' won't do. My last chassis battery lasted over eight years in the LD. It was showing reduced voltage, so I replaced it. (I still use it in another car!)
   My Trik-L-Start didn't work with the lithium batteries, and the Amp-L-Start had stability issues.  I saw that RV Tito (a you tube video source) was using a $20 solar charge controller to charge his chassis battery.. I am using this  Amazon.com : HUINE 20A 12V 24V Auto IP68 Waterproof PWM Solar Charge...  hooked up to the Lithium batteries (solar charged) and this controller thinks it is a solar panel. It keeps the chassis battery charged in a lead acid profile. It hasn't seemed to overcharge that battery yet. This charger can go up to 20 Amps to provide power to my radio, CB radio and one power point on the dash also. (GPS)     RonB

Later model LDs came with a Blue Sky 3000i solar controller that charges the starting battery and the coach battery. Before installing the 3000i, the starting battery usually lasted only 2-3 years, the starting battery now installed is five years old and still appears to be good, but I am not sure how good it is since it is always being charged and never sits without charging for more than a day or two. Larry

Our LD has an added 3-way marine battery switch that allows shutting the coach battery off, powering just the coach, or combining the starting battery and coach battery for jump-starting the engine. An added 2-gauge cable runs from the switch to the engine's starter. I don't worry much about the starting battery, the lithium coach battery is more powerful than the starting battery.
Larry

Have you tried using the coach lithium battery to jump-start a starter battery that is so low it won't turn over the engine (or maybe just barely)? My coach battery is a 12V, 200AH LiFe unit, so I'm concerned it will instantly exceed it's 240A peak discharge rating when it's connected to the coach battery, shut off, and the jump-start will fail. I don't think anything would damaged, but I'd still have an engine that isn't running.