I have two 6 volt golf cart batteries in my R V hooked up to make 12 volts. When they need recharging do I put one wire from the charger on the plus post to one battery and the other wire to the minus post of the second battery? I have a coleman generator with a built in charger in it, which I've been using. Or must I disconnect one of my battery cables while it's being recharged. Next question is if I use my built in charger in the generator, can I also plug in my 30 amp power cord to the generator? Then will the batterys get charged from two ways, from the in board charger on the generator and from the converter in the trailer?
Any ideas here would be appreciated. waam Holland, Mich.

 

I'm no great expert, but here's my take.

If you have a 12v charger, yes, you would connect the positive to one of the battery's positive post and the negative to the other battery's negative, with the remaining two battery posts (negative on one, positive on the other) connected together. Essentially hook the charger to the same two posts that the trailer's battery cables are hooked to.

As far as trying to use two charger sources at once, I've known people who do it, but to me it does not seem like a good idea.

Usually the battery charging capacity built into portable generators is only a handful of amps, where the converter in the camper is likely 30 amps or more... but it is likely to be a floater type charger. If it isn't fast enough, you might consider upgrading the trailer's converter to one of the "smart" three stage charger that would charge the batteries quicker.

Better charger/converters can be expensive, though, and at least for me I've been thinking of spending a little more for a solar pannel and charge controller...

 

I have two 6V batteries in series too. The directions for charging already given are correct. My generator (Yamaha 2800i) does not allow the 12V outlet to be used at the same time as the AC. If you're using the generator anyway, use the AC and let the convertor charge the batteries and if you have a smart charger, you won't risk overcharging them.

Jim

 

The hook up advice is correct.
Most RV charging systems only partially recharge the deep cycle batterries. get a good battery charger with a deep cycle circuit, 2 charging rates. I normally charge at 2 amps for 12-18 hrs after a trip. If you have shore power, you may want to use it to top off the battery charge. Can do the same with the generator, on fast charge mode. Deep cycles & other batterries do better on a slower charge, if you have the time.
Check the water once a month & keep it up! Keep the baterries clean. The little red & gren battery corrosion washers are also good for keeping that under control.
Bettery 101.
FYI.