Whether you are traveling in your RV through Nashville or Birmingham, it is clear that without batteries, one would not be able to enjoy all the conveniences that RV living provides. One way to take the stress off of your current system and add more features and appliances is with a deep cycle marine battery. These batteries differ from lead acid car batteries and some consideration is required during installation.
First, the engine must be turned off and the hood opened. On the camper's battery, the positive cable will need to be removed. This can be done with a wrench.
Secondly, a location for the new battery must be chosen. A convenient and safe location in most Rvs is the floor of an interior closet. Once a location is decided, the battery boxes will need to be best arranged and mounted. All the drill mounting tabs should be drilled through into the RV floor. A second hole will need to be drilled adjacent to a battery box in order to accommodate the battery cable. Protection to the cable can be achieved by pushing a rubber grommet in the hole. Mounting bolts should be included in the kit and will need to be pushed through both the mounting tabs and the holes in the floor. They can be tightened with a wrench. The isolator switch will also need to mounted next to the battery boxes with self-tapping screws that run through the mounting tabs. The switch's grounding wire also needs to be attached to the chassis.
Next, wire the grounding system by placing the ground terminal's negative cable to the ground terminal of the second. One of these clamps can be tightened with a wrench. A short, black cable can be found on the battery's loose ground clamp and should be run to the floor. The ground strap should be secured to the battery clamp. A self- tapping screw should be used to attach the loose eyelet from the other end of the chassis. Then, the chassis can be screwed through the floor of the RV.
Next, wire the positive cables. Attach the short, red cable to the positive post of one battery and tighten. Then, attach to the second battery's other positive post. A 2 guage wire can be run from the positive side of one of the batteries to the isolator switch's A terminal and tightened.
The switch can then be wired by running a wire from the isolator M post to the positive post of the original battery. The wire should run through the hole drilled in the floor, then along the chassis to the battery. Plastic zip ties can be used to hold the wire. A half inch of the coating on the cable should be stripped. A terminal end can be crimped to each end of that cable. One end can then be attached to the isolator switch's positive terminal post and the other to the original battery.
Lastly, the original battery cable can be reattached and tightened. You can close the hood and get back on the road!
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