Battery Charging; Selecting A Replacement Battery; The Power Converter - Fleetwood Tioga 1988 Owner's Manual

or on top of the battery is normal acid neutralization.
Avo'id gettin\! the soda solution in the battery. Be sure
the vent caps are tight. Dry the cables and terminals.
Don't use grease on the bare metal inside the cable
terminals to prevent corrosion. Grease is an insulator.
Electricity will not flow through it. A plastic ignition
spray will protect the terminals after you have clean-
ed . and reinstalled them.
Check the battery often. Keep the carrier and hold-
down hardware clean and free of corrosion and
chemical accumulation. '
Battery Charging
Normally the battery will be kept charged by either
the motor home charging system while on the road,
, or by the AC/DC power converter when plugged into
AC service. On those occasions when the battery
needs to be charged from a different charging source,
please follow these safety guidelines:
WARNING: NEVER EXPOSE THE BATTERY TO
'. OPEN FLAME OR ELECTRIC SPARK. CHEMICAL
ACTION IN THE BATTERY GENERATES
HYDROGEN GAS WHICH IS FLAMMABLE AND
EXPLOSIVE. DO NOT ALLOW BATTERY ELEC-
TROLYTE TO CONTACT SKIN. EYES. FABRICS.
OR PAINTED SURFACES.
* ; . '
Do not smoke near batteries being charged or
which have been recently charged. Please note
that batteries are being charged while you drive,
and while you are connected to 11O-volt AC
power through the converter/charger circuit.
*
*
*
Do not break live circuits at the terminals of
the battery. Use care when connecting or
disconnecting booster leads or cables 'on fast
chargers. Poor connections are a common
. cause of electrical arcs which can cause 'ex-
'plosions.
Check and' adjust the electrolyte level before
charging. Fill each cell to the indicator with
distilled water.
Donat charge the battery at 'a rate that causes
the electrolyte to spew out the vent caps.
Always remove vent caps before charging the
battery.
Selecting a Replacement Battery
When the battery requires replacement. always
choose a battery with the same physical and elec-
trical characteristics as the original equipment. In all
cases, do not use a regular automotive battery for
replacement. Your dealer or an authorized Fleetwood
Service Center can advise you on proper battery
selection.
120-VOLT AC SYSTEM
This system provides grounded electrical service
for appliances such as air conditioners, TV. microwave
29
ovens, etc. The 12C>-volt system also provides a power
source for the converter. Your motor home is equip-
ped with a heavy duty power cord to connect to an
external 120-volt. 30 amp AC service. The cord and
connector are molded together to form a weather-
proof cable assembly. Do not cut or alter the cable
in any way. Do not remove the ground pin in the cable
connector, or defeat the ground circuit in the motor
home. If you have to use adapters to plug into an elec-
trical service, be sure the ground is maimained.
WARNING: DO NOT OPERATE THE 120-VOLT
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WITHOUT A PROPER
GROUND.
The Power Converter
The converter will supply 12-volt requirements when
yourmotor home is operating on 120 ACvolts. Thus
you will not have to worry about running the.battery
down. When you are plugged into 120-volt AC ser-
vice, the converter automatically switches the load
from the battery to the converter. The onboard bat-
tery will gradually be brought I:IP to a full charge and
maintained by the battery charger as long as 120-volt
power is available.
Converter/Charger
Maximum battery charge rate is 10 amps. Note that
because the converter uses a special sensing circuit
connected to the battery which draws a very small
amount of current, the battery may become discharg-
ed if the motor home is not used for an extended '
period of time, or if the converter is not connected
to a 120-volt AC source. Some accessories or equip-
ment such as clocks. radios, or the refrigerator may
draw small amounts of current even when turned
"OFF". The following chart specifies current draw
for these devices.
Radio memory (electronic tuning)
LP leak detector
Water heater (auto ignition)
Total current draw in amps
Temporary
Storage
.25
. 80
3.0
4.05
Turned
Off
_25
O •
0,
.25