batteries June 10, 2014, 07:50:18 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146880Currently I have two 6 volt batteries in the coach carrier which have lost their ability to hold a charge. The local RV repair shop tells me that it is easy for anyone to replace them with a single l2 volt deep cycle but that they could not get to it for two months? Can anyone do it? Is this the case? Frank
Re: batteries Reply #1 – June 10, 2014, 08:56:57 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146881Are you interested in replacing them with a single 12V battery for some reason? Why would you not replace them with the same type you have now?-Dave '06 MB, Indianapolis
Re: batteries Reply #2 – June 10, 2014, 09:12:50 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146882Frank, Don't wait two months! It is very easy to do it yourself. However, I would replace with two six volt batteries like you had installed Hook them up in series to get your 12 volts. Google "How to replace RV batteries" if need be. Gary
Re: batteries Reply #3 – June 10, 2014, 10:44:13 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146884"The local RV repair shop tells me that it is easy for anyone to replace them with a single l2 volt deep cycle..."Find another shop--that one gave you lousy advice. A single 12V battery would most likely have half the amp-hour capacity of the two 6V deep-cycle batteries that came with your coach. (Well, unless it weighed 130 pounds--but then it would be far from "easy" to install!)You don't want to cut your battery capacity in half, right? Then replace your dying 6V batteries with new 6V batteries of the same rating. You didn't mention the age of your coach, but the standard batteries for many years were Trojan T-105 6V deep-cycle batteries, popularly known as "golf cart" batteries, because they are so widely used in electric runabouts.You could check with local golf courses to find where they get theirs, or you might try Costco--some folks have purchased equivalent 6V batteries there, and they seem to work about as well as the Trojan-branded ones, while costing less.The key points to look for are: 6 volts; true deep cycle (not "marine" compromise batteries); and at least 225 amp-hour storage rating. And of course, they need to physically fit where your T-105s are now.If you can lift a 65-pound load, you can replace them yourself. Take it step by step. Use your digital camera to take photos before you begin, so you can make sure everything ends up where it's supposed to be.If you have any metallic jewelry, including a metal watchband, take it off. Be very careful with any metal tools, such as the wrench you use to loosen the battery connections--it's best to wrap all but the business end in electrical tape, so you won't short anything together accidentally.Work slowly and methodically, doing one battery at a time. It's not complicated--you just need to be sure you get it right.Andy BairdTravels with Andy
Re: batteries Reply #4 – June 10, 2014, 10:57:04 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146886To Andy's exceptional advice I would add you can fit T-125's or T-145's Trojan batteries in your compartment for a bit of extra capacity. Don't buy cheap batteries. I know people that have and see failures after a couple years. The Trojans are worth the money. Shop around. You may be able to get them at a good price delivered as I did.Bob
Re: batteries Reply #5 – June 10, 2014, 11:25:38 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146887My replacement batteries from Costco were made by Johnson Controls, probably actually made in China but were a little more than half the price of the Trojans with the same or nearly the same characteristics. They have worked fine for several years. They have a translucent plastic case. True golf cart batteries.
Re: batteries Reply #6 – June 11, 2014, 12:23:33 am Yahoo Message Number: 146888Most Costco batteries I have seen last about 2.5 years. I wish you good luck with yours.Bob
Re: batteries Reply #7 – June 11, 2014, 12:43:40 am Yahoo Message Number: 146889If you check Consumers Report you will find that the Costco battery's are one of the top rated battery's. In fact I find that most things that Costco sells has a very high rating. And there return policy is the best of any store.
Re: batteries Reply #8 – June 11, 2014, 04:17:40 am Yahoo Message Number: 146890Yes and your Costco batteries will have about have a much shorter life. The Trojans last longer.Bob
Re: batteries Reply #9 – June 11, 2014, 08:47:35 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146900"If you check Consumers Report you will find that the Costco battery's are one of the top rated battery's."That is true, but CR doesn't test deep cycle batteries--only starting batteries. Since Costco, like most large retailers, source their house-brand batteries from a variety of suppliers depending on where they can get the best deal, it's not necessarily safe to assume that CR's recommendation of Costco starting batteries applies equally to Costco deep-cycle batteries.Also, while I have a lot of respect for Consumer Reports, there are practical limits to what they can do in the way of long-term testing. I mean, they can't test a battery for five or six years and then report on it--by that time it will have been superseded by a newer model.Case in point: I did in fact buy a Costco starting battery for Skylark based on CR's recommendation. It lasted about three years, and then refused to hold a charge. Internal short? Who knows.I would have taken it back, but I'm not a Costco member--their stores are just too scarce in the parts of the Southwest I frequent to make it worth my while--so I'd had a friend buy that one for me while I was visiting the east coast. So I traded it in on an Optima "Red Top" AGM starting battery--a lot more expensive, but hopefully longer lasting. Ask me again in five years. ;-)Andy BairdTravels with Andy
Re: batteries Reply #10 – June 12, 2014, 12:12:43 am Yahoo Message Number: 146902One of the things I went by was the weight of the two batteries and they were very close indicating at least the same amount of lead was present. No probs with the Johnson control batts so far...wish I could say the same for my replacement WFCO Convertor, WF-9845, which died after about 4 or 5 years of part time usage.
Re: batteries Reply #11 – June 12, 2014, 03:07:11 am Yahoo Message Number: 146903"If you check Consumers Report you will find that the Costco battery's are one of the top rated battery's. In fact I find that most things that Costco sells has a very high rating. "Costco has recently discontinued carrying Johnson Control batteries, switching to Interstate Batteries. This was confirmed in a discussion with the local Costco's tire shop manager last week.Over the last 40 years, I purchased a couple thousand 6-volt, deep-cycle batteries (99% T-105s) for use in commercial/industrial equipment (at LAX) and RVs With the large number of battery-powered machines used at the Airport, there is a need for the best performing battery, per dollar. Over several decades, Trojans have proven to be the best value in lead-acid batteries, outlasting the competitors by a 25-35% margin. There is a reason why Trojan is the industry's standard. These observations were verified occasionally when an new or unknowing purchasing agent bought the wrong brand ("but I got a great deal!"). Got to love low bid items. It didn't make the mechanics happy. What did make the mechanics happy was the invention of remote battery watering systems. They eliminated the need to remove hundreds of battery caps a week for watering. www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&ved=0CE0QFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FFlow-Rite-RV2000-Pro-Fill-Edition-Battery%2Fdp%2FB001FCAXT0&ei=sEuZU67LIqzT8gHtyIGQCQ&usg=AFQjCNFc6-J7u_31zj7nkff1dJjLhTBY4wMy experience over the last 20 years or so, with many LDs, has been the same. Last week I changed out our LD's batteries. The old batteries were my one time Costco Johnson Control batteries experiment. They lasted just under 4 years before a cell shorted out. Previous Trojan batteries had lasted 6-7 years before losing significant capacity. Now, four new Trojan T-105s sit in the battery tray. You can save a few bucks on cheaper batteries...and you get what you pay for. Personally, changing batteries a year or two early is not my idea of a good time. As usual, YMMVBTW, for most of us, AGM batteries do not represent a good value. They do not appear to be lasting any longer than the T-105s and can be easily damaged by overcharging. The stock converters installed in most LDs will overcharge them, requiring installing a new "smart" converter, one designed for AGM's particular charging characteristics. Few LDs have a battery charger large enough to take advantage of AGM's ability to be charge at very high rates, a big plus for boondockers who have 100+ amp chargers... AGM's primary advantage is not requiring ventilation, when mounted inside the living area, only an issue if you install additional batteries inside the coach. Maintaining lead-acid batteries, equipped with a remote watering system, will take about 30 minutes a year. It's your choice if not having to do that is worth paying twice as much for AGMs..Larry
Re: batteries Reply #12 – June 12, 2014, 12:55:07 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146906As usual, good info, Larry
Re: batteries Reply #13 – June 12, 2014, 01:18:04 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146908While we are on the subject of battery and solor here is a very interesting posting that I came accross. A little long read but will worth for both the battery and solor side.
Re: batteries Reply #14 – June 12, 2014, 01:24:42 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146909Sorry but I for got to put the address in the first posting While we are on the subject of battery and solor here is a very interesting posting that I came accross. A little long read but will worth for both the battery and solor side. The RV Battery Charging Puzzle
Re: batteries Reply #15 – June 18, 2014, 07:42:45 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146988In the Files>maintenance & repairs section, listed under "How to Install 6 Volt Batteries", is a Word doc describing step by step swapping out batteries.Chris
Re: batteries Reply #16 – June 28, 2014, 08:57:15 am Yahoo Message Number: 147149Andy: sitting overnite, with no charge or draw overnite , the voltage in the morning was 12.98 volts. I have a hpv-200 monitor. It has array amps, voltage and charging amps. I am not sure what array amps means. Thanks David 2005 30ft IB
Re: batteries Reply #17 – June 28, 2014, 09:46:03 am Yahoo Message Number: 147150David,Array amps reading is the number of amps that the solar panels are putting out. A fancy (i.e. MPPT) controller may convert those amps to even more amps (i.e. charging amps), but a lower voltage suitable for the batteries.Alex Rutchka, SE #4 '05 MB
Re: batteries Reply #18 – June 28, 2014, 09:57:12 am Yahoo Message Number: 147151Alex: so charging amps and array amps are "almost" the same thing. david
Re: batteries Reply #19 – June 28, 2014, 10:32:39 am Yahoo Message Number: 147152David,The charging amps and array amps are close to the same thing when the batteries are pretty much charged. When the batteries can take quite a bit of charge the difference will be much more noticeable. While the difference is interesting, I think the reason they show you array amps is to make you feel that paying for MPPT (Maximum power point tracking) technology was a wise investment.Alex Rutchka, SE #4 '05 MB
Re: batteries Reply #20 – June 28, 2014, 01:17:36 pm Yahoo Message Number: 147154"sitting overnite, with no charge or draw overnite, the voltage in the morning was 12.98 volts."
Re: batteries Reply #21 – June 28, 2014, 02:16:02 pm Yahoo Message Number: 147156Andy: I bought the motorhome used and the batteries were 3 years old. So basically what should they be if they were 100 per cent ? The chart I am looking at says 12.7 or 12.8 voltage is 100 per cent. david
Re: batteries Reply #22 – June 28, 2014, 03:08:16 pm Yahoo Message Number: 147157"...your batteries are at about 50%"Andy, I've always thought that the batteries' voltage reading of about 12.5v indicated an 80% charge; a 50% discharge would read about 12.06 to 12.2v. (12.6v or over = full charge)The above numbers correspond very closely to the % readings on my LinkLite ( I agree that a battery monitor is a must-have!) and charge controller; what am I missing!?Joan
Re: batteries Reply #23 – June 28, 2014, 07:11:46 pm Yahoo Message Number: 147158"I bought the motorhome used and the batteries were 3 years old. So basically what should they be if they were 100 per cent ? "David As Andy has repeated, battery voltage isn't an absolute indication of charge level, it can change according to the temperature and other variables. As recommended, a battery monitor is the only way to really know what the charge level is. Anything else is just a good guess.Larry
Re: batteries Reply #24 – June 28, 2014, 07:44:00 pm Yahoo Message Number: 147159Whoops! Joan, you caught me in a slip of the brain. For some reason I read David's message as saying 11.98 volts rather than 12.98 volts. You're entirely correct: 12.98 V first thing in the morning, with no loads and no charging, means the batteries are fully charged. My apologies to all for misinterpreting David's recent message.Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels
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