batteries

[brad barton]

Ron, Thanks. I'll make sure the inverters are set for my gels. I have a
traditional RV refrigerator though. I am considering solar in the
long-term..just to keep the batteries from not draining when parked. Brad
Barton 00LXiDFW bbartonwx@...


To: WanderlodgeForum@...: aeonix1@...: Mon, 4 Jun 2007
22:09:52 -0500Subject: Re: [WanderlodgeForum] Batteries




My coach was received with a set of 3 smaller engine batteries and 6 'house'
batteries in the 4-D size. All were Deka brand AGMs.After a few months -- and a
somewhat less-than-pleasant stay in a state park with no hook-up and a long
'quite time' ... I determined that my AGM batteries had probably been
mishandled.One factor was that the (non-standard) Link 2000 R battery controller
had been reset to "factory default" sometime during the 6 months the coach had
been in various dealer's hands. Unfortunately, the factory default is for
flooded cell batteries and it was overcharging the AGMs -- severely shortening
their life.Since the engine batteries seemed ok, (They're a common size 34 or 37
or some such), I ignored them, but replaced the 6 house batteries with Fullriver
4-D size AGM. These are a deep cycle battery used in the solar industry. I've
reprogramed the Link 2000 R controller to be aware that AGM batteries are in use
and I note that the charge and float voltages are lower -- 12.95 instead of 13.4
with the flooded cell setting.I also discovered the reason for the poor
boondocking performance -- and unfortunately, the batteries are not at the heart
of the problem -- rather the home-type refrigerator draws so much power, that
the batteries can't support that load and other "normal" activities for a very
long time. (I'm exploring other power management techniques to better "survive"
in a boondock situation in the future.)Pete Masterson'95 Blue Bird Wanderlodge
WBDA 42aeonix1@... the road at Russell KansasOn Jun 4, 2007, at 9:31 PM,
brad barton wrote:>> Anyone,> It may be a simple case of batteries at the end of
their useable > life, but...> If my coach is not plugged in, my three 4-D
starting batteries and > 6 gel-cell coach batteries drop to between 10.5 and
11.5 volts and > I have to plug in or run the generator for a few minutes just
to > get a start, even tying in the generator batteri.> I thought I might have
left one inverter on by mistake, but when > plugged in, they both switched over
to charge and fully charged the > batteries in a few hours. The meter was pegged
at +300 amps for > some time.> I hope it's something stupid I'm doing rather
than needing to buy a > bunch of new batteries.> Anyone have any experience with
starting or gel-cell batteries from > Costco? Brad Barton 00LXiDFW
bbartonwx@...


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