Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 11-21-2009, 05:39 AM   #1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: ny
Posts: 112
large battery bank

I wanted 6 batteries in my conversion(sprinter) and I just got the 1st draft of my layout
They want to put 2 batteries under the gaucho, 2 under the van(outside)driver's side & 2 under the van,(outside) passenger side. Is this acceptable for a battery bank? I thought they all are supposed to be next to ea other and wired together with the shortest wires possible

k9sprinter is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-21-2009, 07:51 AM   #2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,837
Re: large battery bank

I know a little about this:

1
ya gotta cram 'em in wherever you can
unless you are going to design around the batteries
and sacrifice living space

2
distance is not really in issue
IF the proper size wire is used
IF connections are proper

3
ya dont want to mix batt sizes
however refere to 1... ya might have to mix

4
what is your estimated total daily usage for all, lights, fridge etc
what is your total storage in amp hours
how are you going to charge them
wattage and number of solar array if used
type controler for solar
where you will be approx for estimating solar albility
fixed or flexible mount for solar
generator type, wattage, and fuel system

5
verify all specs with at least two manufactures
do not rely on SMB for accurate info

6
weight issues THIS IS PROB YOUR MOST IMPORTANT CRITERIA
i have no clue what a sprinter is capable of
DEMAND ultra light wood for the build out

get this info to us and we can help

bw
billwilson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-21-2009, 09:49 AM   #3
Senior Member
 
Ford_6L_E350's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Washington - Ridgefield
Posts: 4,728
Re: large battery bank

I like the fact that most of the batteries are mounted low. It sounds like a reasonable solution. If you want them all together, you have to decide how much interior space you want to give up.

Ford gas vans come with a battery in the engine compartment and the 2nd battery mounted on the frame (just like the diesels). No problem.

Mike
__________________
Alaska to Key West, Labrador and more
Prostate cancer survivor. See Thread Prostate cancer and Sportsmobiles
2015 VW GTI 2020 Fiat 124 Spider
2012 E250 Hitop camper
Ford_6L_E350 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-21-2009, 10:51 AM   #4
Site Team
 
WVvan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,293
Re: large battery bank

One thing I've read, not from personal experience, is that if the length of the cabling isn't the same to each battery then the battery with the shortest cables will get a higher percentage of usage so will probably fail before the others.
__________________
Open the pod bay doors Hal.

Once I exit Hal, this is what I do.
https://larry.wvnet.edu/~van/pics/lic...late-small.jpg
WWW.WVBIKE.ORG
WVvan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-21-2009, 11:29 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: ny
Posts: 112
Re: large battery bank

I got this reply and link from another forum ...

Hi K-9 SPRINTER...

You're correct, the battery bank should consist of grouped together batteries (preferably AGM non-gassing). Keep the battery cables as close in length as possible and as heavy as your inverter calls for. more info here http://www.wagonmaker.com/newbatt.html
k9sprinter is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-21-2009, 12:33 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
Ford_6L_E350's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Washington - Ridgefield
Posts: 4,728
Re: large battery bank

Quote:
Originally Posted by WVvan
One thing I've read, not from personal experience, is that if the length of the cabling isn't the same to each battery then the battery with the shortest cables will get a higher percentage of usage so will probably fail before the others.
I don't think I would buy into that theory. Within the confines of van, the differences in length are fairly small. Manufacturing variances from battery to battery are probably much larger.

The voltage drop across a properly sized cable is minimal. Even running a microwave and drawing 100A, spread across 6 batteries is less than 20A/battery. If the #2 cable length difference was 10' from shortest to longest cable, at 20A that is about 0.06V. And you could reduce that by making the short cables longer or smaller. I.E.: 6GA 4' resistance approximates 2GA 10' resistance. If you were really concerned about, run the same length cable to each of the battery sets and coil the extra.

There is a nice little wire/current/voltage drop calculator at this site:

http://www.bdbatteries.com/wirerules.php

Mike
__________________
Alaska to Key West, Labrador and more
Prostate cancer survivor. See Thread Prostate cancer and Sportsmobiles
2015 VW GTI 2020 Fiat 124 Spider
2012 E250 Hitop camper
Ford_6L_E350 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-21-2009, 02:11 PM   #7
Site Team
 
daveb's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Turlock Ca
Posts: 10,407
Garage
Re: large battery bank

Quote:
Originally Posted by k9sprinter
I wanted 6 batteries in my conversion(sprinter) and I just got the 1st draft of my layout
They want to put 2 batteries under the gaucho, 2 under the van(outside)driver's side & 2 under the van,(outside) passenger side. Is this acceptable for a battery bank? I thought they all are supposed to be next to ea other and wired together with the shortest wires possible
Just curious...why six batteries? Space issue?
__________________
2006 Ford 6.0PSD EB-50/E-PH SMB 4X4 Rock Crawler Trailer

Sportsmobile 4X4 Adventures..........On and off road adventures
daveb is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-21-2009, 02:19 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: ny
Posts: 112
Re: large battery bank

The 6, 8D AGMs are to be able to run AC and fridge,(6-8 hrs) when there is no genorator allowed
k9sprinter is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-21-2009, 03:22 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
Ford_6L_E350's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Washington - Ridgefield
Posts: 4,728
Re: large battery bank

Quote:
Originally Posted by k9sprinter
The 6, 8D AGMs are to be able to run AC and fridge,(6-8 hrs) when there is no genorator allowed
Whoa, what is that, about 1000# of batteries!!!!

Mike
__________________
Alaska to Key West, Labrador and more
Prostate cancer survivor. See Thread Prostate cancer and Sportsmobiles
2015 VW GTI 2020 Fiat 124 Spider
2012 E250 Hitop camper
Ford_6L_E350 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-21-2009, 03:23 PM   #10
Site Team
 
daveb's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Turlock Ca
Posts: 10,407
Garage
Re: large battery bank

Wow! How are you going to get those recharged? Will your alternator be able to handle that? I've never really researched this and would like to know what you've found. You are designing a vehicle that has the size bank that I've only seen in large diesel trucks. I would love to have that kind of reserve but I don't think I could get those charged in 2 days if taken low.

From the Web but is about marine alternators which are generally smaller. It still might apply:
• “The charge acceptance of AGMs can burn up an alternator if the charging system is not adequate for extended runtimes at full power. The larger the battery bank and the harder the charger is made to work, the more attention I would pay to ensuring that the charging system can handle the currents for extended periods of time. This caveat does not really apply to low-duty applications like starter banks, since they usually need so little charge to be topped up. Even the puny alternators found in Jet Skis should be able to handler an AGM starter battery, as long as that battery is just used for that - starting.
• On the other hand, if you need a large house bank and want to rely on a single charge source for much of the power, I'd aim for a high quality charge. Ensure that the alternator receives enough cooling air as a hot alternator will produce less energy than a cool one and last longer to boot. AGMs and to a lesser extent gel cell systems can benefit from using the thermal alternator protection of regulators, particularly if you expect to bulk charge your system for extended periods of time and don't have good engine compartment ventilation.
• The higher charge efficiency of AGMs allows you to recharge with less energy: Flooded cells convert 15-20% of the electrical energy into heat instead of potential power. Gel-cells lose 10-16% but AGMs as little as 4%. The higher charge efficiency of AGMs can contribute to significant savings when it comes to the use of expensive renewable energy sources (wind generators, solar panels, etc.) as your charging system can be 15% smaller (or just charge faster)”.
__________________
2006 Ford 6.0PSD EB-50/E-PH SMB 4X4 Rock Crawler Trailer

Sportsmobile 4X4 Adventures..........On and off road adventures
daveb is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sportsmobile SIP or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 11:34 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.