New House Battery HELP

[SMB_Beancounter]

I have a 1999 Ford SMB, I currently have a classic lead acid house battery, and its about toast. I have the original SMB electrical system build. Inteli-Power 9100 converter. I do not have the charge wizard. I do have a 2.8KW generator that I almost never use.

Before I purchase a new battery, I have been debating if I should upgrade the system. I don't use a lot of power while camping, but a bit more modern system might be nice.

I don't have any desire to go lithium, as I live in WY and -40F is a real thing here.

I have been thinking of going with an AGM battery, but will my current Inteli-power converter charge this? Or would I need to get a charge wizard as well? I keep reading that the EQUALIZATION Mode on the charge wizard will kill the AGM battery, BUT on there website they advertise it for AGM battery's?

I am also debating if its worth the upgrade to replace the Inteli-power convertor with a invertor/charger. If i did this, are there any recommendations that are plug and play? Where I can pull my current convertor and drop in the invertor/charger pretty easily? I do have a rear Starcool and microwave, so what size invertor/charger is needed? 2000W?

I only have 1 house battery, and the box under the body can only fit a 100AH, so its not like i will be running the starcool off the invertor really, and might fire up the microwave once in a while (Which draws 900watts)

I don't want to over complicate the system, as its been working just fine for us over the past few years. Running lights and the fridge, but it would be nice to have the outlets in the van work if needed.

Thanks all for the input.

[REF]

You might be able to run your micro off of an inverter and the small house battery for short stints but definitely not the ac, might still be worth getting a 2000W inverter/charger to have a little headroom, usually the big draw on appliances is at startup and exceeds normal operating wattage.
Not sure if this is applicable for your situation, but if you switch things up on the generator side, I’ve used a unit called easystart from Microair on a travel trailer A/C so I could run it off of a 2000W portable generator. It regulates and ramps the initial startup load.
Most house batteries are the big 4D 200ah AGM’s, mounted under chassis on the passenger side, often next to a secondary starting battery, but very possible you just have a 100ah for your house.
I’be had good luck with the Duracell branded AGM’s found at Batteries+, made by East Penn/Deka, Odyssey and Lifeline are also top brands. You can also find an interstate AGM that fits the space.
I’ve been using a Xantrex freedom xc pro for my charger/inverter with no complaints. It’s a narrower chassis than many others.

[SMB_Beancounter]

Thanks for the info, my generator will run the AC no problem, but we never use it. the Generator is pretty loud, might as well just run the van if we need the AC on. I have been debating on pulling out the generator and building a battery box in that area. But that's future state. I do think I am going to pull the trigger on a invertor/charger and new battery, just not 100% sure which invertor/charger, as id like to keep it pretty straight forward and ideally plug and play with the current setup.

[boywonder]

I had a setup very close to yours...with AGM house batteries.

The intellpower/charge wizard will charge AGMs no problem, although I wouldn't leave it plugged in long enough to equalize. I had that setup for 7+ years.

If you have a solar controller the charge profile is very similar to flooded except you want to disable equalize on the controller for AGM. Equalize does a slight amount of overcharging to heat the battery a little stir up the flooded chemistry a bit; AGMs are sealed and have over-pressure relief valves if they overheat, rendering them junk.

If you want to stay on a budget an AGM replacement is a good choice. You can mount AGMs inside or outside since the are sealed.

Replacing the intellpower with an inverter charger is pretty straightforward; that's where I got my intellepower, we put a 2000W Tripplite inverter/charger in my neighbor's RV and I inherited the intellepower.

I installed an inverter (no charging feature) and use the intellepower for charging.

Since your van is a 1999 upgrading the battery isolator may be a very worthwhile upgrade depending on what you have now. We need Scalf77 to show up here; he'll have a good idea what separator (or isolator) you have. You likely have a surepower 1314 or 1315.....they work pretty well. The 1315 will charge both house and starting batteries if you have solar.

If you have an isolator (not a separator) I would consider upgrading to a Bluesea ACR.

I've since upgraded to lithium haven't looked back.

[SMB_Beancounter]

Boywonder I was waiting for you to show up, you always seem to have a wealth of knowledge. I am thinking I will go the AGM route, and drop in a new invertor/charger. But let me ask you this, what's the wiring like if i want to keep my converter/charger (intellpower) and drop in an invertor? Where do i wire that in at?

Based on all the paperwork I have with the van I do have an isolator mounted under the hood, not sure which model it is, i would have to check. What would this improve by upgrading this?

My generator isn't working great, it wont stay running once the start button is released, and it looks like its the voltage regulator. We have literally never used the generator, so I don't think I will be fixing this. I would rather drop those funds on a improved battery setup. Future state I might drop the gen and build a battery box in that location.

I do not have solar, but without the generator again that may be a future upgrade.

As for the wiring of the invertor/charger, would I get rid of the GFI plug that the intellpower is plugged into now, and hard wire that into the invertor/charger? also would the new invertor charger accept the 12v from the van alternator to charge the battery's

Thanks all for the help!

[1der]

SMB _BC -
You said the battery box underneath only holds a 100Ah battery - where is that located?
EB or RB van?
Interior layout?
Guessing gas, not diesel?
Generator is located where spare is or just behind the differential forward of the spare tire ?

WY is difficult environment temp-wise for any battery.
What is your winter van usage?
How is the van parked during the year?
Is solar exposure available while parked during non-use?


These are some data points I would consider in deciding which way to go.

[SMB_Beancounter]

Yes, the battery is under the van, but the carpet behind the drivers seat has a flap you move to access the battery from inside the van. Currently only hold a standard deep cycle lead acid battery.

The van is a EB, correct Gas.

Interior layout was custom, it has the dinette that folds flat, with the fridge and microwave behind that. Currently convertor/charger is under the dinette bench on the drivers side.

Yeah I agree, WY is tough on battery, that's why I think the AGM is probably best for me.

Winter usage is more than summer usage, we camp in ski resort parking lots alot. We dont have heat, we just use a good sleeping bag, and run the van to warm up a bit in the mornings, this has work well for us.

Van is parked in my driveway and is driven a decent amount, at least weekly.

Solar exposure is available, it is always sunny here in western WY. COLD but sunny!

[SMB_Beancounter]

Soo the more I think about this today, the more unsure I am of what I want to do.. haha.

I am leaning towards, maybe just getting a invertor, and wiring that directly into the 110V breaker panel the van has.

I would then leave the convertor/charger as is, so the van would still charge the battery bank while driving, shore power would still work as setup, and the generator would also still work if i ever get it running.

is my logic correct? I would just connect the invertor to the aux battery bank, and wire the invertor into the 110V breaker panel in the van? When I turn the invertor on, this would then power the panel?

Future state, I could add solar and a solar controller? Or even just a solar suite case to help charge while parked camping.

[boywonder]

Originally Posted by SMB_Beancounter

is my logic correct?

More or less...yes. Assuming all of your 110V stuff works when plugged in to shore power, and that fact that you have a generator means that you have a 110V transfer switch somewhere.

So you have to put some thought how the 110V side of the inverter wires into your system. Again, if Scalf77 chimes in here he can provide some important details.

[SMB_Beancounter]

Originally Posted by boywonder

More or less...yes. Assuming all of your 110V stuff works when plugged in to shore power, and that fact that you have a generator means that you have a 110V transfer switch somewhere.

So you have to put some thought how the 110V side of the inverter wires into your system. Again, if Scalf77 chimes in here he can provide some important details.

Yeah there is a transfer switch between Generator/Shorepower hookup and the 30AMP powercenter (110V Panel)

I see what your saying, where do I wire into? I guess I could remove the generator, since its not running anyways, and we literally have never used it.. only has 11 hours on it total haha.

Would I literally just run the 12V side of the invertor straight to the battery? will this be an issue with having the intellpower which is the convertor/charger also hooked up the battery terminals? If the van is running which means the convertor/charger is on and I where to turn on the Invertor, what would happen?