Splitting batteries?

[Sam]

Jage:

Wasn't it Greg in Austin that has a nice setup for his van where SMB built a bracket for 2 batteries & hung it towards the rear of his van between the frame rails? I thought that was a very nice setup for that install. I just don't remember if he has the underfloor storage or if you have that rear storage box. It would probably only work if you don't have a spare tire under your van.

Saabman:

Thanks for the website & offer on more pictures of the Chevy battery holder. I'm heading to Quigley on October 8th & will check out their diesel van to see how that looks. I already know that they have the bracket in stock. I'll see if they have another place that they might install an aux battery & let you know.

I do know that RoadTrek puts their house battery back at the rear of the van on the passengers side. They cut out an area there & mount the slide-out tray & battery there. It is then covered with the plastic trim that they install down the sides of the van.

LenS:

I've seen a lead acid battery blowup in a guys face one time. He came to give my 65 Mustang a jump during the winter. He worked for a place called Auto Electric that specializes in automotive electrics. He had placed the positive lead on & was just hooking up the negative when it blew the battery apart. The reason that it did that was because the battery was frozen. The good thing was that no one got hurt.

Sam

[jage]

I have the XL storage and the first 4D is under there. Plenty of room to add some L iron and put the second one there as well.

[skrivan]

Jage---
You have 2 4D batteries on your rig? that's a lot of capacity and i imagine you can run forever with that set-up. Do you also have a charge monitor (wizard?)?? This past weekend, I found my 2 size 27 AGM's are toast----wont hold a charge and have very limited capacity. I'm sure i blew it by discharging them way too low too many times and then charging them too fast or high.

So...i'm in the market for replacements. I know this discussion has been in many differnet places, but does anyone have some recent information on best place to buy?? I like AGM because they are sealed, holy smokes these rigs are pricey.....i really wasnt expecting to drop $500 on new batteries.....any info is appreciated, as always.

[jage]

Originally Posted by skrivan

Jage---
You have 2 4D batteries on your rig? that's a lot of capacity and i imagine you can run forever with that set-up.

That's a great theory. That's the theory that I was going with. However the first battery was likely toast when the second was added, and the combination of the two seems to have murdered the new battery. I just love flushing a $AGM down the drain don't you?

I've actually had to disconnect the original 4D just to be able to camp. The capacity of the new 4D is down, but I've restricted my electrical use to the e-PH, fridge and only LED cabin lights (meaning I can't use the fluorescents). Which still takes me under 10v every trip (like I said the old battery murdered the new one) but $1500 for a new pair, especially on the heals of buying the new 4D in the first place, is a bit painful to swallow.

Do you also have a charge monitor (wizard?)??

My understanding is the Invertor is the charge controller on shore power, the van alternator handles charges from the engine, and I have a solar controller which I've never used, but is a fun window to watch my batteries die on every trip.

Are you saying there is something that monitors charge depletion so I wouldn't toast my new new batteries as well by drawing too much? If so I need one. I'm going to be paranoid about my battery health once I put the money into new ones.

[skrivan]

there is this device called a "Charge Wizard" which i have only seen, not tried. I think Camping World has them...

I dont know what i'm going to do to replace mine....it looks like a pair of 27 size AGM is about the same cost as a 4D. Not psyched. Really disappointed in the batteries i bought, but again i dont know if it was my mis-use (discharged them too far, or charged them too high/fast). In any case, i might not deal with it until next spring unless I hear about a good deal on new batt's.

[Roubo]

The "Charge Wizard" is an addition to the converter. It controls the shore power charge to the batteries to avoid overcharging.

Jage, you may be looking for a battery monitor that tracks the accumulated amp-hours withdrawn (and replaced) from the batteries. My SMB has a Xantrex Link 10, which you calibrate to your battery capacity when full. Say you have a 200 amp-hour battery. When full, the monitor reads 200. As draw occurs, the monitor counts down to zero so that you know just how much capacity is left. If the battery is charged, whether by alternator, generator, solar, or shore power, the monitor counts back up. The monitor also has a bunch of other features, such as voltage, the actual amperage of the current, etc.

There are a number of such monitors on the market. I installed a Trimetric TM2020 on my Syncro and it does all of this stuff at about half the cost of the Link 10. I went with the Link 10 for the SMB simply because SMB West was familiar with it and the device is less than half the size of the Trimetric. You can see several makes and models at http://store.solar-electric.com/metersmonitors.html. It looks like the Link 10 has been replaced with the Linklite.

I installed the Trimetric myself and found it straightforward. As is often the case, the biggest issue is routing the cables. The monitor works off of a battery shunt, which needs to be installed inline with the main battery cable. The Link 10 also has a battery temperature sensing option, which makes the unit more accurate.

Both monitors proved valuable in tracking my auxiliary batteries and the charging sources (in my case, solar). With my Syncro, I was also able to spot a blown fuse protecting the battery isolator and replace it in time to charge my auxiliary battery before I ran into trouble. It's a useful addition and far more accurate than voltage readings.

[skrivan]

cool...thanks for that. if i'm going to crank down another $5-bucks for batteries i'll probably do what i need to protect them. how much does this system cost$?? thanks man....

[Roubo]

The Trimetric monitor, plus shunt, short battery cable for the shunt, and cable for the monitor should run a bit over $200, based on the prices in the link I provided. The Xantrex system will set you back about $300. If you want the temperature compensating feature, add another $150 (that's new - it looks like Xantrex pulled the termpature input feature from the less expensive Linklite, so now it's a lot more expensive that when I set mine up).

[skrivan]

thanks for the info....it never end$.....

[zippy]

I thought the rule of thumb was to not go below twelve volts, and below 11.7 the battery is damaged so that it will never recharge to the rated voltage (14.7 ish). That's why batteries boil - the battery can't take 14.7 anymore but the charger/alternator keeps running at that voltage. The energy is converted to heat.
There are replacement alternators that will do 130 amp at idle. With a heavy enough cable and a separator (relay and solinoid) instead of an isolator batteries can be recharged rapidly.
I'm surprised at the money put into generators and solar while the big power producer, the engine, is untouched. Earthroamer's generator-less system has much more to do with the engine power system than the solar system. A couple of horizontal panels don't provide much power. What solar is very good at is "topping up" agm batteries at a gentle current.
It's can be very expensive to build an undersized inexpensive battery system.