How to replace house batteries while full timing?

[pduggs]

We just started full timing early this month. I realized rather quickly that my several year old four house flooded GC batteries were shot.

I want to replace ASAP with Costco Interstate flooded batteries. How do I do this while in a RV park with 50 amp, or while on the road and not connected to electric hookup?

Can I merely remove the four batteries without effecting anything going on in the coach, while hooked up or not? Take old batteries out and take them to store for exchange, and then reinstall new batteries. Or is there something I should do? Do I shut off the inverter? Trip all the house breakers?

[Captjake1]

Be aware that those batteries are only warrantied by Costco....not Interstate.

[windsorbill]

Originally Posted by pduggs

We just started full timing early this month. I realized rather quickly that my several year old four house flooded GC batteries were shot.

I want to replace ASAP with Costco Interstate flooded batteries. How do I do this while in a RV park with 50 amp, or while on the road and not connected to electric hookup?

Can I merely remove the four batteries without effecting anything going on in the coach, while hooked up or not? Take old batteries take them to store for exchange, and reinstall new batteries. Or is there something I should do? Do I shut off the inverter? Trip all the house breakers?

I always disconnect everything, shore, generator, (solar if you have it) etc.

Take pictures of the cables on the batteries before you disconnect anything then you can match up the new batteries perfectly.

Last time I replaced the batteries I took advantage of the empty space and cleaned/painted the interior, but I'm not living it the coach.

[Captjake1]

Originally Posted by windsorbill

I always disconnect everything, shore, generator, (solar if you have it) etc.

Take pictures of the cables on the batteries before you disconnect anything then you can match up the new batteries perfectly.

Last time I replaced the batteries I took advantage of the empty space and cleaned/painted the interior, but I'm not living it the coach.

...and that is exactly how I did it also. We are full-time.

[pduggs]

Thanks guys. That is what I will do.

I think we will find a Costco on our way to Quartzsite, from New Orleans. I hope I can just pull into the parking lot and buy new batteries, pull out old ones, and replace right there in the Costco parking lot.

[pduggs]

Originally Posted by Captjake1

Be aware that those batteries are only warrantied by Costco....not Interstate.

Thanks for that and I am okay with it. Can't beat Costco.

I considered upgrading to better more expensive batteries, but we don't know yet how much boon docking we will do. Plus being new at this, I need to research batteries to understand them better.

[BillJinOR]

Personally I would take them to q and do it there , with more time and less chance of a mistake damaging a inverter or making the coach immovable in a Costco lot .. it does make it harder to exchange but you can “sell “ the old ones several places

[falconman]

Just buy the batteries then take the old ones back later for the core refund after the install.

[Cliffy]

Costco parking lot. Shut everything off. Get a Costco shopping cart. Put the old ones in and run the new ones out in the shopping cart. That's what I did.
Make drawings and take pictures of the wiring so you put it back correctly.

Plan on cleaning the connections with a wire brush and maybe some water and a box of baking soda. Might have to clean out the area under the batteries with the baking soda water to kill any spilled battery acid.

Should take maybe an hour.

[deandec]

We have done the exchange in a Costco parking lot when there was room.

Otherwise, buy the batteries, do the exchange at the RV Park and return with the old batteries.

Shut off house battery switch.

Take picture of the cables as currently installed.

Try hard not to have the positive cable connectors touch the negative cable connectors........

[K7JV]

Look at where the terminals are on the tops of the batteries. If your new batteries have a different set up on the terminals, you may have different cable lengths to work with. If that is true, you will need to plan for that. Those 4/0 cables aren't very flexible. You probably won't have to do that, but several years ago, we DID have to do that. Also, be sure the battery terminals will work for you. Some have terminals that are large round posts, some have studs, some have threaded holes, and some have combinations of these possibilities.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, listen to the folks that tell you to take a picture of the top of the battery bank before to take anything loose. Use that picture when you reconnect everything with your new batteries. You don't want to put it back together in a different configuration that what you have now!!

Finally, when I do that job, I turn off the battery disconnect switch, and the battery charger. By the disconnect switch, I'm not talking about the "salesman switch", but the hand operated physical switch you should find in your battery compartment. The only issue is that you not create any unwanted excitement while disconnecting the cables.

When I do that job, I prefer to disconnect the large cable that is attached to the large + terminal of the bank that goes to the coach, FIRST, and push it out of the way. SECOND, I do the same with the large cable that is attached to the large - terminal of the bank and push it out of the way. Your bank is then electrically isolated from your coach. THIRD, I remove the large jumper cables from between the batteries. From that point on, you should be fairly safe from creating any unexpected sparks while you change out the batteries. I then reverse that order putting it back together.

It is not a hard job, but it needs to be done right. I won't make recommendations regarding flooded cell, gel-cell, AGM or lithium batteries other than to say that we opted for AGM in both battery banks in our '06 Dynasty. They are spendy, but we have a totally clean battery compartment and both banks are totally maintenance free, aside from an occasional hose-down to keep them "sanitary".

I agree with BillJinOR, that it would be good to do it when you get to Quartzite, though you could do it in a far corner of the Costco parking lot. But when you buy the batteries of your choice, be sure at the time of purchase that their case dimensions and their terminal arrangement and design will work for you.

[pduggs]

You guys are a great help. Thank you all so much. I like the idea of doing the change over at Q, but we had planned to Wallydock our way out there. I would have to run genset nonstop to do that.

[windsorbill]

Originally Posted by pduggs

You guys are a great help. Thank you all so much. I like the idea of doing the change over at Q, but we had planned to Wallydock our way out there. I would have to run genset nonstop to do that.

I wouldn't trust the costco employees to swap them out. It just takes 1 wrong cable on the wrong terminal to give you worlds of grief.

Can't stress enough to document the way the cables are hooked up before you start disconnecting things.

Good luck. Hope to meet you in Q.

[oldguy70]

Remove the negative (ground cable) first.