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Old 08-27-2014, 07:25 AM   #1
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Battery additions and upgrade

I am in the process of planning to install (3) 160watt solar panels on my new WGO Adventurer and I want to change out and upgrade the (2) 12v house batteries with (4) 6v AGM batteries. I would rather not use the cargo space for the add'l two batteries and wondering if anyone has attached a tray/cabinet, etc underneath the chassis. Since AGM's are mtc free I would think installing them out of the way would be a good way to save some cargo space...?
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Old 08-27-2014, 07:33 AM   #2
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If you search over in the Winnebago owners' forum you'll find a few examples of folks that have put more batteries under the step.

4 6 volt battereis and chassis battery in a Sightseer:


4 6 volt battereies with chassis battery moved:


An Adventurer with 5 total batteries:


Another:


Old thread with more info.
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Old 01-26-2017, 07:36 AM   #3
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Does the 5-battery installation result in overheated batteries or excessive temps leading to shortened battery life?
Thanks in advance for any experiences &/or advice in this subject matter! (I'd thought about doing this myself - the physical tray space allows for it - but I wasn't sure about required spacing for ventilation/heat issues!)
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Old 01-26-2017, 08:15 AM   #4
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Venting is important.
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Old 01-29-2017, 03:58 PM   #5
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The space in the step well looks too small, short, and hot for good AGM batteries like Lifeline L16s. If you have enough space between the chassis frame rails floor above in a wide enough compartment to you could lay 4 L16s like I did. My 2012 Newmar Bay Star 2901 had an 11"H x 25"W space over the frame rails to hold the 500 pounds of 4 Lifeline L16s and cables plus the space in front for the solar and inverter/charger controllers. I added fans for ventilation and AGS & DDM gear too. See the pictures for ideas and the 4/0 cable size.

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Old 01-29-2017, 04:50 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rotaidalg View Post
Does the 5-battery installation result in overheated batteries or excessive temps leading to shortened battery life?
Thanks in advance for any experiences &/or advice in this subject matter! (I'd thought about doing this myself - the physical tray space allows for it - but I wasn't sure about required spacing for ventilation/heat issues!)

No problem with putting bats together, as long as they are vented. Ventilation generally refers to preventing hydrogen buildup. AGM bats do not vent hydrogen so no problem there. Minimal venting is need to dissipate heat during charging but solar charging is usually pretty low level over several hours and less an issue than a large alternator or charger.
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