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Old 09-22-2017, 10:46 AM   #1
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Another battery thread

I know, sorry in advance. I seem to be a victim of too much information.
Here's what I have and what I need.

I have a toy hauler with currently a Interstate HD24-DP marine/rv battery. Yes, I am aware this is not the ideal type for a house only battery which I need. I also run a generator at least once a day but the battery seems to discharge pretty quick and won't make it through the night with only the fridge running on gas and whatever else draws (gas/CO detector,etc.). We do need the heat once in a while at night and it just won't do it reliably. Even during the day with no lights on, it seems to die out quickly and needs to be replaced anyway. Was in the trailer when I bought it used 2 years ago and I have no idea what the actual age is without going out and looking at code.

I seem to find a lot of information pointing to the Costco/Interstate GC 6V batteries as being a cost effective way of getting more longevity out of the system for house only use. As mentioned I will run the genny daily anyway so would a larger group 27 battery fit my needs, or should I go the 2x6V route and get it over with?

Other than the extra 60lbs or so of tongue weight, what considerations do I need to weigh for this change/upgrade? I am assuming my current inverter/charger will charge the pair of 6V's the same as 1 12v? So 2 battery new boxes to fit the taller battery and a cable to join them in series would do it or am I dreaming?

Thanks in advance.
Charlie
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Old 09-22-2017, 11:02 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DTG173 View Post

Other than the extra 60lbs or so of tongue weight, what considerations do I need to weigh for this change/upgrade? I am assuming my current inverter/charger will charge the pair of 6V's the same as 1 12v? So 2 battery new boxes to fit the taller battery and a cable to join them in series would do it or am I dreaming?

Thanks in advance.
Charlie
MY last 5er had the 2 x 6 volt set up , ( standard converter/charger ), ran furnace for 30 mins out of every hour; 8 hours on a -22 degree night .
That's what I'd say you need , and you appear to have the list of required items for your install.
More battery questions answered at this site; below.

The 12volt Side of Life (Part 1)
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Old 09-22-2017, 04:36 PM   #3
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Before you do anything you have to know,
+ The state of charge of the current battery.
+ Current draw when there is supposed to be none or little.
+ The ability of your charger to charge your battery.

It my be a worn our battery or it my be in the charging system or perhaps sometime else.
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Old 09-22-2017, 05:02 PM   #4
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Is the battery being fully charged when the generator is running ? The voltage should be above 14.2 volts for a good charge. Is your converter capable of charging the battery in a short time . Some converters limit the voltage to 13.2 volts , which is not high enough for charging a battery in a short period of time. Most invertes have 3 stage battery charges built in , so if you have an inverter you should be ok.
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Old 09-22-2017, 05:40 PM   #5
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I remembered I had another Marine/RV battery in a dump trailer . That battery hadn't been used or charged in a l-o-n-g time and when I threw the voltmeter on it it read 12.2 volts ~60% charged so I put it in Toy hauler and currently have it on shore power to see what kind of charge it gets.
The battery I took out of TH is now on bench and will be tested tomorrow. It read 13.2 when I took it out(and off shore power) so we shall see. It may have been operator error if it is dead as I do recall needing to add an amount of distilled water at the end of last season.

The idea of 2x6v GC batteries has grown complicated as I don't have room on the tongue for them without a bit of modification for a mount. I will need to drop them down lower and further back in between the frame rails.

I will have to investigate the converter in trailer and see what it is and what it's capable of.
We shall see. Thanks for replies so far!
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Old 09-22-2017, 08:46 PM   #6
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Keep in mind that if you are boondocking for any length of time, you will need to run your generator from 7 to 10 hours a day to fully charge house batteries that, for example, are down to 50% charge. I know this because I recently got back from a three week trip where I was on running on house batteries the entire time.

As previously mentioned, you definitely need to know your state of charge before you can determine if your batteries are good or bad. I, personally, use a digital battery charger that I plug into my generator to bring my batteries to full charge.

Keep in mind that you must disconnect your batteries from the travel trailer/5th wheel before you do this. Also, I only use a battery charger to charge every few days on my longer trips. On shorter trips, I simply use the travel trailers inverter to charge while the generator is running.

Hope this helps.
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Old 09-23-2017, 12:13 AM   #7
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The typical converter/charger that comes with most RVs does not have a very good charger and will take a long time to charge those batteries. Either replace it with a 4 stage charger or disconnect the charger portion of the converter and use a stand-alone 4 stage smart charger. Batteries will charge much faster and will last longer before needing replaced.
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Old 09-23-2017, 12:36 AM   #8
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Interstate HD24-DP marine/rv battery is a wet cell battery. How much water is in each cell and has it ever been low on water?
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Old 09-23-2017, 06:29 AM   #9
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Interstate HD24-DP marine/rv battery is a wet cell battery. How much water is in each cell and has it ever been low on water?
Cells are all full.... now. I did mention operator error. I may have allowed them to run low on water last year...
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