Ready for Solar install, but....

[smittysrv]

I have 2 standard size 12 volt batteries under the steps in my Class C. I thought about replacing them with 2 battle born batteries (lithium), but a 1,000 bucks apiece is too much money for me.

I am considering two 6 volt agms in the rear storage area of the RV, and then plugging the shore power plug into it. Has anyone just kept a separate solar and agm battery system like that and then plugging into it to for boondocking? Can I keep the old "under the stairs" 12 volt batteries as the are? Sorry, if this sounds confusing.

[twinboat]

You would need an inverter to plug into. They take the 12 volts and invert it to 120 volts. The size of the inverter depends on what you want to run.

Don't expect to run much that way, unless you install 600 watts, or more, of solar. Then when the sun goes down, the batteries will discharge quickly.

[GaryKowal1]

Originally Posted by twinboat

You would need an inverter to plug into. They take the 12 volts and invert it to 120 volts. The size of the inverter depends on what you want to run.

Don't expect to run much that way, unless you install 600 watts, or more, of solar. Then when the sun goes down, the batteries will discharge quickly.

After my two batteries under the steps were 2 years old I added two more batteries ten feet away. I put a battery switch between them. On occasion I turn the battery switch on for a short time to get a charge in then. But the only time I leave the batteries totally connected his when we're boondocking. It's not good to permanently link batteries of substantially different ages oh, so that's how I get around that. Nice to have the extra 200 amps when I need it. By the way my solar goes into the original Bank only, and only reaches the new bank when the battery switch is on. Pretty simple system

[twinboat]

Originally Posted by GaryKowal1

After my two batteries under the steps were 2 years old I added two more batteries ten feet away. I put a battery switch between them. On occasion I turn the battery switch on for a short time to get a charge in then. But the only time I leave the batteries totally connected his when we're boondocking. It's not good to permanently link batteries of substantially different ages oh, so that's how I get around that. Nice to have the extra 200 amps when I need it. By the way my solar goes into the original Bank only, and only reaches the new bank when the battery switch is on. Pretty simple system

Did you even read the original post ?
He wants to plug in his shore cord to the remote batteries.


You could use a automatic battery combiner to charge your remote battery. Then it wont be dead when you combine them with the battery switch.

Google Yandina.com and research combiner and combiner help.