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Old 12-03-2015, 10:08 PM   #1
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Class A Batteries

Im having to replace my coach batteries it had 4 6 volt but going to 6 probably Trojan t 145 would like to get 3 days out before recharging class a 30 ft monico thanks what are you using.
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Old 12-03-2015, 11:49 PM   #2
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Each person's energy use is different. What is your phantom load (with nothing turned on) and your habits (tv, satellite, computer, router, microwave, etc.). Remember to keep your battery bank above 50% to extend battery life.

I have 4 Trojan T105 batteries and run my genny twice a day for one hour when boondocking.
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Old 12-04-2015, 10:57 AM   #3
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The T145's are taller and have about 15% more amp-hour capacity than the 105. Whether that yields 3 days or not depends on your energy usage. If you currently get 2.5 days, it might go to 3. If you currently get only 1 day, the extra 15% (about 35 AH) isn't going to be enough to triple the length of use. No free lunch - only so many amp-hours available for a certain size/weight of battery.
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Old 12-04-2015, 11:23 AM   #4
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I think he is going to six T145's (from four unspecified 6V) so he should have a total of approximately 780 amp-hours (390 usable). Probably going from around 440 amp-hours (220 usable). That is a pretty healthy increase - I'm envious!!!

Buxtonworks, hopefully you have a good battery bank monitoring tool like the Trimetric to keep track of what is going on with that investment!
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Old 12-04-2015, 11:31 AM   #5
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As a tip, check to see if your converter has the capability to handle the extra load of the additional two batteries without overloading it. I, too, want to do the same, but I will need to upgrade the converter to handle the load. Will change to a larger three stage to do better battery management.
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Old 12-04-2015, 01:31 PM   #6
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Old 12-04-2015, 01:41 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WinnAdven2 View Post
As a tip, check to see if your converter has the capability to handle the extra load of the additional two batteries without overloading it. I, too, want to do the same, but I will need to upgrade the converter to handle the load. Will change to a larger three stage to do better battery management.
Good point. If the batteries are going to be recharged by running a generator, you should size the converter/charger to supply 10 to 12 % of the total bank amp hours. Example: if you have a 880 AH battery bank, 90 or 100 amps charging capacity will give you the least generator run-time.

A 4 stage charging program with an equalize function is the best for overall performance and long battery life.
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Old 12-05-2015, 05:57 AM   #8
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I missed the part about "going to 6". Yeah, that's a 50% increase right there, plus the extra 15% for the T145. But whether that gets him to 3 days or not still depends on his typical daily power consumption, which was not specified.
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Old 12-05-2015, 12:48 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WinnAdven2 View Post
As a tip, check to see if your converter has the capability to handle the extra load of the additional two batteries without overloading it. I, too, want to do the same, but I will need to upgrade the converter to handle the load. Will change to a larger three stage to do better battery management.
Charging is pushing uphill against voltage. More batteries/cells do not increase the voltage "push" to charge to my knowledge.

With more battery capacity you will have the ability to carry more amp/hours. That may require charging for a longer period of time. Just as a larger fuel tank takes longer to fill, but is no more difficult to pump into.

If I am wrong, please educate me.
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Old 12-05-2015, 03:09 PM   #10
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You are right Kiwi. I can only guess that the reference was to the rule of thumb about charger to battery bank size. From memory, Xantrex recommends 20%. I **think** that is just to achieve "optimum" charge time.
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Old 12-05-2015, 08:22 PM   #11
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You are right Kiwi. I can only guess that the reference was to the rule of thumb about charger to battery bank size. From memory, Xantrex recommends 20%. I **think** that is just to achieve "optimum" charge time.
That makes sense if one is deep cycling at short intervals. My coach sits in my barn plugged in at least two weeks between each trip, while on road, my engine or generator keep coach batteries up, while in campground, I am plugged in.

I don't boondock/dry camp much. All I have are two big 12volt AGM that require zero maintenance. They don't fail me.
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Old 12-05-2015, 10:25 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by Kiwi View Post
Charging is pushing uphill against voltage. More batteries/cells do not increase the voltage "push" to charge to my knowledge.

With more battery capacity you will have the ability to carry more amp/hours. That may require charging for a longer period of time. Just as a larger fuel tank takes longer to fill, but is no more difficult to pump into.

If I am wrong, please educate me.

Most battery manufacturers recommend (for flooded lead acid batteries) a maximum charge rate of "C/10". That means the capacity of the battery or bank of batteries in amp hours divided by 10. So one battery with a 200 AH capacity should be charged at 20 amps. A bank of 4 of the same batteries would have a total capacity of 800 AH and should be charged at 80 amps. You can think of it this way: For a single battery, you can use one 20 amp charger. For 4 batteries you can use four 20 amp chargers (or a single 80 amp charger.)

That recommendation is based on fastest time, which is important if you are running a generator to supply the charger. If you will have the RV connected to shore power for many hours, then it matters less and you can use a smaller charger over a longer period of time to restore a full charge. I hope this makes sense.

Excerpt from Trojan Battery Website:

Most deep-cycle applications have some sort of charging system already installed for battery charging (e.g. solar panels, inverter, golf car charger, alternator, etc.). However, there are still systems with deep-cycle batteries where an individual charger must be selected. The following will help in making a proper selection.

There are many types of chargers available today. They are usually rated by their start rate, the rate in amperes that the charger will supply at the beginning of the charge cycle. When selecting a charger, the charge rate should be between 10% and 13% of the battery’s 20-hour AH capacity. For example, a battery with a 20-hour capacity rating of 225 AH will use a charger rated between approximately 23 and 30 amps (for multiple battery charging use the AH rating of the entire bank). Chargers with lower ratings can be used but the charging time will be increased.

Trojan recommends using a 3-stage charger. Also called “automatic”, “smart” or “IEI” chargers, which prolong battery life with their programmed charging profile. These chargers usually have three distinct charging stages: bulk, acceptance, and float.

Note that the "20 hour capacity rating" refers to how the amp hours are calculated, and has noting to do with charging time.



Link to more information:

ASK THE EXPERTS: Battery Charging Rates | Home Power Magazine
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