Community Forums

pallencollin · 03-08-2018, 03:55 PM

Kathy & I will be replacing the house batteries in our ‘14 Anthem this spring. We will be picking up the 8 lifeline batteries @ $275ea from Centex Batteries in Bastrop, Tx sometime in April. My question for the group is: How difficult of a job is it to install this bank of batteries?

royals1212 · 03-08-2018, 04:22 PM

Not difficult. The “RV Geeks” did a youtube video that shows you how to, draw a cable chart etc.

brobox · 03-08-2018, 05:11 PM

Not hard, label each cable and what battery it goes to. Take a couple of pictures with your phone before you start and do the diagram. Use anti concision on the terminals and cables, I use Vaseline, others use the red spray.

pallencollin · 03-08-2018, 10:23 PM

Once the batteries are upgraded and replaced, will the inverters just recognize the new batteries or will they need to be reprogrammed or settings changed?

brobox · 03-09-2018, 05:21 AM

Peter found Don's excellent post on Lifeline settings. http://www.irv2.com/forums/f278/life...gs-362836.html

Gary.Jones · 03-09-2018, 09:23 AM

The battery to battery wiring is pretty straightforward. Take pictures and draw a diagram. BUT, be very careful that you don't let any battery cable inadvertently bump into the chassis, or opposite lead of one of the batteries or you will be welding the battery cable to the chassis or frame. It is all pretty easy, but just be very careful of not letting anything flop around as you do the wiring....!!!!

Remember you are wiring up multiple series/parallel battery pairs as you put these together, and follow your diagram exactly. If one of the battery cables is too long or too short, you have something wrong in what you are doing.... they are pretty much exactly what is needed in the factory wiring and if you buy batteries the same physical size, you should have nothing strange or unanticipated on cable length.

Gary

pallencollin · 03-09-2018, 11:37 AM

Questions continue to occupy my time as I plan for my battery replacement project. In the battery compartment does one battery tray supply a single inverter? ie: upper tray inverter#1?

757driver · 03-09-2018, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pallencollin

Questions continue to occupy my time as I plan for my battery replacement project. In the battery compartment does one battery tray supply a single inverter? ie: upper tray inverter#1?

Peter,

In a nutshell no. There is one 3/0 inverter cable running to each tray (top and bottom) but they are tied together at the inverters class T fuses on the back wall. The entire bank of batteries can be charged by either or both inverter/chargers or conversely either inverter can draw from all 8 batteries.

brobox · 03-09-2018, 12:19 PM

Gary, an easy solution the battery cables getting welded is to use masking tape to wrap the terminals as they are removed. Then use a Sharpe to mark on the tape which battery it goes to. Kills two birds with one procedure.

I also group my cable together with wire ties so one does not drop out of sight. Don't ask how I learned that one

The TS had a lot of small wires connected to the batteries, the one a lost was the hot wire to the gauges. I think the Entegra's are wired much better.