Community Forums

brobox · 09-28-2020, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winemaker2

Sams Club also carries East Penn Duracell and prices pretty attractive. Good selection until you need 6 - 8 for a bank then it is spotty.

Do you know if Sam's Club will order batteries, I have often wondered that.

radar · 09-28-2020, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary.Jones

Anyone have a real estimate of the cost of replacing a set of Tesla batteries after 8 years?

I have a feeling that I might wish I didnt own one at 9 years....

Gary

It’s doubtful anyone would have to replace them other than a catastrophic failure. They are expected to last the life of the car (12 to 15 years) and then find a second life in off grid storage. It’s hard to say as even 9 year old Tesla’s with older technology are still seeing little degradation. There are a bunch of Tesla’s with north of 300,000 miles out there and still going strong. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Our Tesla has been super cheap to operate. Maybe 1/8 if the cost of a fossil car. Virtually no maintenance other than washer fluid. Super fast. Super convenient. Could never go back to fossil.

I have heard rumours that batteries are around 15000 bucks for the big ones. No idea if they are true

Winemaker2 · 09-28-2020, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brobox

Do you know if Sam's Club will order batteries, I have often wondered that.

I don't think so but worth inquiring. I asked once in our local club and answer was no. They can check other area clubs and have them hold them for you.
I called our club when looking for 8 AGM GCs and fortunately they had 8 and would hold them for me. Also fortunate they were all less than 2 mos old.

Kenny Loney · 09-29-2020, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FBL

Ken,
You might be able to help me understand about my house batteries... In May, based upon a thread here on IRV2, I replaced Interstate batteries (zeroed out too many times-boondocking) with two 12v Trojans. I also got a 100 watt Renogy solar kit to supplement the erratic power supply at Nottely River Camping, where I spent six months.
I went off Boondocking in August, and everything was perfect with batteries, generator (Onan 5500) and solar panel.
The solar hub went bad after three weeks, the battery + would not connect, so no charging. Within 2 days, I was dead everywhere... I just happened to have the slides 3/4 in, but had to drive to get a hookup with them like that and the awning out a foot or so. Once on 50 amps, everything was perfect, but I didn't crank up the generator.
When I left there, I was once again off shore power for 2 days. Batteries went to zero, generator would not even prime. I ran the coach, and the panel showed 3/4 battery, but only dim, flickering lights, and nothing from the generator.
I turned everything off until I hook up tomorrow, even the fridge (cooler with ice)
If the coach does not rebound after 24-48 hours on shore power, then I will take for service. Any thoughts on 2 days to zero on two new Trojans, (even the house switch above the door went out. ) Is the generator fail in anyway connected? I got a code 1-no power-but the chassis battery (1 yo) has been fine. So is the weather on top of Jackrabbit Mountain, so I am back to tent camping in a very expensive fiberglass tent with a nice bath.

Sorry I can't help on that at all. I just use them and when they won't take or keep a charge anymore, time to replace. Dual purpose RV Marine deep cycles for house and regular battery for the chassis. That said I only boondock maybe 10-20 percent of the time. When home the MH is plugged in all the time. After replacing the original batteries in the first year, at the dealer not charged and dead for the first winter. The first set of house batteries lasted about 7 years, 2nd set still going after 6 years. Chassis battery lasted 13 years. Keep them charged and check water regularly.

Ken

ByeTheWay · 09-29-2020, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brobox

Do you know if Sam's Club will order batteries, I have often wondered that.

Since Walmart & Sam's are the same, try walmart.com

coachmanjay · 09-29-2020, 10:34 PM

You are killing your batteries. They should not be discharged below 50% and then it will take hours to get up to 85% and days of charging to get to 100% What you are seeing is probably just what they call a surface charge and not true state of charge. If you Have 200 amp hrs of battery and a 20 amp charger it would take 10 hrs to get what would look like a full charge, but really only be 85% Batteries ability to take a charge rapidly decline in the Last past part of the charge cycle.

Sigfamily · 10-01-2020, 06:47 PM

I would start with fresh batteries and then install a Trik L Start. The Trik L Start robs a little power from the charging of the house batteries and keeps your chassis batteries fully charged. I had ongoing problem with my chassis batteries until I installed it and now when I plug-in both of my sets of batteries are always fully charged. Really easy installation and only cost about 60 bucks.

mlpeloquin · 10-01-2020, 06:54 PM

Learned the hard way and had to replace my starting batteries. It is a Thor Palazzo 33.2. The starting batteries are not charged while plugged in. I installed a battery maintainer and connect it up when plugged in.

Mgtv53 · 10-01-2020, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mlpeloquin

Learned the hard way and had to replace my starting batteries. It is a Thor Palazzo 33.2. The starting batteries are not charged while plugged in. I installed a battery maintainer and connect it up when plugged in.

I have a 2014 ltv motor home on sprinter Mercedes does the chassis battery get changed when the the motor home plunged in to 120 volt.

Bo · 10-01-2020, 08:24 PM

No doubt the chassis batteries could be defective but no one has considered that something is draining the batteries. Some years ago I had a neighbor that bought a new DP and plugged it in as soon as he got it home. A few days later he found the chassis batteries dead. Not being mechanical he had the dealer charge the batteries and check the electrical system, nothing found wrong. This happened 3 times and his wife happened to relate the issues to my wife. I had experienced the same problem with our older gasser and had tracked the problem to the sound system in the coach. When the coach was plugged in power was applied to the sound system but the system had a memory keep alive that was powered from the chassis battery that would increase its load when the system received power from the coach. The result was dead chassis batteries after a few days of being plugged in but no battery problems if not plugged in. I checked his coach and found he had the same brand sound system as I had but a newer model. I added a couple diodes to the sound system power and voila problem fixed.

I suggest that the OP check for unusual battery drain when the chassis is powered down, ie. switch off.

Aherold · 10-02-2020, 12:13 AM

Is it best to keep the RV plugged in? Or only 50% of storage time?

Sigfamily · 10-02-2020, 07:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aherold

Is it best to keep the RV plugged in? Or only 50% of storage time?

Plugged in all the time. Keeps batteries maintained.

Mgtv53 · 10-02-2020, 07:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RayandWendy

Larry,
I just read your upgrade post. In the picture of the batteries I see a small fused cable on the positive of one battery and the negative of the other. I assume that is your maintainer/charger. Does it make a difference if you connect like that or to just one battery, since they are wired in parallel?

Later ...
Ray

I have a small red wire with a 15 amp blade fuse in line connected to the battery positive out and black to the negative I think it comes from the solar panel to keep the battery changed

Gary.Jones · 10-02-2020, 08:03 AM

Good RV Dealers of big 45' luxury coaches keep their coaches plugged in all the time. There are an amazing number of "parasitic loads" in such a coach. Consequently, there are a lot of systems that run all the time. If the coach is not plugged in, then those parasitic loads will drain a battery down to 12 volts (50% state of charge) in two to 4 days. So, a good dealer has them plugged in all the time. My own coach is plugged into 50A commercial service while sitting in my drive way all the time.

You probably simply cannot assume that when you turn a modern coach "off" that you have turned all the loads to the battery "off" at the same time.

Gary