R-pod Owners Forum Homepage

This site is free to use.
Donations benefit a non-profit Girls Softball organization

Forum Home Forum Home > R-pod Discussion Forums > Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
  New Posts New Posts RSS Feed: Dead battery
  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Calendar   Register Register  Login Login

Topic ClosedDead battery
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  123>
Author
Message Reverse Sort Order
  Share Topic Share Topic  Topic Search Topic Search  Topic Options Topic Options
jato View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 23 Feb 2012
Location: Kewadin, MI
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3258 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Dead battery
    Posted: 28 Nov 2019 at 9:45pm
Thanks for the clarification offgrid.  In responding to the OP's original issue I looked at "Alaska Aviator" and not his location in N.M.  So indeed his discharge rate as well as Julie's in FL are going to be much quicker than mine in northern Michigan.
God's pod
'11 model 177
'17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost
Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake
"...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."
Back to Top
EchoGale View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 10 Mar 2019
Location: FL
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 463 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Nov 2019 at 12:35pm
thank you
Julie
Back to Top
offgrid View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 23 Jul 2018
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Nov 2019 at 11:32am
In Fl you will probably need to recharge the batteries more than once a month even if you have nothing connected to them. 

Jato's experience in northern MI is not going to be what you experience. That is because the battery self discharge rate (the rate at which it loses charge with nothing connected to it) is higher the warmer it is. The rule of thumb is the rate doubles for every 10 degrees C (18 F), so your battery self discharge rate is likely 10 times or more what Jato's is.   And you do not want to leave the batteries partially discharged or the plates will be damaged and they will permanently lose capacity. 

In your case, with no grid power at your storage site, I  concur with the suggestion of adding a small solar charger mounted on the trailer permanently. If you are using dual golf cart batteries you can get a 10 watt or so solar module and connect it directly to the battery through a 5A fuse (to protect the wire from shorts) and not have to have a charge controller. To start with, check the battery water level and add distilled water as needed every two weeks until you get a good idea about how often you need to add water. 
1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
Back to Top
EchoGale View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 10 Mar 2019
Location: FL
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 463 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Nov 2019 at 10:33am
Thanks for the help, everyone.
Julie
Back to Top
JR View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 31 Aug 2018
Location: Manistee, MI
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 366 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Nov 2019 at 8:23am
EchoGale, maybe you might consider permanently attaching a small solar panel to the top of your trailer cover and running the wiring permanently under the cover to the battery area of the trailer and there you go your batteries will always be full if you remember to hook up the connections to the battery.
Jay

179/2019
Back to Top
GlueGuy View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 15 May 2017
Location: N. California
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2660 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Nov 2019 at 12:45am
I don't know that Florida is a "crime den", but it does have a reputation; especially for the notorious Florida man.
bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River
2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost
Back to Top
Tars Tarkas View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 14 Jan 2013
Location: Near Nashville
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1449 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Nov 2019 at 10:54pm
Originally posted by EchoGale

No..the whole state of Florida is not a crime den.

Here's another option.  Pick up a cheap little generator at Harbor Freight or somewhere, and an adapter so you can plug it into the Pod.  Lock it to the Pod with a bike cable, fill it up with gas and let it charge your battery until it runs out of gas.  You don't have to sit there and watch it. Leave it and check back later to pick up the generator and put it away until next time, a month or two later.

It'd be good for camping if it's not too loud, and for emergencies.  But you only need the smallest one you're likely to be able to find to let the on board converter/charger top up the batteries.
 
Here's a link to an Amazon generator.  I think they sell this one at Harbor Freight too.  There are a lot of others.


TT
2010 176
FJ Cruiser
Back to Top
AlaskaAviator View Drop Down
Newbie
Newbie


Joined: 25 Jul 2019
Location: N.M.
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 14 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Nov 2019 at 9:06pm
Thanks for all the replies. I had the battery load tested this morning and it checked out fine. Just have to remember to switch the disconnect to off next time I store the trailer.Embarrassed
Back to Top
EchoGale View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member


Joined: 10 Mar 2019
Location: FL
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 463 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Nov 2019 at 8:04pm
No..the whole state of Florida is not a crime den. Jeez. Its just that, since the city made me move it from my house, it lives in a parking lot where there aren't many people around except those who go by it to go to the community dumpster.  I've not had anything stolen but solar charger just sitting there not secured to anything seems like too much of an invitation (especially to the kids around). And I keep the pod covered so I can't really attach it.

I'm sure there's also theft in Nevada.
Julie
Back to Top
lostagain View Drop Down
Senior Member
Senior Member
Avatar

Joined: 06 Sep 2016
Location: Quaker Hill, CT
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2595 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Nov 2019 at 7:06pm
Yikes, FL must be a dangerous place if you have to worry about people stealing a little $70 solar trickle charger off your Pod.  Are the tires and gas cylinder also in danger?  Thankfully, we don't have too much of that around Dayton, NV.  You can pretty much leave anything you want on your trailer and not even lock it.  If it were me, I'd spring for the solar trickle charger and figure out a way fasten it to the trailer.  On our old Pod, I put boat cleats along the bottom edge and tied our 100W panel to the roof with cord.  Something like that could even go on top of your cover.  Never had a problem, but then it ain't Florida.
Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  123>

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Bulletin Board Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 9.64
Copyright ©2001-2009 Web Wiz