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Joined: 22 Sep 2011
Location: Chapel Hill,NC
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Posts: 1066 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Batteries/charger
    Posted: 10 May 2019 at 8:52pm
We found good deals on 6 volt golf cart batteries at Sam’s Club. They are Duracell brand and IF I remember correctly they are 215amp hour rated. I remember them being $115 and we installed them ourselves.
Vann

Vann & Laura 2015 RPod 179
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Joined: 29 Nov 2015
Location: Wake Forest, NC
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Posts: 6288 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 May 2019 at 10:17pm
If by chance one of you has a military ID, Batteries + Bulbs has Duracell 6V batteries and you would be able to get a 10% discount.
StephenH
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ouR escaPOD mods
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Joined: 23 Jul 2018
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 May 2019 at 2:50am
Originally posted by EchoGale

All so helpful!
FWIW my tow vehicle is a bmw x3 with a factory tow package.  The 7 pin plug does run the trailer lights etc an I was getting a notification in the car that there was too much draw on my battery, so it seems to me it is connected.  From all that you've said I think I really do need new batteries and had already learned enough here to know that the dual 6 volts is the best option.  Now i just need to fin them at the best price available.  :)

If you mean the trailer running lights they operate on a separate circuit from the battery charging circuit, so having those lights in itself is not a guarantee that you're getting charging to your rPod battery. To be sure, try disconnecting the battery completely by removing the negative connection (along with unplugging the ac power of course) and see if the trailer interior lights come on when you plug in to the tow vehicle. 

You'll probably need GC2 size plastic battery cases for your new golf cart batteries, they are a different size than the 12V ones. You can get them here:
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Jeepinator View Drop Down
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Joined: 08 Sep 2017
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Posts: 72 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 May 2019 at 3:06pm
I'm by no means an expert in batteries, but my understanding is that most golf cart batteries will be lead acid and the maximum discharge level is 50% to avoid damaging the battery. That means that you'll effectively cut your amp hours in half.  Given your need for running a CPAP and interest in running the fridge on battery, you might consider Lithium (LiFePO4) batteries such as Battle Born.   Higher up front cost, but overall could be a better value over time IMHO.  They also weigh much less.
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EchoGale View Drop Down
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Joined: 10 Mar 2019
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Posts: 461 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 May 2019 at 3:37pm
Thanks...I've been considering that.  So much more expensive but.... So I'm clear, since you can run the lithium down to about 10% does that mean I might need just one?

Oh...and from what I've learned here I won;t be running the fridge on battery anymore; just he cpap.  :)
Julie
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 May 2019 at 3:54pm
You can use about 80% of the rated capacity of a Li battery. Overcharging Li is bad so a typical charge/discharge cycle would be from about 90% to 10%. So a 100 amphour Li battery might be the equivalent of 160 amphours of lead acid. In between two 6V golf cart batteries and one 12V battery. But with a much longer lifetime and much lighter.

One other consideration is temperature. Li batteries do not like to be charged in freezing temperatures so if you expect those then it might be best to relocate the battery inside the trailer. They don’t out gas so that’s safe to do. You will need a different charger if you charge with solar and probably a different ac charger as well.

So, there is an ongoing debate as to whether changing over to Li is worth it or not. If you boondock a lot and plan to keep your rpod for a long time then likely yes. If you plan to sell it in a year or two then not so much.
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Posts: 966 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 May 2019 at 4:10pm
Even though the RV style LiFePo4 (LFP) batteries are marketed as 'drop-in' replacements it's a bit more complicated than that. The converter in the r-pod (and most RVs) does not provide the LFP battery with the proper charge settings. Then there is the added complexity of your tow-vehicle charge line to the trailer if you have installed an LFP bank.

I started down that path and its a bit of a rabbit hole.

So, my trailer now has dual lead acid battery bank for all the normal trailer systems, and its compatible with the r-pod converter and the charge line from the tow vehicle. 

I ADDED an LFP battery to run auxiliary loads, in my case, a laptop, an inverter, and a couple of ham radios. That LFP battery is independently charged by a solar panel and dedicated LFP solar controller.

In fact I'm dry-camping right now in New Mexico and both systems are working well. 
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Posts: 72 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 May 2019 at 8:05pm
I was not aware of the charger issues.  Great info.
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Joined: 29 Nov 2015
Location: Wake Forest, NC
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Posts: 6288 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 May 2019 at 8:15pm
Originally posted by Jeepinator

I'm by no means an expert in batteries, but my understanding is that most golf cart batteries will be lead acid and the maximum discharge level is 50% to avoid damaging the battery. That means that you'll effectively cut your amp hours in half.  Given your need for running a CPAP and interest in running the fridge on battery, you might consider Lithium (LiFePO4) batteries such as Battle Born.   Higher up front cost, but overall could be a better value over time IMHO.  They also weigh much less.
I use a CPAP machine and have dual 6V batteries. I can run several nights with them as long as I run the CPAP with the heated humidifier off (just water in the tank for passive humidity). I would like to go with an LiFePO4 battery but the cost is still a little too steep for me so I make do with the dual 6V batteries.
StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...

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Joined: 28 May 2016
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Posts: 22 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 22 May 2019 at 4:53pm
Personally I don't think you can trust the 4 lights that display what is supposed to be 25,50,75 - 100 battery power.
Here's my recent experience... Had knee surgery late last summer & I hadn't used it for a while and since I was getting knee surgery I took R-Pod to a loca shop to check all the seals etc since I had no time and woudn't be able to after knee surgery.
BTW - I also had them remove the poorly designed plastic spoiler on the top rear that has the red lights. It seemed like it was primarily designed to catch debris, hold water etc and at some point leak. The calking on the exosed screws needed to be redone and I was sick of dealing with the debris and standing water...  they replaced it with 2 red lights and sealed the 20 or so holes that were left by the screws.

Since it had been in the shop all winter - I know at some point they carged battery. Getting ready to leave I pushed the button and it read "100%" - 4 lights so even though I normally charge battery prior to heading out I didn't. 

I got to camp spot and opened up the extension. Later that evening the refrigerator started to beep and I realized it was indicating low power when I checked it since I know the propane was pretty full. I checked the battery charge and it now only showed 1 light or I guess 25%. My main concern was getting the extension back in so I backed the truck up, turned it on and brought the extension back in and left it like that for the rest of the weekend. I was no where near power, stores etc - primitive site.

Later that following night I woke to a beep from the CO2 / propane sensor. It was indicating low power OR that it was faulty. Nothing was on....     I pushed the battery power button and it now displayed 2 lights instead of 1!  After finally removing the sensor and disconnecting the wires the beeping stopped so I went back to sleep. The next morning the battery was completely drained and it showed no lights.

So personally I won't trust that battery indicator again - I'll simply top off charge before I go on a trip & I'm also in process of installing a battery kill switch.
R-Podder by process of elimination
2014 RP179
2011 GMC CrewCab Short Bed
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