Battery Recommendation |
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Patriot Dave
Senior Member Joined: 06 Feb 2016 Location: LaSalle, Mi. 48 Online Status: Offline Posts: 206 |
Topic: Battery Recommendation Posted: 04 Mar 2016 at 8:23pm |
With all the conversation here regarding batteries, I had thought, I had what I was gonna do all figured out...LOL
We have pretty much decided on an R179 and I have been working on my list of items (all Learned here) to negotiate with our dealer and batteries were one of those items. I have been to a Battery Wholesale store and learned a bit more; learned about 24, 27 and 31 series and looked at their battery cases and asked questions about deep cycle among other things. I was originally thinking I would need 2 - deep cycle batteries in at least a 27 series but I am now not so sure. I have a Yamaha 2000 Inverter generator and now I am thinking I may only need 1 - deep cycle 27 or better yet a 31 series, and charge it with the generator as needed. We will be camping at least up to 1 - week - 10 days at a time. Much of the camping will be in Michigan for about 8 or 9 months of the year. In early spring and late fall we will need the furnace and will probably always need the water pump. I am guessing a deep charged battery should hold us for at a minimum 3 days and 2 nights??? before I would need to charge the battery. Would it not be better to run the generator every 3rd day long enough to charge one battery, over having 2 - batteries and about every 5th or 6th day having to run the generator for a good number of hours to charge 2 - batteries??? Does that not make sense???? |
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Dave & Joyce
Never Forget, In God We Trust; This Our National Motto. Member; Patriot Guard Riders, Michigan Chapter Retired; So Every Day is Saturday.... Except Sunday |
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CharlieM
Senior Member Joined: 23 Nov 2012 Location: N. Colorado Online Status: Offline Posts: 1797 |
Posted: 04 Mar 2016 at 8:56pm |
Dave,
A few points on the never ending battery discussion/options:
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Charlie
Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
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Patriot Dave
Senior Member Joined: 06 Feb 2016 Location: LaSalle, Mi. 48 Online Status: Offline Posts: 206 |
Posted: 05 Mar 2016 at 5:30am |
Thanks Charlie
I have a curve ball to add to the equation; I forgot to say I am being tested for sleep apnea (what a pain) and very well may end up with a Cpap unit.....my understanding is they will run on both 110 and 12 volts. If it is determined i need on of these, it will be plugged in for 6 - 7 hours each night and they run continuous. That said, what are your thoughts. Thanks |
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Dave & Joyce
Never Forget, In God We Trust; This Our National Motto. Member; Patriot Guard Riders, Michigan Chapter Retired; So Every Day is Saturday.... Except Sunday |
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hogone
Senior Member Joined: 09 Apr 2013 Location: St. Louis Online Status: Offline Posts: 1042 |
Posted: 05 Mar 2016 at 6:57am |
charlie (or others too!). I mentioned a while back that i'm in the market too (think i drew mine down too far a couple of times and they 12v just don't seem to hold very long any more). i was looking on battery plus bulbs site. they have 3 gc2's. 215ah@20 hr rate($98.50); 230ah @ 20 hr rate($109.99); and 235ah @ 20 hr rate($129.99). putting aside cost, which would be the best (i guess hogone is thinking the 235ah, but maybe not). no matter how many posts i read, i just cant get it! hogone
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Jon & Pam
2013 RP177 2010 F150 2017 HD Streetglide 2009 HD Lowrider CHEESEHEAD |
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furpod
Moderator Group - pHp Joined: 25 Jul 2011 Location: Central KY Online Status: Offline Posts: 6128 |
Posted: 05 Mar 2016 at 8:45am |
"the best".. is relative, for US, it was the most aH's we could fit on the rack without modification to the rack. When talking 12v dual battery systems BTW, dual group 27's and 31's won't fit on the factory rack. You will need to do a truck box mod or something to do them. As far as world opinion... Dual Trojan T-105s is the answer of "best" in GC-2 sized batteries.
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CharlieM
Senior Member Joined: 23 Nov 2012 Location: N. Colorado Online Status: Offline Posts: 1797 |
Posted: 05 Mar 2016 at 10:25am |
I have just became aware of B+B offerings. My general rule
is to shoot for the middle. Lowest cost usually means lowest quality and highest
cost usually means marketing BS. While I agree with Furpod on Trojan 105s, the
B+B mid-level is worth considering. The next option up would be two GC12s, also
available from B+B. Two GC12s in parallel would provide 300+ AH. They would
violate my preference for series vs parallel, they are expensive, they are
heavy, and they require mounting tray work, but nothing is perfect. For the
~300 AH solution I would prefer these to Gp27 or Gp31 solutions. The addition of a CPAP just adds to the magnitude of the
problem, but doesn’t complicate it. You will still need some recharge
capability after a few days. BTW always run the CPAP directly from 12V if
possible. DC to AC inverters just waste battery energy as heat. The only long
term non generator solution is solar, but that comes with its own set of issues
including roof space and large oak trees overhead. As you increase battery capacity you need to also increase charger capability. For two GC2s Trojan recommends charging to14.8V at 28+ Amps. While the OEM converter on the RPOD is quite adequate for its intended use it is limited for fast recharging, primarily due to the small wire connecting the battery to the converter. If extended off grid stays are frequent consider a better external charger. At max charging rate the power is still less than 500 Watts so your generator is loafing along, just burning gas and making noise. See these clips from the Trojan users guide. So my recommendation remains start with two GC2s, watch the State of Charge (SOC), and recharge as needed. You’ll soon get an idea of your usage and needs and adjust accordingly. Camp on! |
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Charlie
Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
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StephenH
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 29 Nov 2015 Location: Wake Forest, NC Online Status: Offline Posts: 6288 |
Posted: 05 Mar 2016 at 12:14pm |
That is why I went with the 6V GC2 batteries. I did go B&B low end 215 Ah, which still beats the 12V setup the RP would have come with. I use a CPAP machine. I had no problems running overnight even with the furnace also running as we dry-camped across the US. Of course, the vehicle was charging the batteries during the day, but if there are no other appliances (especially the refrigerator) drawing current, the GC2 batteries should provide more than adequate capacity for your needs.
I also ran my CPAP with passive humidification. I had water in the tank, but with the humidification set to "0," which means no heat is being applied to the tank. I don't know the current draw of passive humidification. Phillips Respironics provides this information for the humidifier for the System One CPAP: Electrical (When the heated humidifier is used with a Philips Respironics therapy device) AC Power Consumption (with 60W power supply) : 100 – 240 VAC, 50/60 Hz, 2.1 A AC Power Consumption (with 80W power supply) : 100 – 240 VAC, 50/60 Hz, 2.0 A DC Power Consumption: 12 VDC, 6.67 A Type of Protection Against Electric Shock: Class II Equipment Degree of Protection Against Electric Shock: Type BF Applied Part Degree of Protection against Ingress of Water: Drip Proof, IP22 Mode of Operation: Continuous Electromagnetic Compatibility: The device meets the requirements of EN 60601-1-2, 2nd edition. 6.67A is the figure to use with the humidifier in use. 215Ah/2 (50%) = 107.5Ah which when divided by 6.67A = 16 hours (rounded). Whatever battery setup you get, you can figure out how long the CPAP will run with humidification. Running without humidification and/or running other items will affect that time. These are maximum draw figures. See this for some more information: http://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?134230-CPAP-12v-Source-Amp-Hour-Requirements |
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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
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hogone
Senior Member Joined: 09 Apr 2013 Location: St. Louis Online Status: Offline Posts: 1042 |
Posted: 06 Mar 2016 at 8:07am |
so 2 6v batteries will fit on the battery rack correct? hogone
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Jon & Pam
2013 RP177 2010 F150 2017 HD Streetglide 2009 HD Lowrider CHEESEHEAD |
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furpod
Moderator Group - pHp Joined: 25 Jul 2011 Location: Central KY Online Status: Offline Posts: 6128 |
Posted: 06 Mar 2016 at 8:17am |
Yes, either in separate boxes or a single. |
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hogone
Senior Member Joined: 09 Apr 2013 Location: St. Louis Online Status: Offline Posts: 1042 |
Posted: 06 Mar 2016 at 8:35am |
thanks furpod. be honest!! am i wasting my money on these durecells? hogone
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Jon & Pam
2013 RP177 2010 F150 2017 HD Streetglide 2009 HD Lowrider CHEESEHEAD |
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