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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 Topic: 1 or 2 new batteries?
    Posted: 28 May 2017 at 1:59pm
True deep cycle batteries give the ampere hours. Our Duracell SLIGC110 GC2 6V batteries are 215 Ah at the 20 hour rate.
StephenH
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Posts: 2629 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 May 2017 at 3:42pm
Originally posted by StephenH

True deep cycle batteries give the ampere hours. Our Duracell SLIGC110 GC2 6V batteries are 215 Ah at the 20 hour rate.
Those are hefty batteries. ~~ 1290 WH each. The only downside I see with a pair of 6V batteries is that if one goes bad for any reason, you are up creek without a paddle. I might be more inclined to use a pair of 12V 110 AH (1320 WH) batteries. That way you could operate with only one if you needed to.
bp
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Posts: 6288 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 May 2017 at 10:19pm
I see it as a wash. If a cell goes bad in one of my 6V batteries which are connected in series, it would be the same as if a cell went bad in a single 12V battery. The upside of the dual-6V batteries is that I gain significant capacity at a reasonable price. While a pair of 12V batteries would work, I don't see many true deep-cycle 12V batteries. At best, they are hybrid marine batteries.
StephenH
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Posts: 2629 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 May 2017 at 10:32pm
Originally posted by StephenH

I see it as a wash. If a cell goes bad in one of my 6V batteries which are connected in series, it would be the same as if a cell went bad in a single 12V battery.
What I'm saying is to run two 12V batteries in parallel. If a cell goes bad (or whatever) on one battery, you can still function at a reduced capacity on one 12V battery. That's how our R-179 is configured: two 12V batteries in parallel.
bp
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Posts: 6288 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 May 2017 at 1:02pm
If it works for you, great. I chose to go with the dual 6V batteries. When it comes time to replace them, I will go with something that will give me the most power for the price I am willing to pay. Whether that will be 6V or 12V remains to be seen.

Hopefully, by then a better technology may become affordable enough to consider. I would really like to go with a battery or batteries that store more energy at a significant reduction in weight. However, they are not yet available at a price I can afford.
StephenH
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Posts: 2629 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 May 2017 at 1:26pm
Originally posted by StephenH

If it works for you, great. I chose to go with the dual 6V batteries. When it comes time to replace them, I will go with something that will give me the most power for the price I am willing to pay. Whether that will be 6V or 12V remains to be seen.

Hopefully, by then a better technology may become affordable enough to consider. I would really like to go with a battery or batteries that store more energy at a significant reduction in weight. However, they are not yet available at a price I can afford.
I'm watching the prices on Lithium-ion batteries, or whatever comes "next". 

As I think I've said elsewhere, we have many communications sites we maintain on solar power. As a result we are using a lot of SLA/AGM batteries. You can get a little more peak energy out of wet cell than AGM, but the AGM can be discharged to as low as 40% capacity, where as a wet cell can sustain damage when taken below 50%. So for the reduced maintenance, and longer run time, we pretty much only use AGM. We used sealed versions, so they don't outgas, and are in general more robust than the wet cells.

However, with the Tesla giga factory coming online, and others like it around the world, I expect the cost of lithium-ion batteries to be coming down a lot. They are "almost" cost competitive with lead acid now. I think in another couple years, they will equal lead acid in cost, and they already beat them in performance. Newer technologies will increase the performance gap; more storage per unit volume/weight as well as faster charge times.
bp
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Posts: 6288 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 May 2017 at 6:39pm
That's what I am hoping.
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Posts: 115 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 May 2017 at 10:47pm
Going camping on Thursday for the first time in the rpod. Wondering how much power the furnace will use, lows are in the 35 range at night. Will only use heat at night. Should I bring the buddy heater to conserve or will I have enough juice?. Hope to be gone for 3 days. Going to be using fridge on propane and very little water. I have 2 brand new 6v duracells.
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Posts: 6288 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 May 2017 at 10:53am
It depends on how many nights and whether you have shore power or a generator available. While the furnace uses power, dual 6V batteries have the ability to run the furnace multiple days, especially if you don't have the thermostat set to 72 degrees. I usually lower ours to 60 when we go to bed. If you are planning on an extended trip, then you could bring the Buddy heater. If you use it, be sure to have adequate ventilation with the vent and a window. They don't have to be open far. I think for the smallest one, 4 square inches was what the manual specified. For the Portable Buddy, a little more is needed.

If you have a generator, you can run it to charge the batteries during the day. I don't think you will have any problems.
StephenH
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Posts: 1407 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 May 2017 at 2:02pm
I've heard that AGM batteries don't get along with the converter in the Pods. It has to do with the charging algorithm the converter uses, which is optimized for lead-acid.
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