1 or 2 new batteries?
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Printed Date: 29 Apr 2024 at 9:58am
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Topic: 1 or 2 new batteries?
Posted By: Danielw1
Subject: 1 or 2 new batteries?
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2017 at 10:33pm
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I just bought a 2015 178 and the first thing I want to do is add dual batteries. I am debating on adding one to the current factory battery or, getting two brand new high quality batteries. The current battery checked out ok but still thinking I should maybe start fresh. What does everyone think?
Any tips on adding a second battery? |
Replies:
Posted By: Podster
Date Posted: 06 Apr 2017 at 11:46pm
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Answer is based 100% on your camp style. If you plan to camp most of the time on shore power and maybe a night or two off the grid, conserving power, that one original battery is just fine. Otherwise you're just throwing money into DC storage capacity that won't be used or used to little to justify the additional cost. ------------- Cliff & Raelynn Ranger 4.0/178 (1/2 ton 5,800lb tow capacity) |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2017 at 5:28am
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Cliff is spot on. In my case we normally dry camp so back in 2011 purchased a similar 12v deep cycle battery. We expect to get 3 days per battery when temps go into the 40's at night and cool days to boot. Always run the refer on propane. If temps are warmer, we get at least an additional days. Beginning year 7 on our batteries. Will seriously consider purchasing 2 6v golf cart batteries for additional amp hours when these use up their useful life.
------------- 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." |
Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2017 at 9:51am
If you plan on camping off the grid the final solution should be two 6V GC2 golf cart batteries in series. That will give you a capacity of 220AH. Adding a second 12V battery similar to the Gp24 OEM supplied battery will give you 2x70=140 AH or 64% of the GC2 capacity. Adding the second 12V battery now only prolongs the waste of money and lack of performance. Bite the bullet now and go for GC2s. ------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: JandL
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2017 at 10:29am
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Another option if you want to stick to a single battery, you can get a 12 volt GC12V golf cart battery. Their 20 amp hour rate is 155AH, and weigh 90 Lbs. I have on my trailer a single Group 31 that’s rated at 105AH and weighs 59 Lbs. When it dies I will be replacing it with a GC12V battery.
Duracell/East Penn-Deka: SLIGC12V Interstate: 12VGCUTL Crown: CR-GC150 - CR-GC155 Trojan: T1275 - J150 US Battery: US 12VE XC2 - US12V XC2 http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/deep_cycle_battery&page=1 - What is a deep cycle battery ------------- JandL 2013 Honda Ridgeline 2012 177 2 Paynes in a Pod |
Posted By: Danielw1
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2017 at 9:53am
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[/QUOTE]If you plan on camping off the grid the final solution should be two 6V GC2 golf cart batteries in series. That will give you a capacity of 220AH. Adding a second 12V battery similar to the Gp24 OEM supplied battery will give you 2x70=140 AH or 64% of the GC2 capacity. Adding the second 12V battery now only prolongs the waste of money and lack of performance. Bite the bullet now and go for GC2s.
[/QUOTE] This I think is the answer. I want the capacity there when I need it. I'm pretty suprised at all that runs off the 12v system, this is my first trailer but I thought it was cool. Stereo, fan, pump and only thing its missing is 12v sockets! I can't believe there is none! Thanks for that reply, any recommendations on brand? |
Posted By: JandL
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2017 at 10:06am
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Costco has the Interstate 6 volt golf cart battery's GC2 for $83.99 each + core charge. Another thing to consider is going solar to charge the battery. That's what I have and it works great for my single battery set up ------------- JandL 2013 Honda Ridgeline 2012 177 2 Paynes in a Pod |
Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2017 at 10:20am
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Trojan T-105s are the gold standard. Interstates are OK if they're the GC2-XHDs. Others like Duracell from Sam's, WallyWorld, Batteries Plus Bulbs, etc. may be OK too, but not quite as good. Weight is the thing to look for. Deep cycle capacity is directly related to the amount and weight of lead. The more lead the better.
------------- Charlie Northern Colorado OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD |
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2017 at 11:42am
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I've thought about going with two batteries but I get tripped up trying to find a box to put them in. Do folks just use two boxes? Inches really matter on the tongue. I'd like to find one box for both batteries. Easier to wire together that way too. Anyone have any recommendations? TT ------------- 2010 176 FJ Cruiser |
Posted By: Danielw1
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2017 at 11:52am
| Trojan water filled batteries is what I had in our scissor lifts at work. When it came time to replace them I had a hard time finding them. I went with duracells and they been holding up great. I think they were around 130 a piece. |
Posted By: JandL
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2017 at 11:53am
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Century Plastics: Heavy Duty Battery Box, inline - Holds (2) 6 Volt Golf Cart battery's.
http://www.centuryplastics.ca/images/stories/pdfs/Battery_Boxes_Containment_Boxes.pdf - Century Plastics http://www.allbatterysalesandservice.com/browse.cfm/4,576.html - All Battery ------------- JandL 2013 Honda Ridgeline 2012 177 2 Paynes in a Pod |
Posted By: Danielw1
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2017 at 11:58am
| That looks like the best solution for keeping a tight fit. |
Posted By: fwunder
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2017 at 12:01pm
I chose a DYI solution. Took a blade to two regular battery boxes. Glued some plastic "splints" to the inside to extend them a bit and the wrapped in Gorilla Tape. That was about three years ago. Still going strong.  ------------- 2014 RPod 178 => https://goo.gl/CV446f - MyMods and Buying Habits 2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks! |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2017 at 1:54pm
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Two https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00316KU6E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 - NOCO HM306BK boxes from Amazon are what I am using. They were the least expensive option I could find for GC2 batteries. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: TheBum
Date Posted: 10 Apr 2017 at 12:23pm
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We have two Duracell brand GC2s on our 179. I can run my CPAP with the humidifier and not worry about running out of battery power. We also have an inverter to allow us to use charging adapters for our various devices as well as watch TV.
We got the batteries and boxes from Batteries+Bulbs. The boxes were something like $10 apiece. I ordered them online and picked them up locally. |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 10 Apr 2017 at 12:41pm
That is the brand I purchased and from the same source. I added a couple of USB charging outlets so that I don't need to use an inverter to charge our phones. We do have a 300 Watt inverter that we use for watching the TV. I should have gotten a smaller one except I once had a smaller one that didn't have enough power to run a laptop I used to own. That is why I got the 300 Watt one. The fan in it is a bit loud though, so I still may pick up a small one that has enough power to run the TV and keep the other one in case I need something with more power. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: Danielw1
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2017 at 9:49am
| I will be getting 6v batteries pretty soon. One thing I wondered is will the on board charger be sufficient? Also, if I ever get solar panels will they be enough to charge? |
Posted By: JandL
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2017 at 10:09am
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The onboard charger is more than enough to charge them back up. I have two 100 watt solar panels that in full sun can charge around 8.5 amps. Even when I had only one panel it was enough to recharge what I had used, as long as I had full sun on the panel ------------- JandL 2013 Honda Ridgeline 2012 177 2 Paynes in a Pod |
Posted By: Danielw1
Date Posted: 16 Apr 2017 at 6:28pm
| Good to know! Thanks |
Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 28 May 2017 at 11:06am
To put it in layman's terms, a 120 watt load on a 120VAC circuit is only 1 amp (a pretty small current draw). That same load on your battery is going to be 10 amps. That is a big draw on your battery, and you have to take that into consideration. I wish they sized batteries according to the watt-hours of storage. Instead they give you CCA (Cold Cranking Amps), and/or AH (Amp-Hours). The amp-hours is the more useful, but it would be even better if it was just pure watt-hours. The watt-hours would eliminate having to take whatever the voltage is. ------------- bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 28 May 2017 at 1:59pm
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True deep cycle batteries give the ampere hours. Our https:///www.batteriesplus.com/productdetails/sligc110?locationofinterest=&locationphysical=9009718&gclid=CNDov5Cik9QCFdc8gQodqk0OdA - Duracell SLIGC110 GC2 6V batteries are 215 Ah at the 20 hour rate.
------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 28 May 2017 at 3:42pm
------------- bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 28 May 2017 at 10:19pm
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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 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 28 May 2017 at 10:32pm
------------- bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 29 May 2017 at 1:02pm
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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 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 29 May 2017 at 1:26pm
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 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 29 May 2017 at 6:39pm
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That's what I am hoping. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: Danielw1
Date 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. |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 30 May 2017 at 10:53am
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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 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: TheBum
Date 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. |
Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 30 May 2017 at 2:20pm
Good quality batteries usually have very specific set points, regardless of them being wet, dry, or whatever. Even wet batteries from different manufacturers will have slightly different set points. So unless your charge controller is programmable, you will probably never be exactly on the specifications for a particular manufacturer. There will be specific, and generic set points. A non-programmable charge controller will be set to some generis set points that will be "safe", even though it may not be "exact". ------------- bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
Posted By: SDTrialer
Date Posted: 30 May 2017 at 5:25pm
| I have 2 12v batteries. With a full charge, I can run the heat at night with the thermostat set at 60, run the refrigerator on propane, shower each day, use the stove, and use the lights when needed for 4 days/3 nights before needing to charge the batteries. |
Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 30 May 2017 at 5:53pm
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Two batteries the same size & weight should have the same amount of energy (measured in watt-hours) regardless of voltage. Many of the 12V batteries available don't have a huge amount of energy. Most of the 12V batteries in the desired size range are around 75-85 amp-hours (20 hour measure), which is only 900-1020 watt-hours. Convert any battery you're looking at to watt-hours in order to get an apples-apples comparison. ------------- bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 30 May 2017 at 6:07pm
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How do you do the conversion from amp-hours to watt-hours? It looks like you multiply the amp-hours x the voltage. When using 6V batteries wired in series, would one multiply the AH x 6 or x 12? 215 AH (20 hour rate) x 6V = 1290 watt-hours 215 AH (20 hour rate) x 12V = 2580 watt-hours In other topics, I have read that series adds voltage, but amperage remains the same. Parallel adds amperage but voltage remains the same. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 30 May 2017 at 8:18pm
So two 215 AH 6 volt batteries is 1290 watt-hours. You have two of them, you've got 2580 watt-hours. A rough equivalent in 12V would be two 110 AH batteries. 12 X 110 = 1320 watt-hours. You strap in two of them, you've got 2640 watt-hours. And it works just as you describe, parallel gets you the same volts, but doubles the current. In series, you double the voltage, but keep the same current. Potato versus potahto. ------------- bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 30 May 2017 at 9:59pm
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The difference then would be whether the batteries are true deep-cycle batteries that can be drained down below 50% without affecting their lives. The ones I see on Batteries + Bulbs is a Duracell SLI24MDC Ultra with 75 (20 hour rate) AH. That would be 900 watt-hours. Two in parallel then would yield 1800 watt-hours. There is also a group 31 battery, SLI21MDC Duracell Ultra with 105 (20 hour rate) AH or 1260 watt-hours. Double that for 2520 watt-hours for the pair. The cost of the group 31 battery is significantly higher than the GC2 batteries I bought. This has been an interesting and informative discussion. I plan to stick with my GC2 batteries until there is a viable alternative. ------------- StephenH Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,... http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods Former RPod 179 Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS |
Posted By: geewizard
Date Posted: 31 May 2017 at 9:38am
I bought a battery box from http://www.rvlockbox.com/ - http://www.rvlockbox.com/ You can see my post on installing it here: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=9728&KW=&title=rpod-177-battery-box-mod - http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=9728&KW=&title=rpod-177-battery-box-mod ------------- 2021 Winnebago Micro Minnie 1708FB 2017 R-Pod 177 (Blue) HRE SOLD 2004 Outfitter Apex 8 camper 2014 Toyota Tundra DC |
Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 31 May 2017 at 10:08am
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Our R-179 came with two boxes, and two batteries. Separate tie-down strap for each one. ------------- bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |