Cause of battery drain
- Thread starter 68camaro
- Start date
dwh
Tail-End Charlie
Replace the batteries with proper deep cycling ones.
Charge them all the way to 100% Full with a quality charger at the spec'd Absorb voltage off mains power,
verifying via an ammeter measuring endAmps at Absorb voltage.
Keep them isolated and bring along on your trip.
Don't use them much until the above care is automated, whatever issues you may have are fixed and you have proper monitoring gear in place.
Learning how to do all the above properly should be a priority, even if you pay others to do the physical labor, you need to be able to select the right gear, direct their work and keep everything properly adjusted for the current circumstances yourself.
Charge them all the way to 100% Full with a quality charger at the spec'd Absorb voltage off mains power,
verifying via an ammeter measuring endAmps at Absorb voltage.
Keep them isolated and bring along on your trip.
Don't use them much until the above care is automated, whatever issues you may have are fixed and you have proper monitoring gear in place.
Learning how to do all the above properly should be a priority, even if you pay others to do the physical labor, you need to be able to select the right gear, direct their work and keep everything properly adjusted for the current circumstances yourself.
Thanks all fr speedy responses all.
What do you recommend as "proper deep cycle battery"? And is Battery Tender or Sears 12v Fully Automatc 10amp /2 trickle amp Charger with Deep Cycle mode good?
What do you recommend as "proper deep cycle battery"? And is Battery Tender or Sears 12v Fully Automatc 10amp /2 trickle amp Charger with Deep Cycle mode good?
workerdrone
Part time fulltimer
"What do you recommend as "proper deep cycle battery"?
Again, I'll recommend two 6v "golf cart" batteries wired in series if they will fit in your compartment and if you're ok rewiring them to series. Then any charger intended for 12v lead acid batteries will charge them fine. You should be able to get them under $100 each brand new.
They will take more abuse/have a longer life and more usable Ah than any 12v "marine / deep cycle / RV" battery.
True deep cycle batteries are going to be even bigger and heavier than these but the golf cart size are in kind of a sweet spot for RV use. Cheap, tough, and good performance. You should get a number of years' continuous use out of them depending on how hard you cycle them.
If you're going to buy new batteries before you have ironed out the bugs / learned your system, then again I wouldn't spend a bunch of dough. Another option is to just get some Walmart marine battery direct replacements to use while you figure out what's going on. They should work fine just won't have the lifetime or capacity of the GC batteries. I think they're warranteed for a year, so if you kill 'em in a month....
Bad news for lead acid batteries is being drained down too low and too often, also being overcharged for too long and boiling off all the water - older 'dumb' battery chargers will do this.
Again, I'll recommend two 6v "golf cart" batteries wired in series if they will fit in your compartment and if you're ok rewiring them to series. Then any charger intended for 12v lead acid batteries will charge them fine. You should be able to get them under $100 each brand new.
They will take more abuse/have a longer life and more usable Ah than any 12v "marine / deep cycle / RV" battery.
True deep cycle batteries are going to be even bigger and heavier than these but the golf cart size are in kind of a sweet spot for RV use. Cheap, tough, and good performance. You should get a number of years' continuous use out of them depending on how hard you cycle them.
If you're going to buy new batteries before you have ironed out the bugs / learned your system, then again I wouldn't spend a bunch of dough. Another option is to just get some Walmart marine battery direct replacements to use while you figure out what's going on. They should work fine just won't have the lifetime or capacity of the GC batteries. I think they're warranteed for a year, so if you kill 'em in a month....
Bad news for lead acid batteries is being drained down too low and too often, also being overcharged for too long and boiling off all the water - older 'dumb' battery chargers will do this.
Since I have two 12v I quess I will need 4 - 6volt? I have heard people talk about these in past, I'll see if they fit on battery slide out.
If you're going to buy new batteries before you have ironed out the bugs / learned your system, then again I wouldn't spend a bunch of dough. Another option is to just get some Walmart marine battery direct replacements to use while you figure out what's going on. They should work fine just won't have the lifetime or capacity of the GC batteries. I think they're warranteed for a year, so if you kill 'em in a month....
I like this idea. I really have almost no time before Overland East, but a couple hundred spent to allow me time to research and get to right answer while having battery power at Expo is money well spent.
I think this was problem, rig is new to me and I brought to RV place to check out and get new batteries. Instead of new they said I only needed service since batteries were newer, they charged me like $120 to service them and said they had to use like a gallon of water to fill them as they were bone dry. Sounds like they should have known running them dry would kill them and just sold me the new batteries I went in there for.
Thanks, a lot of good info. Looks like I'll be spending a lot of time researching right solutions.
I am in Richmond VA. I just read the link you sent earlier (https://marinehowto.com/what-is-a-deep-cycle-battery/), fascinating stuff, well written, layed out and super informative. I need to go back and reread some key areas.
Due to tight area my group 27's are in, I do not think I can fit the taller golf cart batteries, but I'll take measurements tomorrow to see.
Big thanks.
workerdrone
Part time fulltimer
No, your two 12v batteries are wired in parallel, giving you 12v.
If you bought 6v batteries to replace them, you'd wire the two of them in series, giving you the same 12v. It's very simple, just google series vs. parallel, but you might need some different cables.
So you'd still have two batteries of similar size, they'd just be a lot closer to actual deep cycle batteries. But yes, they might be a bit too tall you need to measure to be sure.
Thanks Wirketdrone, I was getting that impression from reading info but wasn’t sure.
I have two group 27 now and want to get cheapest workable batteries to get going and then take time and see if I can get the GC batteries to work or decide on AGN or keep deep cycle
For RV any reason I can’t save money and buy two Group 24’s instead of Group 27’s if it’s just a band-aid purchase?
I hope to replace out with new battery pack once I figure best direction with everything else I want to do with electrical/batttery.
I have two group 27 now and want to get cheapest workable batteries to get going and then take time and see if I can get the GC batteries to work or decide on AGN or keep deep cycle
For RV any reason I can’t save money and buy two Group 24’s instead of Group 27’s if it’s just a band-aid purchase?
I hope to replace out with new battery pack once I figure best direction with everything else I want to do with electrical/batttery.
luthj
Engineer In Residence
If group 24s are cheaper, go for it. I would opt for a "dual purpose", they are likely similar cost, but will actually last more than the 10-20 cycles a starter battery will. It is just a temp battery anyways.
Several of the knowledgeable folks on here can provide detailed advice. They just need detailed information about your needs and usage case. This includes : any devices you will be running, how often you drive, your alternator voltage, how much sun you see etc.
It is good to understand the process and technical bits yourself, but the vast experience some folks on here have is worth tapping into.
Several of the knowledgeable folks on here can provide detailed advice. They just need detailed information about your needs and usage case. This includes : any devices you will be running, how often you drive, your alternator voltage, how much sun you see etc.
It is good to understand the process and technical bits yourself, but the vast experience some folks on here have is worth tapping into.
Everything written by Maine Sail is worth close study.
It is worth modding your batt space if you can, **very** hard to find quality dc batts in those automotive 12V sizes, and **lots** more expensive in per-AH/per-year terms, likely well over triple compared to Deka GCs.