Adding one or more batteries

Split from General / Technical for discussion of anything electrical, electronic... 12v, Inverter, Satellite, Headlights, flashlights etc.
Kirah
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Re: Adding one or more batteries

Post by Kirah »

Man, those are some good articles. He's got warnings all over the pages, though, that the site has moved and the existing links will stop working at some point. The new site is https://marinehowto.com

My brain is heading for bed, but if nothing else, I think I solved the mystery of the "Random Fan Under the Sink". I've only heard it a handful of times since I've had the camper, but it baffled me every time. My new guess is that it was the charger running hot enough to kick the fan up to top speed. Yay for detailed explanations of why you should use a bigger-than-minimum charger!
1999 Premier, now minus all passenger side cabinets and appliances :twisted:
A Rooney
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Re: Adding one or more batteries

Post by A Rooney »

As far as lithium ion and heat goes the only thing i can locate is related to exposures beyond -10 to 30 degrees c over a period of time impacting longevity.Since the interior of my rig rarely sees temps below 14 or greater than 87 f .and the kodiak at 20 lbs is portable,i have decided its not particularly an issue for me.If at any time in my evaluation of the kodiak battery I experience a significant reduction of battery capacity i will happily post that to the forum.As far as Abyc electrical standards,i believe i would be more inclined to comply fully with them taking to the sea in a boat,although the trailwagons stock system is far from ideal,i have learned to live with it for the most part without the need for major modifications.The weakness of fla or agm technology is to my mind its need to be maintained properly or replaced regularly.It is imminently achieveable to create an electrical system for your rv that is elegant balanced to needs and minimally detrimental to your time and wallet.It is perhaps not "ideal" in all respects but is functional,i believe i have sufficient personal experience to testify to that effect. Rooney 2001 premier
Kirah
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Re: Adding one or more batteries

Post by Kirah »

A Rooney wrote:As far as lithium ion and heat goes the only thing i can locate is related to exposures beyond -10 to 30 degrees c over a period of time impacting longevity.Since the interior of my rig rarely sees temps below 14 or greater than 87 f .and the kodiak at 20 lbs is portable,i have decided its not particularly an issue for me.If at any time in my evaluation of the kodiak battery I experience a significant reduction of battery capacity i will happily post that to the forum.As far as Abyc electrical standards,i believe i would be more inclined to comply fully with them taking to the sea in a boat,although the trailwagons stock system is far from ideal,i have learned to live with it for the most part without the need for major modifications.The weakness of fla or agm technology is to my mind its need to be maintained properly or replaced regularly.It is imminently achieveable to create an electrical system for your rv that is elegant balanced to needs and minimally detrimental to your time and wallet.It is perhaps not "ideal" in all respects but is functional,i believe i have sufficient personal experience to testify to that effect. Rooney 2001 premier
Thanks for the advice. I'll do some more reading on the lithium batteries and will definitely be considering cost/benefit on all changes before I tackle them.
1999 Premier, now minus all passenger side cabinets and appliances :twisted:
A Rooney
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Re: Adding one or more batteries

Post by A Rooney »

You will decide whats is best for your needs,as for me after returning my 110 mini fridge,i am investigating small cooler units that use the Danfoss 12 volt compessors,from all reports they have great 24 hr year after year of keeping a given amount of items to whatever temperature you set.They sip amps,but are expensive...i like the Engel and Arb models.....Blue runs something temporarily along these lines.Wish he would install his permanent front door model,and sell me his cooler fridge.But alas,given our many differing views,and my vocal postings,he maybe permanently regretting his invitation to me years back to participate here.Rooney
Kirah
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Re: Adding one or more batteries

Post by Kirah »

Googling around not-quite-aimlessly, found this article tonight:

3.5 Year Lithium RV Battery Update
http://www.technomadia.com/2015/02/livi ... ry-update/

Their's isn't an all-inclusive system like that Kodiak - they DIY'd it - but it was interesting to see their evaluation of why their battery capacity has dropped over a few years: 1) heat, 2) float voltage, 3) problematic individual cells, and 4) immature technology.

Not sure what the take-away is, just thought it was interesting enough to share. Adding data to the system :geek:
1999 Premier, now minus all passenger side cabinets and appliances :twisted:
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Scott
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Re: Adding one or more batteries

Post by Scott »

Great info from BG. Thanks for the effort. I know that takes time to assemble. And Rooney is always awesome as well. Rooney threw in the towel on the 110V fridge? That kinda bums me out, buddy. :cry: Sorry if your experiment was a not a success. I was looking forward to your fridge update in your other thread.

I don't have much experience with boats, but I've done a lot of residential and automotive electrical work, as well as a lot of hands-on stuff with electronics and plenty of electro-mechanical design (M.E. though, not E.E.). And I've full-timed in my Chinook across many states and many climates, so I have tested the systems. Blue's opinions and philosophies are sound and substantiated.

Although I'm not slipshod, to me my rig is still "just an RV." In other words, it’s a toy with a finite life as opposed to a high dollar boat that can be re-fitted continually over the course of a many decades. That is to say almost all things marine are very nice, but I feel they can be overkill $$ for RVs. C’mon man, get to the point already... I did not like my stock generator (noisy, heavy, large, hard starting, lots of fumes, way more than I needed, and just unpleasant). I removed it, and I now use a much smaller Honda generator for emergency air conditioning and electric heating. Removing the Onan made available a large vented area for flooded golf batteries. So I have a pair of those, charged by 200w of fixed rooftop solar. Then a 1000w inverter right next to the batteries powers a small 110v fridge. This arrangement has functioned very well for over a year now, nearly continuously. I can combine, but I haven't had to yet. I installed a Marineco 20A inlet because the shore power cord was a pain both times I used it. I still have the brown box (but only because I haven't yet installed a DC fuse block in its place) which feeds my fans, water pump, and lights. I haven’t used the charger. I have a 6g wire on a switchable breaker going from the bank in the generator bay, traversing under and across the rig to the DC loads in the brown box, then through a hold-in relay to the crank battery for combining. The AC breaker for the outlets is the only one I use, and that circuit happily powers my little aircon. Not for everyone, but just sharing what I’m packing. Simple, affordable, safe and functional. It works great for us, but we’re basically backpackers, so the Chinook is a massive increase in comfort. I think I covered a little about battery location and fridge options? I hope.
Regards
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A Rooney
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Re: Adding one or more batteries

Post by A Rooney »

Great posts all around,I read the lithium post with great interest.If i do move my kodiak to the Chinook i will definitely keep an eye on interior temps.....There is no question that this is a developing technology,and improving all the time,infact the Kodiak is now in its 5th generation.I have not done an evaluation of Ah capacity but my "impression" is that it starts out Greater than advertised 90 ah.....which from what i have read is a strategy for alot of manufacturers (but thats guess impression not measured fact).Scott, my issue with the 110 fridge had to do with inverter fan noise,and the energy usage of the model mini fridge i chose.MicroFridge has a low energy draw model that draws substantially less than the unit i returned.Heck,homedepot magic chief models are available with energystar ratings in the high 20's as opposed to the 39$ yr rating of the unit i bought.Although the Kodiak comes with that option to connect an Agm battery to increase capacity (to weather cloudy days in a row)the charging parameters of the kodiak are not programmable or compensated so that agm battery might well not last beyond a few years.which is still makes $ense,But my reasoning in investigating 12volt danfoss coolers is to see if i can create a system for my cabin,that runs fridge,microwave,entertainment,lights, with the stock Kodiak alone...I thought i can always use the kodiak as a Suppliment for the Chinook and a danfoss cooler as well,or sell it when no longer required (there are few used cooler units for sale on say ebay/craigslist and the few hold their value)Call me what you will I dont trust Dometic even if they are Swedish,and Onan?Lets just say I have considered small Honda as an option to suppliment my charging needs during cloudy days.I dont expect to get unlimited life from the Kodiak,but so far at the cabin atleast its paying for itself.Rooney 2001 Premier
Kirah
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Re: Adding one or more batteries

Post by Kirah »

Thanks for sharing, Scott. It would never have occurred to me to pull the generator and put something else there. Question, though: Where do you store the new portable generator? I mean, I'm having trouble figuring out where to stash a large folding chair on this thing, much less a small generator :?

----

I'm really on the fence about how "right" I need to do things.

The rig is already 18 years old and counting. But the drive train has been reliable, the suspension seems to be in good shape, and there are no obvious structural problems, so it might well run a couple more decades. It suits my needs perfectly and they don't make these any more, so why not fix it up nice and make sure it lasts?

But then, I probably only use it 30-40 days a year (as always, hoping for more!) so things that aren't quite right are unlikely to bug me in any major way. Proof of that is the stove, which I think leaks un-burned propane (it kept setting off an alarm) and rather than fix it, I just don't use it.

I'll get myself sorted out eventually :roll:
1999 Premier, now minus all passenger side cabinets and appliances :twisted:
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Scott
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Re: Adding one or more batteries

Post by Scott »

Kirah wrote:Thanks for sharing, Scott. It would never have occurred to me to pull the generator and put something else there. Question, though: Where do you store the new portable generator?

Edited for clarity.

The generator goes in the storage compartment by the spare tire. I removed the cabinetry in there which just about doubled capacity. In the same compartment, there's jumper cables, few towels, a beach umbrella, two life jackets, and a huge 10'x10' collapsible screen room, and a few other things.

In the generator bay, I have the batteries, a window air conditioner, inverter, solar controller, and the associated cables and protection. Plus extension cords, and a bunch of other stuff.

Rooney, maybe I don't notice any fan noise from my inverter because it's not inside the coach, but I recall hearing the fan come on only one time when I had direct summer sun beating on that side of the rig, heating the inverter and increasing duty on the fridge. I don't remember what my fridge was rated for (I seem to recall high twenties per year).
Last edited by Scott on November 17th, 2017, 3:22 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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A Rooney
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Re: Adding one or more batteries

Post by A Rooney »

Scott,what you are managing to maneuver into those compartments is unreal,when you got to the 10x10 portable for some reason it reminded me of that old Marx bros movie where after pulling a plethora of items out of his coat pocket Harpo pulls out a full candelabra with the candles lit! ROONEY
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