Upgrading your battery system

[cpaharley2008]

Well it finally warmed up to where I can start doing some modifications. Today I pull out my group 29 battery and installed dual 6 volt batteries. These were purchased at Sam's Club, $84/each, total a/h capacity has been increase from 126 to 215 or useable from 50 to 90, not quite doubling my reserve capacity. I'm also going to add another solar panel since my unit came with the 95 watt solar. Need to wait until it gets warmer to attach to the roof.
I had ordered the extra capacity group 29 with the trailer and because of it's size Escape installed the larger battery box and longer cables. The dual six volts fit perfectly. I removed the dinette seat and the old battery. First you have to remove the 2x4 wood inside the box, slide the battery over and unscrew the box from the floor. This allows you to lift the battery right out.
I installed the dual sixers in series as well as the new Zamp Battery Check which attaches to the negative terminal. http://www.zampsolar.com/solar-acces...ry-management/
There is an APP you download to your iPhone/Ipad for diagnostics. Total time 2 hours.

[cpaharley2008]

Here are better pictures that can be enlarged

[Paul Braun]

Jim
Do you think your WFCO converter charger just make the transition from single to dual batteries, or do you need to change any settings on it?

[cpaharley2008]

It is still a single battery, just two in series. The Zamp Battery monitor will tell me the state of charge and so on.

[Steve Outlaw]

Very nice, Jim. The extra a/H will be great to have.

[Flyboyscamp]

Just purchased a new Exide group 27 battery at Manards, great price of $84.95! All I need!

[Ron Merritt]

Looks good.

I'm amazed at how well my solar is working. With all that I have constantly running it's keeping my batteries at 100%.

[Wayne Collins]

A couple a points of caution:
Two batteries in series may not discharge and charge evenly.
But as long as all the load is taken off @ 12 volts, in series, and the charger is 12 volts, you should be OK. .... as long as there are good connections, and no extra resistance.
The CAUTION is this: IF one battery gets discharged faster than the other, it may not fully recharge, while the other one may overcharge and boil over.
Are the 6volts of the gel style, no maintenance, deep discharge type?
Advise getting a good volt meter, and checking each 6 volt individually from time to time.
WC

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Well it finally warmed up to where I can start doing some modifications. Today I pull out my group 29 battery and installed dual 6 volt batteries. These were purchased at Sam's Club, $84/each, total a/h capacity has been increase from 126 to 215 or useable from 50 to 90, not quite doubling my reserve capacity. I'm also going to add another solar panel since my unit came with the 95 watt solar. Need to wait until it gets warmer to attach to the roof.
I had ordered the extra capacity group 29 with the trailer and because of it's size Escape installed the larger battery box and longer cables. The dual six volts fit perfectly. I removed the dinette seat and the old battery. First you have to remove the 2x4 wood inside the box, slide the battery over and unscrew the box from the floor. This allows you to lift the battery right out.
I installed the dual sixers in series as well as the new Zamp Battery Check which attaches to the negative terminal. Batterycheck - Wireless RV & Marine Battery Management.
There is an APP you download to your iPhone/Ipad for diagnostics. Total time 2 hours.

[MCDenny]

That Zamp Solar Batterycheck device looks pretty slick but pricy. If you haven't bought it yet you might take a look at a BVM 700.

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com...t.do?pid=51924

You have to run the wire to the display but half the cost of the Zamp unit.


Denny Wolfe
Wanderingourway.wordpress.com

[Tote-n-Tarry No.2]

If you have 2 6V in series you get 12V with same ampere hours, or with 2 6 V in parallel you get 6 V with double the ampere hours, so are you doubling the ampere hours at 12 V by using 2 sets in series of 2 6 volt batteries in parallel?

[cpaharley2008]

The 2x6 v in series gives me 215 a/h @ 12v.

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by Wayne Collins

A couple a points of caution:
Two batteries in series may not discharge and charge evenly.
But as long as all the load is taken off @ 12 volts, in series, and the charger is 12 volts, you should be OK. .... as long as there are good connections, and no extra resistance.
The CAUTION is this: IF one battery gets discharged faster than the other, it may not fully recharge, while the other one may overcharge and boil over.
Are the 6volts of the gel style, no maintenance, deep discharge type?
Advise getting a good volt meter, and checking each 6 volt individually from time to time.
WC

Both batteries are new and lead acid and identical.

[hwdornbush]

Actually, each 6v battery is 3 cells so if you really wanted to check individual things, you would need to check each of 6 cells in the two batteries. Not practical, I think. At least if one of the 6 cells goes bad, you only have to replace half of the total battery capacity.

[Tote-n-Tarry No.2]

2X6v in series doubling both V and A defies laws of physics... something else must be going on or maybe I didn't read your intro right.

[padlin00]

You didn't read it right, he's bumping up the amperage from 126 to 215 by replacing the existing 126A group 29 with the pair of 215A 6 volt'ers "not quite doubling" his capacity.

[boats19]

Unless each of the 6V have 215 a/h before hooking them together...

[Ron Merritt]

A 6 volt battery generally has around a 200-235 amp hour rating by itself. When you connect two 6 volt batteries together to get 12 volts, the amp hour capacity remains the same as the single battery (~ 200 amp hours), but the voltage is doubled to the 12 volts.

When you join two 12 volt batteries together (generally 100 amp hours each), you double the amp hour capacity ( to 200 amp hours for the bank), but keep the voltage the same 12 volts.

Which way to go can be argued about I suppose. I like the 6 volt batteries for their durability and high cycle ratings.

[cpaharley2008]

Here is the battery I installed, actually 2 batteries :
Duracell® Golf Car Battery - Group Size GC2 - Sam's Club

[Raz]

I'm curious, why the need to upgrade. Are you running an inverter or a compressor fridge? Raz

[cpaharley2008]

I have always felt uncomfortable towing with the refer on propane while refueling. I'd like the option now to operate off battery, at least during daylight when there is also solar. The refer pulls 14 amps/hour and my solar is only 95 watts. My tow vehicle charge is unknown at present. It was more economical to upgrade the battery system versus adding another solar panel. In addition with the Zamp battery monitor I can watch the draw on my IPhone and determine if I have enough "gas left in the battery system" so to speak. I can now determine what my tow can add and then decide if I'm limited to daytime operation or can go at night off 12v also.