TrailManor Owner's Forum  

Go Back   TrailManor Owner's Forum > TrailManor Technical Discussions > Electrical
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 10-12-2009, 03:44 PM   #1
OneMoBear
TrailManor Master
 
OneMoBear's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Colorado
Posts: 605
Default Battery replacement

So, let me start by saying we have printed and read the 12 volt side of life, in addition to many posts here and owned our Bounder for 8 years before switching to our TM so we are fairly up on this subject but . . .

We have talked about going to a couple of 6 volt batteries but just don't know that we need to do that. We will be spending a week at the beach in February without hookups. We will have some solar and have a Honda generator and a good battery charger. I just can't believe that between the three we can't keep the battery charged. We're thinking about this Die Hard: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...atteries#specs

So, finally my question is, with a 3 year free replacement warranty, what is the downside to going with this?

Thanks in advance! Malinda
__________________
'06 2619
Gene & Malinda, Delilah & Koko
'12 Toyota Tundra 4.6 V8 Tow package - Leer XL
Thule for our tandem Hobie Kayak :-)
120w Solar Panel - 2.5" lift 15" Marathons
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
OneMoBear is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2009, 04:22 PM   #2
MudDog
TrailManor Master
 
MudDog's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Ventura County, CA
Posts: 273
Default

I'm sure others with more battery expertise will jump in, but if you look at the specs of that battery it only rated at 68 amp hours.


From what I've read, batteries fall into a couple of categories:

1) Those that can provide A LOT of power for a SHORT duration (like starting a car - the Diehard can provide 880 cold cranking amps)
2) Those that provide much less 'sudden' power, but instead provide power over a long period of time - such as those used to power electric golf carts.

What works to start a car doesn't neccessarily work well to power your TM over 4 days while boon-docking. Likewise, what powers your TM well, may not start a car well (or at all).

Other batteries have much higher amp hour ratings. I have 2 6Volt Interstate 2200UTL's that are rated at 232 amp hours.

So, if you're looking for the TM battery charge to last longer, you may want to look at something with a higher amp/hour rating. The type of battery and the use also factors into how long the battery will last.
__________________
Former:
2009 2619 w/swing tongue
TV 2010 Tacoma Dbl Cab PreRunner
Prodigy Brake Controller/TST TPMS
15" Maxxis M8008 225/75R15
Honda EU2000i (Tri-Fuel Converted)
160W Solar/Morningstar Sunsaver MPPT
Xantrex Link-Lite & ProWatt SW2000 Inverter

Current:
2016 KZ Vision 23BHS
2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 3.5 EcoBoost
MudDog is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2009, 04:25 PM   #3
Larry Gault
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Looks like a good battery but you can buy 3 at Sams with that kinda money that is probably just as good. Just my opinion I may be wrong.
  Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2009, 05:05 PM   #4
OneMoBear
TrailManor Master
 
OneMoBear's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Colorado
Posts: 605
Default

So, more information would be good I guess. We go camping to go camping. We don't go camping to sit inside. We'll probably watch the news morning and night (1/2 hour and 1/2 hour - at least one on the generator). We have Travasaks so we shouldn't need a heater overnight. We have a ceramic heater that will draw no power if we need it. It will have to be pretty darn cold for us to use it overnight
__________________
'06 2619
Gene & Malinda, Delilah & Koko
'12 Toyota Tundra 4.6 V8 Tow package - Leer XL
Thule for our tandem Hobie Kayak :-)
120w Solar Panel - 2.5" lift 15" Marathons
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
OneMoBear is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2009, 05:48 PM   #5
Larry Gault
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Where can I get one of them ceramic heater's that draw no power? I would like to get a couple for the house.
  Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2009, 09:03 PM   #6
PopBeavers
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

My thoughts, based on what I have read on the topic since March 2005.

Any battery with a CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) rating is not a good choice. That is a car battery, or maybe a hybrid battery. A yacht needs a hybrid, because it is used to start the engine and run the lights. You only need to run the lights.

You want a deep cycle battery. You could settle for a hybrid (RV/Marine) battery. Deep cycle batteries will sometimes be found advertised as a battery for a trolling motor. Walmart is a good place to look, I hear.

Costco has a decent battery that is at a pretty good price, from what I hear.

A very popular battery for serious boondockers is the Trojan T105. This is a 6 volt battery, so you would need 2 to get 12 volts. They are pricey.

My actual experience is that I have a pair of Interstate RV/Marine group 24 batteries, 12 volts. Purchased new in March 2005 and still performing well. I can go, at most, 3 days before needing a recharge. If I use the furnace they only last 2 days.

You do not need a battery charger to go dry camping. Start the generator and plug the TM into it just like you would at home. The TM (most at least) has at least a decent charger built in to the converter. This is what you probably do at home, so you know how reliable it is.

As a general rule of thumb, if you want to know how long a battery will last, weigh it. The heavier the battery the longer it will last, due to the weight of the lead. I have never tested this theory.
  Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2009, 09:51 PM   #7
Al-n-Sue
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

My 2 Trojans went dead this spring - they were original so were at least 5 years old. I replaced them with 2 Energizer golf cart batteries from Sams at $71 each. I haven't dry camped yet so don't know how well they last, but I'd expect a couple of days at least. With not running the heater, I'd epxect you'd get 3 or 4 in the application you noted. We camp mostly with hookups so didn't see the need to spend lots of $$$. And if you have a generator that should take care of any charging issues.
  Reply With Quote
Old 10-12-2009, 11:21 PM   #8
B_and_D
Site Sponsor
 
B_and_D's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Santa Cruz County, CA
Posts: 2,405
Default

We started out with a group 24 battery, it didn't last long (came with the TM when we bought it used).

We bought 2 6-volt Trojan T-105's the next spring. We've had them for 5 years. They only charge up to 12.4 volts now, max, but we went camping w/o hookups this summer for 6 days and they were still at 12.2 when we left camp. We only used them for the lights (sparingly), toilet (at night) and water pump in camp.

We bought a 12 volt group 27 battery from Costco when we were in Palm Springs 4 years ago last January. It still charges up to 11.6 or so, but I bought a new one before we went camping this summer to run the DVD player and TV. That group 27 battery was a real workhorse, it would charge up to 12.9 and lasted us for up to 10 days with minimal charging, only using it for the TV/DVD. It didn't cost that much, I think the new one was about $80. The old one is just sitting outside now, and it still had enough power to pump up our tires with a 12v compressor before we left for the Petaluma rally after being charged a few months ago.

That said, the Trojans are still holding way more voltage than the group 27 battery, and I wouldn't hestitate to take them camping again. We recently bought a Honda 2000 but haven't had the chance to use it camping. If we didn't lose our power here at home so often (hoping it doesn't happen tonight, what with 45 max winds predicted) I'd have purchased a Honda 1000 for just recharging the batteries.

My conclusion is:

We love our Trojan T-105's, they are very long lasting and hold a lot of capacity. I might buy new ones after next summer, if they don't charge up to 12.4 or so.

The $80 Costco group battery we bought lasted very well for 3 years, but then it didn't hold a charge that well after that.
__________________
'97 2720 & '01 Chevy Silverado 1500 4x4
2011 & 2017 Prii, 10'x18' & 10'x9' Tents
B_and_D is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-13-2009, 05:08 PM   #9
OneMoBear
TrailManor Master
 
OneMoBear's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Colorado
Posts: 605
Default

Thanks for all the great suggestions. We'll do some more shopping around. We won't actually be purchasing them until right before our February trip.

Malinda
__________________
'06 2619
Gene & Malinda, Delilah & Koko
'12 Toyota Tundra 4.6 V8 Tow package - Leer XL
Thule for our tandem Hobie Kayak :-)
120w Solar Panel - 2.5" lift 15" Marathons
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
OneMoBear is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-13-2009, 07:40 PM   #10
PopBeavers
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by B_and_D View Post
We started out with a group 24 battery, it didn't last long (came with the TM when we bought it used).

We bought 2 6-volt Trojan T-105's the next spring. We've had them for 5 years. They only charge up to 12.4 volts now, max, but we went camping w/o hookups this summer for 6 days and they were still at 12.2 when we left camp. We only used them for the lights (sparingly), toilet (at night) and water pump in camp.

We bought a 12 volt group 27 battery from Costco when we were in Palm Springs 4 years ago last January. It still charges up to 11.6 or so, but I bought a new one before we went camping this summer to run the DVD player and TV. That group 27 battery was a real workhorse, it would charge up to 12.9 and lasted us for up to 10 days with minimal charging, only using it for the TV/DVD. It didn't cost that much, I think the new one was about $80. The old one is just sitting outside now, and it still had enough power to pump up our tires with a 12v compressor before we left for the Petaluma rally after being charged a few months ago.

That said, the Trojans are still holding way more voltage than the group 27 battery, and I wouldn't hestitate to take them camping again. We recently bought a Honda 2000 but haven't had the chance to use it camping. If we didn't lose our power here at home so often (hoping it doesn't happen tonight, what with 45 max winds predicted) I'd have purchased a Honda 1000 for just recharging the batteries.

My conclusion is:

We love our Trojan T-105's, they are very long lasting and hold a lot of capacity. I might buy new ones after next summer, if they don't charge up to 12.4 or so.

The $80 Costco group battery we bought lasted very well for 3 years, but then it didn't hold a charge that well after that.
Did you ever run a desulfate and an equalize charge on your batteries?

My pair of Interstate group 24 RV/Marine batteries started performing poorly at the end of the 4th camping season. For $93 I bought an external charger with desulfate and equalize modes. The TM converter does not have those modes.

The batteries are not quite as good as new, but they are doing substantially better. I estimate I added 2 to 4 years to the life of the pair. Certainly worth what I paid for the charger.

If we had discussed this a few weeks ago, I could have brought my charger and you could have brought your batteries to Petaluma.
  Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Replacement Battery Choice Scott O Electrical 16 04-29-2009 04:58 PM
Tub replacement Freedom Plumbing 0 07-21-2007 11:50 AM
Replacement Battery amp17408 Electrical 12 07-03-2007 01:53 PM
Battery replacement kempert Electrical 1 01-10-2005 10:41 AM
Replacement A/C General TrailManor Topics 23 08-30-2003 02:07 PM


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 07:29 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright 2022 Trailmanor Owners Page.