# Battery replacement?



## rmayhew (Mar 6, 2004)

What kind of battery do you recommend for replacing the one that came in it. The original was an Interstate. Help me out here. Thanks


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

Interstate are good batteries, so are the Trojan brand. More than a brand is to understand the differences of batteries and then to properly deep cycle charge them and not to over drain them. If your batteries are already gone I would guess something has gone wrong along the way. Many RV owners go 5-6 years with a good battery.

Group 24 batteries will have the least amount of amp capacity, then a Group 27. Several of us here, and a lot of RVs use two 6v golf cart batteries which will have more amp hours.

I would suggest reading two web sites before you go buy a new battery, the first The 12volt Side of Life and William Darden's Battery FAQ. The first website, the 12v side of life, is probably the best one to read and gain from, the other one can be a bit technical, but still a good resource too.

You should also buy a deep cycle charger. Many camper owners rely on the converter/charger built into their RV, which is a poor excuse for a charger. Besides proper charging and adding the water you want to make sure you don't drain the battery to far. Those three things, if not properly taken care of, can kill a battery prematurely.


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## rmayhew (Mar 6, 2004)

Thanks, Y, I will check it out.


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## hurricaneplumber (Apr 12, 2004)

Y-Guy,



> "You should also buy a deep cycle charger. Many camper owners rely on the converter/charger built into their RV, which is a poor excuse for a charger"


How do you charge yours? If you are plugged into shore power, do you disconnect the batteries, and connect a separate charger? What about travelling?

I am getting ready to get the 6 volt system going and trying to sort all of this out.

Thanks,

KS


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

KS,

Here is my routine.

Once I park the Outback, or my previous Kiwi or PopUp. I did not connect the shore power line. I removed the negative line from the battery post (left the positive) and left the line that runs between the Pos/Neg terminals since I've always run dual 6v batteries. I then hook up my Century Deep Cycle Charter on 12v, and let it run. It automatically shuts off once the batteries are fully charged. I then remove the charger and put it away, I rarely take it with me since if I have shore power I use it. Sometimes I wish I had it to help somebody else out though. I leave the Negative wire off the camper until I am ready to precool the fridge. The battery shouldn't need another charge if its disconnected, but I often will hook it up before I precool for another top off charge. Then I remove it again, connect the Negative wire and plug in the shore power line and precool the fridge.

I had the same set of 6b batteries on my Popup then moved them to my Kiwi, when I got the new outback I opted for new 6v batteries, but my other ones were still in great condition and kept me warm and happy on cool nights.


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## fixjet (Jan 19, 2004)

I got 2 6v golf cart batteries from Sam's Club for $95. The Interstate 12v we got was not enough. I haven't used these yet but from what I hear on this and other forums they should work much better.


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## hurricaneplumber (Apr 12, 2004)

Fixjet,

Do you know what the amp hours are for the Sam's Club batteries? Also the dimensions. On my 28BHS one of the battery racks is a different size than the other so I may need to modify it. I am more concerned with the height of the battery and if it will fit without hitting the plastic cover. Are they side post or are all 6 volts top post?

I am looking to buy a couple myself in the next week. At work in one of the labs they use a charger called BatteryTender, the guy said it is one of the best around and it could fit in your pocket it is so small, about $45. After the battery is fully charged it modulates to keep them topped off without overcharging, still researching. I like Y-Guys idea to charge them.

Thank you for any information.









Building the 4x4 wheel chocks tonight, will see how it goes.

Kevin


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## fixjet (Jan 19, 2004)

Kevin, the batteries fit in the battery trays ok. They are the same size as the small rv batteries but if you use battery boxes like I do the batteries are a little taller by about 3/4 of a inch and the lid doesn't fit as well. (they do fit under the plastic cover even with battery box lids on) I don't remember the Amp hour rating off hand and the trailer is not at home right now. But it is far better than the original Interstate that I had. For some reason 78 Amp/hrs sound right but I can't be sure.

Also I have two of the Battery Tender Chargers. I originally bought them for my snowmobile batteries for off season storage. The Battery Tender Plus is a 3 step 1.25 amp smart charger, and the Battery Tender Junior is a 2 step .75 amp smart charger. They are great for maintaining batteries but because of the low amps they take a long time to recharge. ( I use the trailer converter for quick charge up )
I am looking to get the Battery Tender onboard charger which is a 6 amp 3 step smart charger. About $95 but they are out of stock right now.

Dan


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

Here is a tip for battery boxes for golf card/6v batteries, if you feel you really need them.

Buy 4 boxes, the golf cart batteries should fit inside them fine. Toss two of the lids away, you won't need them. Then take two of the boxes and cut the bottoms off. Then take one box with the bottom and slide one of the bottomless boxes inside. Put the battery in and the top on. Bingo, you have a cheap battery box. Normally 6v batter boxes can be pretty spendy. Buying 4 boxes should run you around $20.


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Say that again...

I'm trying to draw myself a mental picture, but can't see the image!

Maybe it's the fact I've spent 3 straight days at work (72 hrs), with only a 12 hour break!


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

How about a visual


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

Pete;



> Maybe it's the fact I've spent 3 straight days at work (72 hrs), with only a 12 hour break!


And I thought 38 hours (the max we are allowed to work in a row, for FF Health and safety reasons) was a long triple shift....









That works out to a night/day/night for us. And believe it or not, we have guys that don't appreciate how good we have it with a 42 hour week.

Tim


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Normally... we work a 72 hr week. This week, I went to a 2 day SCBA maintenance class in between shifts, which made for a long week.


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