craige Posted August 15, 2010 Share Posted August 15, 2010 I spent a month in Colorado this year and would like more power storage on the battery system. I replaced the battery out there to a 115 ah deep cycle because I think I fryed it with the original controller. Here are the upgrades I am interested in. 1) 2nd battery in parallel ( same type ) 2) replace controller with new 55 amp, 4 stage controller with more dc fuses. 3) heavey duty switch to bypass batter isolator if I need to jump motor battery off of the house battery. I also will be able to maintain the motor battery ocasionaly over the winter by closing the switch at the isolator and opening the switch at the house battery ( only one battery will be charged at a time because of the difference in battery types, age, ect). Will the original altinator be strong enough to charge the batteries while driving in the mountains with AC running? Extra storage is usless if I cant fill it. I have also thought of installing solar system but I dont want to damage the roof with mounting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted August 15, 2010 Share Posted August 15, 2010 If you want the highest possible battery storage two golf cart 6 volt batteries (big and heavy but all the power you would ever need) and yes your charging system will handle them. Here is a site that explains a battery combiner it will do what you want to do with very little fuss http://www.yandina.com/combInfo.htm. There are several makes of combiners but they all work pretty much the same way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gulfstream Greg Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 When running batts in parallel they are supposed to be of the same type and age or the charge and discharge rates will be different. Don't forget if they are lead acid they need to be vented to the outside. As Maineah said two 6 volt golf cart batts are the way to go but they are big and heavy. Getting them fitted in can be custom work. Group 27 on the other hand do not have to be right next to each other but not to far apart. Big cables to reduce voltage drop or do a parallel connection but have the feed tap in to the center of the parallel connection. Like a tee. That keeps things balanced. You might consider making up a large gauge cable to jumper with heavy duty alligator clips for the house to the start side instead of a switch. Harbor freight used to carry some high amperage battery cut off switches that used a large plastic key. I bought two one day for $1.99 each but have never used them. Yes, get a new converter with a smart charger!! Your stock alternator is probably 55 amps. Unless your going to be running 4-1 million candle power off road landing lights its probably OK. Solar panels can be a benefit but survey the roof and see what size and how many panels you can actually get up there and yes you have to make some holes. Also since they will be flat and not angled they will not be full output. Conserving with led lighting etc will really make a difference. There are actually good led options now that work well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted August 19, 2010 Share Posted August 19, 2010 If you are going to use two 12 volts a battery switch might be the way to go any boat yard or supply will have them it can give you the option of off, battery 1, battery 2, or both. I have a group 31 it's a 120 amp battery it has a lot of staying power, conservation is a good thing LED's etc, inverters use lots of power so leave the micowave home. If you are not running an A/C a small generator is the way to go the little 1500 watt guys are quite quiet and it will charge your battery at the same time much cheaper then solar panels. As Greg said if you have the stock converter/charger an upgrade would be in order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86rader Posted August 29, 2010 Share Posted August 29, 2010 just curious, how does the A/C running effect the alternator? I assume we are talking truck A/C and not running the roof unit through some monster inverter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted August 29, 2010 Share Posted August 29, 2010 just curious, how does the A/C running effect the alternator? I assume we are talking truck A/C and not running the roof unit through some monster inverter. As far as the alternator the truck A/C only uses a little bit more electricity then the heater of course it does take a good bit of engine power to turn it. Trying to run the roof A/C with an inverter would be kind of counter productive it would take more power to keep the batteries up then to run the unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YVR Posted August 31, 2010 Share Posted August 31, 2010 I would appreciate some assistance from the electrical guru's out there. We have a 91 Itasca equipped with a single coach battery located in a compartment below floor level. I would like to add a second coach battery. So considering venting, where have the guru's mounted there second batteries? My rig has a generator so there's no room in that compartment. The extra battery is for a CPAP machine. So I would like to have the option of utilizing an individual battery, or both when their charge conditions are low. Of course the above situation adds some difficulty into the recharging circuit. Thus if you have a few minutes, would you be kind enough to sketch a schematic of how I should hook this up? Important information re wire size, switch and isolator specifications would be greatly appreciated. Of course any suggestions are gratefully received. Thank you very much YVR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dayoff53 Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 I would appreciate some assistance from the electrical guru's out there. We have a 91 Itasca equipped with a single coach battery located in a compartment below floor level. I would like to add a second coach battery. So considering venting, where have the guru's mounted there second batteries? My rig has a generator so there's no room in that compartment. I have a '92 Winnebago - same manufacturer, same setup. I have not figured a good place to put a second battery, either. I see no response to the original post here - what about it fellas? Surely somebody has successfully added a second coach battery to one of these "late" model Winnies or Itascas... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vanman Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 what about it fellas? Surely somebody has successfully added a second coach battery to one of these "late" model Winnies or Itascas... How about outside??? like on the bumper, inside a small vented box or on a small box/tray on the hitch??? I am tired of the Onan bs and am thinking of putting a nice med size Honda or Yamaha on the hitch mount from Camping World sold just for that. Would be nice 2 ways, now I have a nice lockable storage where the Onan was and also can put the gen in the home for those nasty natural suprises we seem to be having with increasing regularity. vanman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eve "n" Stephen Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 As far as mounting solar panels goes, I used the luggage rack on my 1984 Sunrader. With custom cut plastic pipe T's I was able to hook them on the rack on both sides, then use a short riser pipe to clear the roof. With a 90 degree elbow and pvc pipe with a piece of metal electrical conduit inside, it's plenty sturdy enough to hold a couple 100 watt panels. Yes, I used 2 cross pieces, one in front and one behind my roof vent. The panels will fit on either side. I'll get some photos next week and post them, it really worked out well, with no additional holes in the roof, and an actual use for the rack! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craige Posted June 1, 2011 Author Share Posted June 1, 2011 I cut out the existing battery box and replaced it with a bigger box in the same location. I made the box out of FRP coated plywood and sealed it with silicon. I then attached it to the original vent for ventilation. Works great. be sure if you are paralleling the batteries to use the same size and type of wires and terminations to prevent problems with the batteries. If you use more than one battery they should be same size, type, brand and age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
COYota Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Great idea Steve. Would love to see pictures. Brad 1984 Sunrader 180RD As far as mounting solar panels goes, I used the luggage rack on my 1984 Sunrader. With custom cut plastic pipe T's I was able to hook them on the rack on both sides, then use a short riser pipe to clear the roof. With a 90 degree elbow and pvc pipe with a piece of metal electrical conduit inside, it's plenty sturdy enough to hold a couple 100 watt panels. Yes, I used 2 cross pieces, one in front and one behind my roof vent. The panels will fit on either side. I'll get some photos next week and post them, it really worked out well, with no additional holes in the roof, and an actual use for the rack! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twoblocked Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I recently purchased a '92 Itasca with the stock 12v coach battery mounted outside behind the access door. I fabricated (using 1/8" x 1 1/2" angle iron) a rack welded to the truck frame and supported with bracing and attached through the floor. Two 6v lead acid golf cart batteries (Costco 220ah) live in a sliding tray and can be accessed by opening the door. I used welding cable (size to suit your particular inverter) for wiring to the inverter installed under the dinette seat. To connect the batteries to the inverter I drilled an 1 1/2" hole in the floor, epoxied a length of PVC pipe and ran the wiring through. I then ran 10/3 SO (120v) cable and #8 stranded 12v wire to the former converter/circuit breaker panel which I gutted and now use as a distribution/breaker panel only. After 6 months of ownership and dispersed camping off road trips of up to 10 days I find the solution to be a bit of overkill. I have a Honda EU2000i which I only have to use every week or so for 2 hours to re-charge the battery bank. I like the 220ah batteries and location, I'm going to a much smaller inverter (presently an old Trace 2.5kw I had laying around from a marine project). Ditch the EU2000i and go to this. http://www.alten-dc.com/products/item/106-12-volt-55-amp-gas-powered-battery-charger.html Only I'll build one myself. Ahh, what fun these little guys are...... I would appreciate some assistance from the electrical guru's out there. We have a 91 Itasca equipped with a single coach battery located in a compartment below floor level. I would like to add a second coach battery. So considering venting, where have the guru's mounted there second batteries? My rig has a generator so there's no room in that compartment. The extra battery is for a CPAP machine. So I would like to have the option of utilizing an individual battery, or both when their charge conditions are low. Of course the above situation adds some difficulty into the recharging circuit. Thus if you have a few minutes, would you be kind enough to sketch a schematic of how I should hook this up? Important information re wire size, switch and isolator specifications would be greatly appreciated. Of course any suggestions are gratefully received. Thank you very much YVR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dayoff53 Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I recently purchased a '92 Itasca with the stock 12v coach battery mounted outside behind the access door. I fabricated (using 1/8" x 1 1/2" angle iron) a rack welded to the truck frame and supported with bracing and attached through the floor. Two 6v lead acid golf cart batteries (Costco 220ah) live in a sliding tray and can be accessed by opening the door. I think I have decided what I am going to do. In my '92 Winnebago Warrior WT321RL, the battery is just in front of the entry door. It sits in a plastic box bolted to the bottom of the coach and accessible from a door on the outside of the coach. I am going to take off the plastic box and replace it with a larger one that I bought from a local custom roto-mold outfit that had a right-sized one laying around and sold it to me for $10. The box will be wider than the access door, but I can slide one battery in then move it over and slide the second battery in. I have thought about switching to 6-volt, but have settled on 2 12-volt batteries (at least for now). No inverter, but I may do that in the future, just to run the 26" LED TV and Blu-ray player. My brother ('90 SeaBreeze) is keeping his original 12-volt system, but has added 2 6-volt golf cart batteries and a 1800 watt true sine wave inverter and a separate fancy charger. He's setting it up so that the inverter powers everything except the air conditioner and the charger (doesn't make much sense to use the batteries to run the inverter to charge the batteries - I suspect that would NOT create perpetual free power). He also added an Onan Microquiet genny (didn't come with one - mine came with the noisy, stinky Kohler). His wiring took a little thought, but it is pretty nifty - automatically switches from shore power to genny so you don't accidentally run both. I figure I'll just follow him around and plug into his outside receptacle every night... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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