Enlarge Small Battery Compartment

[Ron 'n Sue]

Last July we bought ourselves a '92 Winnebago Warrior 321RB and we love it!

Of course, it has a few short comings, one of which is only having a single battery. We'd like to add a second battery, but the compartment is too small for two.

It has been suggested that we cut out the back wall of the compartment and extend it with sheet metal. Also, a recommendation has been made we use two 6V instead of 12V. We're still trying to figure out 1) how to do the extension and 2) how big should it and can it, be.

Suggestions anyone?

[Alvin]

Last July we bought ourselves a '92 Winnebago Warrior 321RB and we love it!

Of course, it has a few short comings, one of which is only having a single battery. We'd like to add a second battery, but the compartment is too small for two.

It has been suggested that we cut out the back wall of the compartment and extend it with sheet metal. Also, a recommendation has been made we use two 6V instead of 12V. We're still trying to figure out 1) how to do the extension and 2) how big should it and can it, be.

Suggestions anyone?

Not sure if your layout is the same as mine (an 89 Odyssey), but if I were going to do what you propose, I would first make sure there is about the right amount of space in my compartment for two batterys and the box, then I'd secure an outer battery door of the proper size. I think I've seen these on the internet... or a local RV distributor might have one that would work. Also, you may want to consider the cost of 2 12V (or 4 6V) identical new batteries in the cost so that they're on roughly the same charge lifetime curves.

In the Odyssey, there is room but a little bit of work would need to be done. One thing would be that I'd best be thinking about removing my oven temporarily which is right about the battery locations. This would give me easy access to work in the battery location... maybe yours is already located in a nice location such as under your couch? Then I'd build the box and line it with sheetmetal... install a battery drawer for a slideout... extend/replace any cables which may need the extra length... put it all back together... in mine, I would actually consider removing the oven completely and using the space for something else at that point since I've never used the oven... but then I'd just get a couple of surfacemount counter-top burners.

If you had pictures that would help with the suggestions for those of us without warriors.

[Maineah]

Two 6 volts would be nice lots of power around 240 amps. But some thing to keep in mind the 6 volt golf cart batteries go about 100# each and they are big. A group 27/31 120 amp goes about 70# They need to be well vented and separated from your living space they produce hydrogen gas its extremely flammable.

[Ron 'n Sue]

Not sure if your layout is the same as mine (an 89 Odyssey), but if I were going to do what you propose, I would first make sure there is about the right amount of space in my compartment for two batterys and the box, then I'd secure an outer battery door of the proper size. I think I've seen these on the internet... or a local RV distributor might have one that would work. Also, you may want to consider the cost of 2 12V (or 4 6V) identical new batteries in the cost so that they're on roughly the same charge lifetime curves.

In the Odyssey, there is room but a little bit of work would need to be done. One thing would be that I'd best be thinking about removing my oven temporarily which is right about the battery locations. This would give me easy access to work in the battery location... maybe yours is already located in a nice location such as under your couch? Then I'd build the box and line it with sheetmetal... install a battery drawer for a slideout... extend/replace any cables which may need the extra length... put it all back together... in mine, I would actually consider removing the oven completely and using the space for something else at that point since I've never used the oven... but then I'd just get a couple of surfacemount counter-top burners.

If you had pictures that would help with the suggestions for those of us without warriors.

As you can see from the attached photos, the compartment is very, very small, with the battery put into the box from front to back lengthwise. We have measured a T-105 6V Trojan deep cycle battery and if we put two of them in - lengthwise, we would need to make the box 24" from it's current 12" (measurement approx.)

Photo 1 - outside hatch for battery just left (back) of the door to inside.

Photo 2 - inside hatch with battery shoved in lengthwise.

[dayoff53]

'92 Winnebago Warrior 321RB ... has a few short comings, one of which is only having a single battery. We'd like to add a second battery, but the compartment is too small for two.

We recently acquired a '92 Warrior 321RL - same problem. We have the same battery compartment except, because the coach door is moved back, ours is in front of the door instead of behind it. I want to either add a second battery or convert to 6-volt and put in 2 6-volt batteries. Either way, I need a place for two batteries. When you figure out what you are going to do, I would sure appreciate your thoughts and build notes! dayoff53@gmail.com

[Ron 'n Sue]

We recently acquired a '92 Warrior 321RL - same problem. We have the same battery compartment except, because the coach door is moved back, ours is in front of the door instead of behind it. I want to either add a second battery or convert to 6-volt and put in 2 6-volt batteries. Either way, I need a place for two batteries. When you figure out what you are going to do, I would sure appreciate your thoughts and build notes! dayoff53@gmail.com

We will certainly put up what we do on here. We were hoping that maybe someone might know where we could get a larger version of the same compartment. And we were also hoping we'd hear someone on the forum had already done this. We did receive a reply from another forum who said he'd enlarged the compartment using a piece of sheet metal, but gave no real intructions.other than he riveted in the new piece.

I am thinking of contacting Winnibago to see if they have any suggestions. It would be nice if we knew just how much space is available under there to enlarge the compartment. Have you ever had your unit up on a hoist to look at the underneath? I'm almost afraid to do that!

[dayoff53]

Have you ever had your unit up on a hoist to look at the underneath? I'm almost afraid to do that!

I have not yet been under my rig - though I have crawled around under my brother's '90 SeaBreeze 900 quite a bit. He is doing a number of mods to his rig (I was helping sling a 14.4 gallon horizontal LP tank under the unit to replace the original 5 (or 6?) gallon upright cannister). Amongst other things, he is putting in two 6-volt batteries (as well as the original 12-volt) and a really nice pure sine wave inverter. I think he is using the space under his couch and I hope he will post some pix and explanations later. He's also adding a generator, a flat screen TV and blue ray player, and an in-dash DVD/NAV/camera system with satellite radio - and who knows what else. I'm hoping to get him to Vancouver Island for a Toy-In next summer.

[craige]

I rebuilt my battery box using the original outside vent. I used 1/2 osb that was bonded to frp. I put the frp on the inside and sealed it with caulk. My 92 SeaBreeze had the battery box under the dinett seat. I also changed the cables and added new 12v breakers from the auto store.

[Ron 'n Sue]

I rebuilt my battery box using the original outside vent. I used 1/2 osb that was bonded to frp. I put the frp on the inside and sealed it with caulk. My 92 SeaBreeze had the battery box under the dinett seat. I also changed the cables and added new 12v breakers from the auto store.

Sorry to appear 'ignorant' but WHAT is frp?

[Derek up North]

Fiber Reinforced Plastic (or Fiber Reinforced Polymer). AKA fiberglass.

[Ron 'n Sue]

Fiber Reinforced Plastic (or Fiber Reinforced Polymer). AKA fiberglass.

TA!

[Gulfstream Greg]

As you can see from the attached photos, the compartment is very, very small, with the battery put into the box from front to back lengthwise. We have measured a T-105 6V Trojan deep cycle battery and if we put two of them in - lengthwise, we would need to make the box 24" from it's current 12" (measurement approx.)

Photo 1 - outside hatch for battery just left (back) of the door to inside.

Photo 2 - inside hatch with battery shoved in lengthwise.

Sure you can maybe make the box bigger for two 6 volt batts. But because of their weight and the fact you have to connect them in series you will need to reinforce how the box is attached to the coach or the first major pot hole and they will be gone. Also they will have to be on a slide out rack just so you can service them, check water etc not to mention install them.

Alternative is two group 24 AGM batteries. They don't off gas deadly exploding gasses so you can put them in places that don't need venting. There is one gotcha, they are not cheap. You can connect them with 10 or 8 (6 if you feel better with that) gauge wire. You don't need huge cables like for your starting battery. Your just running lights etc. But if your going to run a 1500 watt inverter then you do need big cables battery to battery.