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  • chrisski
    replied
    Originally posted by Ho jo View Post
    5 year warranty for $230.
    I like the fact that it charges multiple voltages.
    12 volt for now. Or if you decide to go 24 volts later you don't have to change chargers.
    my Iota is half the price but only 2 year warranty. And 12 volt only.
    This charger did not even show up on my Amazon searches, E-Bay Searches, or looking at the company websites; either that or it was buried on the 10th page, or I just browsed over it. The place I bought the batteries from could not recommend a charger, although they gave me three brands to check. Until the tech E-Mailed me this morning, I was looking at a Clore 6V/12V 2- amp charger, which missed the manufacture's 23 amp lower amp limit by 3 amps. Not sure how much of a difference that would have made.

    I am really surprised that the battery manufacturers don't each carry a wall plug charger for batteries at their recommended charge rates. Out of all the manufacturer websites I went to when looking for batteries, I only saw VMaxx had chargers for their batteries, but not the larger ones, and 12V, not 6V. Interstate sold some, but not for large deep cycle batteries.

    Depending on how this RV setup works when I build it, I've got an idea how I would get to 24 volts, so there is expansion. I'd string another couple strings of panel into the inverter, and then figure out how to run the 12 volts that the RV uses.

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  • Ho jo
    replied
    5 year warranty for $230.
    I like the fact that it charges multiple voltages.
    12 volt for now. Or if you decide to go 24 volts later you don't have to change chargers.
    my Iota is half the price but only 2 year warranty. And 12 volt only.
    Last edited by Ho jo; 07-21-2020, 08:48 PM.

    Leave a comment:


  • chrisski
    replied
    I got a reply from the Battery Manufacturer and for my 225 AH at the 20 hour rate 6V Flooded Lead Acid Batteries, he recommended a NOCO Genius G26000 12V/24V 26 Amp Pro-Series Battery Charger and Maintainer. Since its a 12 Volt Charger, he said to wire the batteries in Series when Charging. He also said to charge on the AGM mode.

    It's a 26 AMP charger, so that falls in the 23-30 amp recommended charge range, and I'll just have to trust his recommendation about going in series to charge and using the AGM mode.

    I found it extremely difficult to find a charger that matched the 10% of the C20 rate. A lot of the 30 amp chargers I saw, those were boost modes, and the owners manual did not say how long they were activated for after you pressed the button, and others had the 30 amps on a timer, and others had the 30 amp mode available for 12 VDC, but not 6 VDC.

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  • chrisski
    replied
    Originally posted by Mike90250 View Post
    New Batteries often need a commissioning charge and a couple medium deep cycle to get the plates activated. I would read up on what's required for your models.

    However, a slow trickle charge, on a new battery, won't hurt, even if the plates are still being formed. But when you start cycling them, be prepared to recharge in 24 hours
    I did find some recommendations from the manufacturer:

    Max Current: 13% of C20
    Absorption: Once Absorption voltage is reached, maintain: 7.35 VDC
    Constant Current: Once at that voltage current falls to 1% - 3% C20 (2.3 Amps to 6.9 Amps), maintain a charge of 1% - 3% C20 (2.3 Amps to 6.9 Amps).
    Float Charge: 6.75 Volts.

    Most Chargers have an automated charging, so I don't know how close it is to that. I guess its off to the manufacturer to see if they can find a 30 amp 6V charger that follows that profile.



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  • Mike90250
    replied
    New Batteries often need a commissioning charge and a couple medium deep cycle to get the plates activated. I would read up on what's required for your models.

    However, a slow trickle charge, on a new battery, won't hurt, even if the plates are still being formed. But when you start cycling them, be prepared to recharge in 24 hours

    Leave a comment:


  • chrisski
    replied
    My NOCO Genius G4 4 charger, 4 amps, does not seem to be charging my newly delivered 229 AH at the 20 hour rate 6V batteries. When I signed for the batteries, there was no visible damage, the voltage was 6.1 Volts each, and they had enough water in them.

    I hooked the charger up and read underneath 25%, and after 24 hours of charging read between 25% and 50%, and another 12 hours did not bring the batteries above the 50% mark.

    I'm going to call the seller up on Monday, but is it common to have batteries delivered to you that need a deep charge from the start? I've always put my newly purchased 12 VDC RV battery on a .75 amp charger and it's topped overnight.

    Leave a comment:


  • Mike90250
    replied
    What I'd do to that fwd storage.
    (Does it have a slide out tray or drawer ? )

    I'd paint the sides and top with asphalt or pickup bed liner paint, Seal it real well, so it's airtight. (caulk it the week before)
    Then simply use three or four, 2" round "Foundation Vent" from the hardware store, as high as possible, on either end they have bug screen and rain louvers on them
    Hydrogen wants to get out, and a couple vents will do the job.
    Even if you used AGM, you have to allow for venting hydrogen at their end of life.

    Just turn the whole compartment into a battery box.

    Put a sacrificial strip of 1/4" plywood covering the whole bottom to soak up any acid spills

    Leave a comment:


  • Ho jo
    replied
    I would also put a vent hole in the bottom of the box (piped down to the outside also) so fresh air can enter, as to not create a vaccuum as the gasses exit.

    Leave a comment:


  • chrisski
    replied
    Originally posted by Ho jo View Post
    I didn't realize you had a fifth wheel.
    My GC batteries have been in series parallel for 3 years.
    what size is you battery compartment?
    A friend of mine built his box with plywood.
    and vented it with 1.5 pvc
    I wouldn't consider metal for a battery box.
    I appreciate the size of the PVC pipe. I have no idea of how big to make this vent. If I go with lead acid batteries instead of AGM, I was thinking of using the current 2" hose that's already venting my single lead acid battery, by putting each of the four GC2 battery in a Battery box, drill a 2" hole in the top of the battery box, and joining the four hoses to vent out the single 2" outlet that is already drilled in the side of the RV. I will just be sure that hose runs up so any gasses won't pool in there. I might even use a 2" PVC pipe.

    Luckily where I will put the battery and where the one battery I have now is not constrained by space. Basically the current battery compartment is in the large forward storage compartment that runs the width of the RV and under the bedroom, so probably 10 feet wide across the RV, 5 feet long, and three feet tall. If I feel I can properly vent flooded lead acid batteries there, that is where they will go.

    Leave a comment:


  • Ho jo
    replied
    I didn't realize you had a fifth wheel.
    My GC batteries have been in series parallel for 3 years.
    what size is you battery compartment?
    A friend of mine built his box with plywood.
    and vented it with 1.5 pvc
    I wouldn't consider metal for a battery box.

    Leave a comment:


  • chrisski
    replied
    Originally posted by Ho jo View Post
    For 3 or 4 summer months I use the charger for my TT.
    To supplement my solar array
    The Iota is used for frequent extended rainy days.

    For the rest of the year the batteries are mostly just sitting on float waiting to be used.

    I have Mine mounted on the tongue.
    no need for a box or venting.

    I park in the shade and
    My solar array is 100 ft away in the sun.

    ​​​batteries last longer when kept cool.
    With a fifth wheel, I can't picture how I'd mount batteries to the tongue. For a travel trailer with a ball hitch I can picture it, and since starting this project, having a travel trailer with a ball hitch would have made this easier.

    Leave a comment:


  • chrisski
    replied
    Originally posted by Mike90250 View Post
    Look to boat yards. They have individual battery cases, with passage for cables, and a vent hose could be easily adapted
    https://www.westmarine.com/battery-boxes-hold-downs
    Couldn't find the trojan cases there.

    I guess where I'm stuck, is that if I go with 400 - 450 AH of power at the 20 hour rate, I can't find a lot of batteries out there that will provide that much AH. I did find a Group 903 Trojan battery which is 12 X 7 X 18 inches for L X W X H, and I just can't find battery cases that are built 19" tall to house Group 903 batteries. I've spent hours looking for a Group 903 battery box, and even longer trying to figure either how to fab a compartment out of something like fiber glass, weld one, or even build it out of plywood.

    I've come to the conclusion that I can't get myself 400 AH of battery power and by myself install these batteries unless I go in parallel. Just to get this project moving, I'm planning on 4 six volt batteries in series parallel to get to my 12 VDC 440 AH. I just do not have a way to mount these externally and at this point for my first project don't want to put down $4k on lithium batteries.
    Last edited by chrisski; 07-07-2020, 12:53 PM.

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  • Ho jo
    replied
    For 3 or 4 summer months I use the charger for my TT.
    To supplement my solar array
    The Iota is used for frequent extended rainy days.

    For the rest of the year the batteries are mostly just sitting on float waiting to be used.

    I have Mine mounted on the tongue.
    no need for a box or venting.

    I park in the shade and
    My solar array is 100 ft away in the sun.

    ​​​batteries last longer when kept cool.

    Leave a comment:


  • Mike90250
    replied
    Look to boat yards. They have individual battery cases, with passage for cables, and a vent hose could be easily adapted
    https://www.westmarine.com/battery-boxes-hold-downs

    Leave a comment:


  • chrisski
    replied
    Originally posted by Ho jo View Post
    This is what I use on 4 6 volt 208 ah flooded battery Screenshot_20200707-105710_Chrome.jpgScreenshot_20200707-105847_Chrome.jpg
    Do you have this charger at your house or in an RV?

    The intent right now is to get GC2 golf cart batteries and install them in the RV when I travel, and when not traveling, keep them at home on a charger. I had been planning on AGM batteries, but I found a set of interstate GC2 flooded lead Acid for sale for half the price. One thing that had been keeping me from the flooded lead acid batteries is building the venting system. I can find reasonably priced GC2 battery boxes that I can attach a vent hose to so its vented out of the storage compartment the batteries will be in, but other than that I’ve found it impossible to find cases or hoods to vent some Trojan Batteries or other models I was looking at.

    Leave a comment:

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