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  1. #11
    Seasoned Camper MooManChu's Avatar
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    Yes,
    Like I stated in a previous post, calculate need. It is not difficult to estimate, however there are multiple factors that affect battery performance (temperature, age, cycles between charges) that I am not that vested into and "getting close" was my goal.. Figure what you are going to run when off the grid. Check all appliances, fans, etc. amps, calculate how often it will run during the time your are camping to compute amp hours (Ah), add it up. That is your need. I add in 1-2% for vampire draw (power drawn when appliances/devices are off). If you can't get the info off the actual device amps, check RV blogs, lots of research out there. Than find a battery setup to match it up. My biggest challenge was batteries are listed in RC or Ah. Reserve Capacity (RC) is the number of minutes a fully charged battery at 80°F will discharge 25 amps until the battery drops below 10.5 volts. An amp hour (AH) is a rating usually found on deep cycle batteries. The standard rating is an amp rating taken for 20 hours. Than figure the depth of discharge, that is how far you drain the battery based on type. The rough numbers I found are 50% for traditional flooded lead acid, 80% for sealed AGM and, well around 100% for Lithium Ion. That was the biggest surprise for me was having to cut my capacity in half with a flooded lead acid battery. Guess that is why everyone is willing to shell out $900 for a Lithium Ion battery. We dry camp only 1-2 nights, run onboard gen during the day or drive 6-7 hours and I added to extra Ah assuming I wont fully charge during driving. One could figure that out, but again, I'm just trying to get close. Anyways, my number figured in a cold fall night so run furnace 15-20 min all night and my number is 220 Ah. I bought two 235Ah 6v golf cart batteries. that is 235Ah at 12 v.

  2. #12
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    My Solitude came with 2 Group 27 Interstates..... I did not request....... I dont see how a Solitude with Residential fridge can survive on one...??
    2019 Solitude 372WB FBP loaded
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  3. #13
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    Remember with a flooded battery you can only use 50% of the AH rating before you can do battery damage. Usually the voltage drops below (11.5V) that needed too operate your slides (usually 12.5V or better). That being said in my new install I am using 4 Crown 6V CR260 flooded battery (260AH each) in a series /parallel set up that gives me a 520AH battery bank - 260 usable.

    They should last 8 to 10 years if I do the needed maintenance. Mad the approach cheaper the Lithium. An Interstate group 27 (SRM27) has a whopping 88 amp hours - 44 usable. so not much there. I had two installed per my sales contract. Unfortunately I learned the hard way and damaged them when they died in storage due to the parasitic draws (disconnect off). I did not know they were really bad as the solar kept them charged, but when I took them out they were half dead all the time.

    So in a nut shell 1 - group 27 is good for a day or two camping with no hook up and thats it.
    2018 Reflection 150 Series 220RK 5th wheel with 6K axle upgrade. B&W 25K OEM Companion, Steadyfast system, 2022 F350 SRW 6.7 King Ranch 8' bed, Trailer reverse lights, rear spare tire holder, storage tube, sumo springs, Victron MultiPlus 12/120/3000, and Solar

  4. #14
    Site Sponsor SolarPoweredRV's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by MooManChu View Post
    Yes,
    Like I stated in a previous post, calculate need. It is not difficult to estimate, however there are multiple factors that affect battery performance (temperature, age, cycles between charges) that I am not that vested into and "getting close" was my goal.. Figure what you are going to run when off the grid. Check all appliances, fans, etc. amps, calculate how often it will run during the time your are camping to compute amp hours (Ah), add it up. That is your need. I add in 1-2% for vampire draw (power drawn when appliances/devices are off). If you can't get the info off the actual device amps, check RV blogs, lots of research out there. Than find a battery setup to match it up. My biggest challenge was batteries are listed in RC or Ah. Reserve Capacity (RC) is the number of minutes a fully charged battery at 80°F will discharge 25 amps until the battery drops below 10.5 volts. An amp hour (AH) is a rating usually found on deep cycle batteries. The standard rating is an amp rating taken for 20 hours. Than figure the depth of discharge, that is how far you drain the battery based on type. The rough numbers I found are 50% for traditional flooded lead acid, 80% for sealed AGM and, well around 100% for Lithium Ion. That was the biggest surprise for me was having to cut my capacity in half with a flooded lead acid battery. Guess that is why everyone is willing to shell out $900 for a Lithium Ion battery. We dry camp only 1-2 nights, run onboard gen during the day or drive 6-7 hours and I added to extra Ah assuming I wont fully charge during driving. One could figure that out, but again, I'm just trying to get close. Anyways, my number figured in a cold fall night so run furnace 15-20 min all night and my number is 220 Ah. I bought two 235Ah 6v golf cart batteries. that is 235Ah at 12 v.
    If your calculations came out to a 220 Ah requirement and you are using Lead Acid batteries, a pair of 6v 235 Ah batteries is not enough. You need another pair of 6v batteries to prevent you from using more than 50% of your batteries. Even 6v batteries are harmed by discharging them below 50% State of Charge (SOC).
    David and Peggy
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  5. #15
    Seasoned Camper MooManChu's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SolarPoweredRV View Post
    If your calculations came out to a 220 Ah requirement and you are using Lead Acid batteries, a pair of 6v 235 Ah batteries is not enough. You need another pair of 6v batteries to prevent you from using more than 50% of your batteries. Even 6v batteries are harmed by discharging them below 50% State of Charge (SOC).
    Sorry, I wasn't clear when I said my number is 220. My spreadsheet formula multiplies/divides by type of battery to compute the need. The sum of the couple things that run at night is 110. Thanks for pointing that out.
    Last edited by MooManChu; 05-07-2021 at 01:05 PM.

  6. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by AZMike View Post
    How much better do you find the golf batteries to be? What kind of battery did you replace?
    "AZMike" I had two Trojan 104 6 volt batteries in my Alpenlite Voyager 34RL for 10 years before they failed. Had the RV plugged full time so the Progressive Dynamics controller could maintain charge. Checking fluid ever 3-4 months helped assure their longevity. Our current unit came with one, when it begins to fail I will definately be going back to my 6 volt system.
    2020 Solitude 372WB
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  7. #17
    Commercial Member huntr70's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JMCFAN View Post
    My Solitude came with 2 Group 27 Interstates..... I did not request....... I dont see how a Solitude with Residential fridge can survive on one...??
    Yep, Solitude's with residential fridges come with 2 battery boxes from the factory....
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  8. #18
    Seasoned Camper MooManChu's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by zinman View Post
    "AZMike" I had two Trojan 104 6 volt batteries in my Alpenlite Voyager 34RL for 10 years before they failed. Had the RV plugged full time so the Progressive Dynamics controller could maintain charge. Checking fluid ever 3-4 months helped assure their longevity. Our current unit came with one, when it begins to fail I will definately be going back to my 6 volt system.
    Sounds like a strong correlation between longevity and abuse, being you maintained them appropriately and 10 years later, you were going strong.

  9. #19
    Rolling Along AZMike's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by zinman View Post
    "AZMike" I had two Trojan 104 6 volt batteries in my Alpenlite Voyager 34RL for 10 years before they failed. Had the RV plugged full time so the Progressive Dynamics controller could maintain charge. Checking fluid ever 3-4 months helped assure their longevity. Our current unit came with one, when it begins to fail I will definately be going back to my 6 volt system.
    I would love to go with two of those but my problem is that I have to remove the battery every time I bring it back to the storage facility for fear of theft. The 27F is heavy enough. If I go with the two Trojans, I will have two batteries to muscle around, not to mention that each of those weighs more than my 27F. Oh well, I guess I'll have to weigh the pros and cons. I also don't boondock too much, and I do have a briefcase solar panel that I carry with me. As I get out more I'll decide if that will keep the battery sufficiently charged.
    Mike & (RIP Karen)
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  10. #20
    Seasoned Camper MooManChu's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by AZMike View Post
    I would love to go with two of those but my problem is that I have to remove the battery every time I bring it back to the storage facility for fear of theft. The 27F is heavy enough. If I go with the two Trojans, I will have two batteries to muscle around, not to mention that each of those weighs more than my 27F. Oh well, I guess I'll have to weigh the pros and cons. I also don't boondock too much, and I do have a briefcase solar panel that I carry with me. As I get out more I'll decide if that will keep the battery sufficiently charged.
    single Li-Ion would fit the bill. Light and transportable. I think a 27F weighs about 50 lbs, last i checked the Li-ion were just a bit over half that. Look at it this way, these batteries vary in price based on the features and capabilities, however big picture, if you plunge into a Li-Ion it will outlive any flooded cell or AGM significantly (from what I read, not actual experience) and you may come close to breaking even over time. I'd love to go Li-Ion, but can't justify the cost based on the use case here. Just need enough juice at night to run gas fridge, furnace and couple cpap machines. Once sun comes up, fire up the onboard gen. Guess the first night we run out of power my opinion will change .
    Last edited by MooManChu; 05-13-2021 at 02:42 PM.

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