Coach batteries toasted?
Can't run the cabin heater through the night without draining the batteries down. Seems very strange that it would need so much power. Should only be the electric fan that needs the electric power? ...
Forum Discussion
oyly wrote:
So I found out my batteries are NAPA 8240. 24DCM:
http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/CatalogItemDetail.aspx/Battery-Deep-Cycle-12-Wet/_/R-NBD8240_0213748540
Seems you were right 2112, they're not real deep-cycle batteries. The label says "Marine/RV Dual Purpose". NAPA also doesn't state the Ah rating, which I've learned, is typical for non-deep-cycle batteries. But to estimate the Ah rating, some say divide the reserve capacity by 2. That gives me an Ah of just 70.
Been looking for a user manual for these batteries, but can't find any. The one in my Winnebago manual also doesn't say anything about checking the SG. So I'm not sure if I'm able to! There seems to be two lids on top of the batteries, but prying them off was harder than what seems normal, so I'm worried I'll break something if I try harder...
Also started looking into bigger batteries. I would have to make some modifications to the tray where the batteries sit, as this was clearly made for exactly group 24 batteries. As for a more powerful battery in the same size; Seems they all have about the same amount of power, 140 A reserve capacity.
Did anyone reading this increase the battery capacity in their RV? How did you do it?
It's hard to see for sure by the photo, but do you perhaps have a couple more inches in available height? If so you could go to a couple of 6V Colf Cart batteries. Same foot print but a bit taller. That would give you anywhere from 220 AH to 240 AH depending on which battery you get.
In our previous motorhome I had a welding shop remake the battery shelf a bit lower in order to do this. It adds a bit of weight since GCs weigh 66 pounds each on average.
