battery
well just wanted to share. my battery in camper died..it was a yellow top one,, so i got a deep cycle lead evermaxx one from wally world, well it was too big, the post were too high , so i too a hac...
Forum Discussion
Getting the right battery sure does add to the human stress factor.
Your older trailer probably still has the single mode CONVERTER installed in it which only produces a constant 13.6VDC Charging voltage. Changing this to a more modern SMART MODE charger would really help your battery long life.
I always watch out for any battery that lists cranking amps as this really is an indication they are hybrid type batteries and not so much a good DEEP CYCLE battery that you really want to have on the trailer for best results.
I got my trailer in 2008 and dded three more Interstate batteries to get a larger battery bank to support my camping off the power grid better. Right away I lost one of the Interstate GP24 batteries which came up with a shorted cell. When I checked the battery for the first time after the one battery went bad I noticed all the batteries were low on fluids and I could see signs of them being boiled over. It turns out my single mode ELIXIR converter producing a constant 13.6VDC is right on the edge of boiling out the fluids over time.
I replaced the ELIXIR 30AMP Converter for a WFCO 8900 Series Power Distribution Center which had a WF8945 Converter module in the bottom compartment. Then I found out the WF8900 series converter did not like to go into SMART MODE charging voltages so I had to purchase a PD9260C Converter to replace it. I need the 60AMP anyway to manage four batteries. When that PD9260C arrived from AMAZON I just couldn't throw away the brand new WF8945 Converter which was only a month old so I ended up leaving it in place and just added the PD9260C Converter in a stand alone position closer to the battery bank. I decided i would use the WF8945 as a back up unit. I just flip the circuit breaker for which converter I want to use.
Bottom line is my three remaining GP24 Interstate 12V Batteries has been running great now since 2009 and giving me great performance. The smart mode converter actually takes great care of the batteries automatic for you. I still check the fluids out of bait at least once a month now but they are always full.
My three Interstate are just now falling off on performance since being installed since 2008 and I will probably start looking for replacement batteries this season. I am seriously thinking about getting four each Trojan 12VDC T-1275 150AH Deep Cycle batteries. Having two needs for batteries one being running my Emergency Comms from my truck when on Weather Alerts and the other being camping off the power grid. I will have two T-1275s mounted on the trailer frame and two more added to the bed of the bed of the truck. This way I can support both off-the-grid battery functions. When camping I can combine the two battery banks giving me a hugh 600AH battery capacity...
I will be hoping to get a good 7 - 8 years out of these batteries...
Watching the performance of the batteries is a big deal with me since we camp off the power grid most of the time. Will do all the things we can do with our batteries when camping and when the drop down to around the 50% charge state then will re-charge back to 90% charge state using my 2KW Honda Generator to provide 120VAC to the trailer to allow my PD9260C Converter. Doing it this way only requires around three hours generator run time to re-charge the battery bank.
This is my current battery setup for my small footprint OFF-ROAD POPUP trailer
Just passing along what we do with our batteries...
Roy Ken
Your older trailer probably still has the single mode CONVERTER installed in it which only produces a constant 13.6VDC Charging voltage. Changing this to a more modern SMART MODE charger would really help your battery long life.
I always watch out for any battery that lists cranking amps as this really is an indication they are hybrid type batteries and not so much a good DEEP CYCLE battery that you really want to have on the trailer for best results.
I got my trailer in 2008 and dded three more Interstate batteries to get a larger battery bank to support my camping off the power grid better. Right away I lost one of the Interstate GP24 batteries which came up with a shorted cell. When I checked the battery for the first time after the one battery went bad I noticed all the batteries were low on fluids and I could see signs of them being boiled over. It turns out my single mode ELIXIR converter producing a constant 13.6VDC is right on the edge of boiling out the fluids over time.
I replaced the ELIXIR 30AMP Converter for a WFCO 8900 Series Power Distribution Center which had a WF8945 Converter module in the bottom compartment. Then I found out the WF8900 series converter did not like to go into SMART MODE charging voltages so I had to purchase a PD9260C Converter to replace it. I need the 60AMP anyway to manage four batteries. When that PD9260C arrived from AMAZON I just couldn't throw away the brand new WF8945 Converter which was only a month old so I ended up leaving it in place and just added the PD9260C Converter in a stand alone position closer to the battery bank. I decided i would use the WF8945 as a back up unit. I just flip the circuit breaker for which converter I want to use.
Bottom line is my three remaining GP24 Interstate 12V Batteries has been running great now since 2009 and giving me great performance. The smart mode converter actually takes great care of the batteries automatic for you. I still check the fluids out of bait at least once a month now but they are always full.
My three Interstate are just now falling off on performance since being installed since 2008 and I will probably start looking for replacement batteries this season. I am seriously thinking about getting four each Trojan 12VDC T-1275 150AH Deep Cycle batteries. Having two needs for batteries one being running my Emergency Comms from my truck when on Weather Alerts and the other being camping off the power grid. I will have two T-1275s mounted on the trailer frame and two more added to the bed of the bed of the truck. This way I can support both off-the-grid battery functions. When camping I can combine the two battery banks giving me a hugh 600AH battery capacity...
I will be hoping to get a good 7 - 8 years out of these batteries...
Watching the performance of the batteries is a big deal with me since we camp off the power grid most of the time. Will do all the things we can do with our batteries when camping and when the drop down to around the 50% charge state then will re-charge back to 90% charge state using my 2KW Honda Generator to provide 120VAC to the trailer to allow my PD9260C Converter. Doing it this way only requires around three hours generator run time to re-charge the battery bank.
This is my current battery setup for my small footprint OFF-ROAD POPUP trailer
Just passing along what we do with our batteries...
Roy Ken
