TMI about batteries? My brain is saturated.
My old set up:
Two Interstate 12v batteries in parallel, and they were connected to this relay thingy that I can flip on or off with a switch on the wall. There is another switch on the dash that allowed me to use the coach batteries as auxiliary start if the chassis battery died.
Onan genset and an outdated obsolete Magnetek 6345 series converter/charger.
I don't think my old converter hurt my old batteries because they lasted me 7 years, and even at that, I only had one dead cell on one of them, so I'm not complaining, and I think I have the "care and feeding" of batteries down... I just want to upgrade stuff, since replacements are needed, and am trying to plan ahead for solar.
Until "solar happens" here, my current worst case scenario is 2 weeks without power because of a storm. Until then, the only other boondocking I plan to do is enroute somewhere.
Within my budget, so far I have updated the following:
Because I am working my way up to solar, I decided on the Sam's Club GC2s rated at 232 AH/20 amps and bought welding cable and built my own 2/0 battery cables. I am careful that the batteries are the same distance apart and the cables are the same length. Also the cable is protected from oil and grease with sleeving, because it is my understanding it will damage the welding cable insulation.
I plan to install a Tiger Claw 1500/3000 pure sine wave inverter within 3 feet of the batteries (actually closer to a foot and a half), but outside the battery box), and also with 2/0 cable.
I bought a 6 volt battery charger/tender for the GC2's and have not yet connected them to the old converter/charger.
After lots of reading, I am thinking that allowing ANY RV converter to charge these batteries might not be a good idea, and certainly not before I buy a new converter.
There's a switch on the wall that activates a relay under the step that allowed me to 1) start the generator. 2) draw amps out of my batteries at will and 3) use the coach batteries as an aux start for the engine. There is another switch on the dash that also allows me to do that from the driver's seat without flipping the wall switch. I have to hold that one down while starting the engine for that to work, it can't be left on.
I don't "think" the switch on the wall disconnected the "charging" part of the old converter, but only disconnected the batteries from providing power. I always did hook the old batteries up to a regular charger after I checked the water levels, and they never seemed to need too much of a charge until that one cell went bad.
So I am wondering if there is any way to hook these new batteries up to a new converter, so I can flip that switch to get the power from them when I need it (say to start the generator) and prevent the converter from charging the batteries? I'm thinking I only want the correct charger charging them.
Or will it not hurt my new batteries to just let the converter do it's charge thing when I am disconnected from shore power, and just disconnect that cable to use my 6 volt charger when they are "stored"? (Everybody else is doing it, why not me? Right?)
The other thing I am wondering is if I have messed myself up with regard to being able to use that "aux start" on the dash and starting my generator since the GC2s don't have CCA? Should I not plan on being able to do that with the GC2's? Do I now also need a spare marine battery to start the generator? (OR am I completely misunderstanding that switch on the wall???)
Appreciate your insight!
Two Interstate 12v batteries in parallel, and they were connected to this relay thingy that I can flip on or off with a switch on the wall. There is another switch on the dash that allowed me to use the coach batteries as auxiliary start if the chassis battery died.
Onan genset and an outdated obsolete Magnetek 6345 series converter/charger.
I don't think my old converter hurt my old batteries because they lasted me 7 years, and even at that, I only had one dead cell on one of them, so I'm not complaining, and I think I have the "care and feeding" of batteries down... I just want to upgrade stuff, since replacements are needed, and am trying to plan ahead for solar.
Until "solar happens" here, my current worst case scenario is 2 weeks without power because of a storm. Until then, the only other boondocking I plan to do is enroute somewhere.
Within my budget, so far I have updated the following:
Because I am working my way up to solar, I decided on the Sam's Club GC2s rated at 232 AH/20 amps and bought welding cable and built my own 2/0 battery cables. I am careful that the batteries are the same distance apart and the cables are the same length. Also the cable is protected from oil and grease with sleeving, because it is my understanding it will damage the welding cable insulation.
I plan to install a Tiger Claw 1500/3000 pure sine wave inverter within 3 feet of the batteries (actually closer to a foot and a half), but outside the battery box), and also with 2/0 cable.
I bought a 6 volt battery charger/tender for the GC2's and have not yet connected them to the old converter/charger.
After lots of reading, I am thinking that allowing ANY RV converter to charge these batteries might not be a good idea, and certainly not before I buy a new converter.
There's a switch on the wall that activates a relay under the step that allowed me to 1) start the generator. 2) draw amps out of my batteries at will and 3) use the coach batteries as an aux start for the engine. There is another switch on the dash that also allows me to do that from the driver's seat without flipping the wall switch. I have to hold that one down while starting the engine for that to work, it can't be left on.
I don't "think" the switch on the wall disconnected the "charging" part of the old converter, but only disconnected the batteries from providing power. I always did hook the old batteries up to a regular charger after I checked the water levels, and they never seemed to need too much of a charge until that one cell went bad.
So I am wondering if there is any way to hook these new batteries up to a new converter, so I can flip that switch to get the power from them when I need it (say to start the generator) and prevent the converter from charging the batteries? I'm thinking I only want the correct charger charging them.
Or will it not hurt my new batteries to just let the converter do it's charge thing when I am disconnected from shore power, and just disconnect that cable to use my 6 volt charger when they are "stored"? (Everybody else is doing it, why not me? Right?)
The other thing I am wondering is if I have messed myself up with regard to being able to use that "aux start" on the dash and starting my generator since the GC2s don't have CCA? Should I not plan on being able to do that with the GC2's? Do I now also need a spare marine battery to start the generator? (OR am I completely misunderstanding that switch on the wall???)
Appreciate your insight!
