Want a "bigger" battery but where to put it?

If you're going to be off-grid and wish to use the generator as little as possible, you need to change your battery configuration. That means adding additional batteries. You could just use jumper cables and an additional battery. About three times of use with that, I would be abandoning that.

Alternatives would be installing additional batteries inside the cabin or modifying the original battery box/location to suit your needs. Look underneath the tongue and see if it's possible to hang a battery underneath. If not, install angle iron for a new battery location on top of the tongue or alongside. A good fabrication shop would have no problems with this and can think of many design choices you can't.

What you have plus a MegaWatt power supply set to 14.4 volts would work fine for generator charging. For one or two AGM or flooded batteries. John Marles has the Mega 40 ampere model available for 65 dollars, shipped. The power supply will follow you around from rig to rig.

johnm1 wrote:
Wow ... thanks for all the responses! Lots to think about.

1. I have a WFCO 50A, supposedly it's a 3 stage charger which, depending upon what I read, it may or may not be up to the job because it's just a plain 'ol factory installed distribution/charging unit.

...

3. I need to measure for "exactness" but, without modifications, I don't think I can get a longer battery in the same location. I can go taller and maybe wider but not longer.

4. From what I'm reading, since I can put a AGM in a non-vented area, a AGM in the storage compartment (under our bed) might be the way to go????

Thanks again,

John

1. Model #?

I have an 8735 that that likes 13.6V. I have never seen it charge at 14.4V. Even if it did, it would drop back to 13.6V as soon as the battery gets to 14.4V. Any charger that cannot hold 14.4V during charging is a poor choice to use with a genny.

If you are going to depend on a genny for charging, consider a PFC corrected charger that also has a temp-comp cable to read battery temps. PFC will reduce fuel usage and the temp-comp feature will charge faster because it will manage charging Volts better.

3,4. AGMs can be placed on a side or end. This gives you flexibility when looking at battery dimensions. I have a Johnson Controls 31C 100AH AGM on its side under the rear seat in the van; no venting.

HTH;
John

johnm1 wrote:
I only have 1 group 24 battery and if I leave everything as is, I can probably fit a taller battery but no longer or wider. They really crammed everything in a tight space. I've guessing they were thinking most people would use this rv for resorts and places with power poles.

Alas a six volt golf car battery needs a twin paired with it so you need two of them

but it may be possible to remove the existing battery box and put in a dual box designed for them.. In fact it should be easy to do.

First I would try put a genuine Concorde Lifeline AGM group 24 battery and see how it does. If it lacks reserve capacity then you can start thinking about sticking a similar brand group 31 inside the rig. Bit by bit without wasting a nickel.of your investment.

There are cheaper brands of AGM batteries out there than the Lifeline. But then there is the Yugo as compared to a Toyota or Rolls Royce. Your converter float voltage will work fine with the AGM then connect only a battery tender for long storage periods.

Wow ... thanks for all the responses! Lots to think about.

1. I have a WFCO 50A, supposedly it's a 3 stage charger which, depending upon what I read, it may or may not be up to the job because it's just a plain 'ol factory installed distribution/charging unit.

2. For the most part we camp at state parks that have electric but, as the boys get older (ages 10 & 12) we're going with more friends and we can be in the Adirondacks for a week or even 2 without hook-ups. That's where the genny comes in and when we really need the extra battery capacity.

3. Since we do 80% of our camping in state parks in NYS, solar really isn't a viable option. Most of the sites we get are completely, or almost completely covered with trees so we don't see that much sun.

3. I need to measure for "exactness" but, without modifications, I don't think I can get a longer battery in the same location. I can go taller and maybe wider but not longer.

4. From what I'm reading, since I can put a AGM in a non-vented area, a AGM in the storage compartment (under our bed) might be the way to go????

Thanks again,

John

Are you running out overnight, or over a weekend? Maybe a solar panel on the roof (80+ watts) would extend your runtime enough?

PD converters play nice with AGM. Since you are charging from gen you want rapid charging. The recipe for that is a good three stage converter, AGM, and fat wires.

johnm1 wrote:
I only have 1 group 24 battery and if I leave everything as is, I can probably fit a taller battery but no longer or wider. They really crammed everything in a tight space. I've guessing they were thinking most people would use this rv for resorts and places with power poles.

I was able to fit a Gr 27 battery in our trailer's battery box to replace the generic Gr 24 the trailer came with. If you install a better quality Trojan SCS 200 12V battery you will have 115AH capacity which is a significant increase from a generic Gr 24 battery. Our single battery works quite well for us when we dry camp for two weeks in the Smokies. We do daily charging with a generator and do not operate anything other than Fantastic vent fan (all night), lighting, water pump, frige and water heater. No inverter.

Unless your current battery has been well maintained you may have already given up additional capacity compared to a new generic battery.

Dick

johnm1 wrote:
Are there any issues using the standard RV charger/converter to charge AGM's? I normally leave mine plugged in all the time when it's not being used. And yes, I do check the electrolyte levels.

Yes, there would be problems... AGM have a slightly different voltage than conventional LA. I think a LA charger will never fully charge an AGM, and an AGM charger will boil an LA battery (observed this myself.)

I never looked into using my WFCO to charge my 800AH battery bank... I would hazard to guess a good converter will have a jumper or switch inside it to select AGM or LA battery type...?