Battery box/upgrade questions.
Hey guys, Just bought our first tt and already looking at upgrades. It's a 2004 okanagann eclipse ecl-21. Right now it has one 12 volt battery under the dinette (front of trailer) in a sealed/v...
Forum Discussion
westend wrote:Huntindog wrote:This is good advice.
I don't usually recommend AGM batteries. Yes they have some advantages but I just don't think it justifies the higher price. But this situation cries out for AGMs. No box needed, no corrosion and no work/expense making a custom box. That is what I would do.
Except for an old, cheap Swede like me. :B Actually, I also had some cosmetic reasons for tackling the job (battery box is not hidden).
Since I don't own a rotational molding plant, I had to use materials other than plastic (the best material). I made the box with wood and then lined it with FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastic). I made the top, a removable piece, the same way and gasketed it to seal any gases inside. Plastic tubing was used for a vent. A nice chrome vent fitting was installed on the exterior.
All of this is not trivial and here is where Hunting Dog's advice becomes reinforced--AGM's don't require a box. You can buy a double battery polyethylene box, hardware, vent tubing, and a vent fitting for a bit less than $100. Or, you can buy AGM's hook them up, tie them down, and be done.
AGM's are factoring in to my plans too, although they are VERY expensive. I'm also debatin the option of junking the battery/solar upgrade plans and just buying a generator and charging the single 12 volt more often. A generator is going to work our to less than the battery upgrade and solar panels will cost. Decisions decisions ...
