Battery upgrade.. how in a 4winds with....

SJ-Chris wrote:
To add an extra battery, I converted (on Majestic 28a RVs) one of the small driver side compartments into a battery compartment. One battery fits with a little room to spare. I drilled some holes in the side of the compartment for ventilation. I also added some straps underneath and to the frame to give it additional support. With this, I was able to add a 2nd battery to my Majestics. No problems for several years so far.

I also have a 23' Class C RV. It came with 2 batteries in the entry step that I replace with GC 6v batteries. I notice that on this 23' RV I also have a small compartment on the driver's side that I have never used, but in theory it could be used for an extra battery. Maybe your 23' Majestic has a similar storage compartment you could convert.

Good luck!
Chris

Chris, I am looking to take possession of a 28a next fall, roughly Sept 15th. Yea I know, a long way out, but I have to clear the decks and it will take a fair bit of coordination. My sis lives in Mesa and so I want to buy through that location so I can fly out and observe the refurb, inspect it, fixing everything found etc.

With no ability to lay hands on one of these units I am a bit nervous.
Do you know where the original battery is located? Is it tight or is there a lot of room around it. I would like to replace the original with a 200ah lithium, or even 300ah if there is enough room. Likewise I'd love to get 800 watts of solar panels up on the roof before heading back home to NC. IIRC you put solar on your roof. It looks like a huge area back at the back of the roof. Any thoughts on these things?

To add an extra battery, I converted (on Majestic 28a RVs) one of the small driver side compartments into a battery compartment. One battery fits with a little room to spare. I drilled some holes in the side of the compartment for ventilation. I also added some straps underneath and to the frame to give it additional support. With this, I was able to add a 2nd battery to my Majestics. No problems for several years so far.

I also have a 23' Class C RV. It came with 2 batteries in the entry step that I replace with GC 6v batteries. I notice that on this 23' RV I also have a small compartment on the driver's side that I have never used, but in theory it could be used for an extra battery. Maybe your 23' Majestic has a similar storage compartment you could convert.

Good luck!
Chris

Pianotuna, ok thank u.

jwcolby54 wrote:

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

I think LI are wonderful. They are, unfortunately, not a good fit for me.

When the RV is in storage it gets down to -40, so no you can't help.

I have to laugh. Folks winterize their water systems all the time but can't winterize their batteries? It is called a battery disconnect switch. LiFePO4 batteries have very low self discharge. Charge it and then turn the disconnect switch. Done.

And no, I can't help you.

Perhaps I can help you. Li batteries best practise is to charge to 50% for long term storage. If one really wishes to push the envelope, discharge no lower than 40% and recharge to 85%. Every thirty days do a cycle to 100%.

The exception currently is to use Lithium Titinate. I can't afford $2000.00 per 100 amp-hours.

I hope the new solid state batteries will be usable in extreme cold.

Hi bobndot,

Yes, but not for long term winter storage. Best to charge to about 50% then disconnect. Make sure the heating feature is turned off.

I use reconditioned telcom jars. Cost is $1 per amp-hour. Mine are now six years old and meet my needs. They are maintained by a solar charging system during the winter.

Heated batteries do work as advertised. Te problem is that they use part of their own stored energy to heat themselves. There is no free lunch. If you plan to use these then do yourself a favor and insulate the battery storage compartment so that the batteries can use less of their power heating themselves.

If you live in very cold country you have to deal with the cold. You have to insulate your water systems or completely drain them for winter storage. Well... lithium batteries need to be insulated as well, or charged and then disconnected. The lead lovers among us have other tradeoffs.

Do these heated lithiums work ?
This link also includes a video to explain.

https://rvlifestyle.com/cold-weather-lithium-battery-problems/

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

I think LI are wonderful. They are, unfortunately, not a good fit for me.

When the RV is in storage it gets down to -40, so no you can't help.

I have to laugh. Folks winterize their water systems all the time but can't winterize their batteries? It is called a battery disconnect switch. LiFePO4 batteries have very low self discharge. Charge it and then turn the disconnect switch. Done.

And no, I can't help you.

Hi,

I think LI are wonderful. They are, unfortunately, not a good fit for me.

When the RV is in storage it gets down to -40, so no you can't help.

pianotuna wrote:
jwcolby54,

Lead acid brand new need to have several discharge recharge cycles to reach their full capacity. This was not done prior to the testing.

https://batteryuniversity.com/article/bu-804-how-to-prolong-lead-acid-batteries

Further lead acid do best when discharge is limited to about 1/4 C.

I love li batteries but can't use them due to cold weather. I boondock at -34 F. My first battery bank was 875 amp-hours.

LOL, which has nothing to do with the big picture results. If you like lead acid, use lead acid. Just don't try to do high current long time period draws, regardless of how many cycles you have already used the battery.

More stuff on lead acid

And as for the temp thing, move the battery inside your camper. Or insulate the battery box well. Or heat it. Or both. Unless of course you are letting the inside of your camper reach -34 F in which case I can't help you.

Again, there are those willing to fall on the sword for their lead acid batteries. I am not. What you do with your rig is none of my business, but to claim lead acid is the best thing since sliced bread ... it is not. Sliced bread makes much better PB&J Sandwiches.;)