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12-03-2017, 11:05 PM
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#1
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Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
State: Alabama
Posts: 37
THOR #10196
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Thor 34j House Batteries
I’m new to RV and have a thornhurricane 34j. When not connected the house batteries will lose power within 5 or 6 hours. I can’t make it throughout the night and have to turn inverter off. I think the res fridge is a big strain. Dealer said there is no room for additional batteries but there has to be another solution,. Thoughts?
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12-03-2017, 11:38 PM
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#2
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Axis/Vegas Enthusiast
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Axis 24.4
State: Michigan
Posts: 9,837
THOR #1150
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mwild
I’m new to RV and have a thornhurricane 34j. When not connected the house batteries will lose power within 5 or 6 hours. I can’t make it throughout the night and have to turn inverter off. I think the res fridge is a big strain. Dealer said there is no room for additional batteries but there has to be another solution,. Thoughts?
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Is this the stock battery(ies)? It is possible that the batteries are bad. Many have had units delivered with bad batteries.
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12-03-2017, 11:38 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Challenger 37LX
State: Arizona
Posts: 506
THOR #7863
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I’ve read a lot on this topic in this and other forums. I decided to replace the two 6 volt generic batteries that Thor equipped our ‘17 Challenger 37LX with. I bought four 6 volt Crown golf cart batteries. I understand you’re saying you can’t fit four, but maybe two higher capacity batteries would help you.
I also bought a Renogy 200 watt portable Solar Suitcase, which helps keep us charged during daylight, and ensure I run the gennie before going to bed, to have the batteries full as possible.
With that setup, I get through the night fine, with about 2/3rds showing on the display when I wake up.
I’m sorry I can’t offer anything more than that. Good luck!
__________________
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Mike
USAF Veteran, Retired Security Professional
The only thing necessary for evil to prosper,
Is that good men do nothing.
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12-03-2017, 11:55 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Chateau 35SD
State: Oklahoma
Posts: 139
THOR #8439
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MWild our MH has the 2 batteries in the center of the rack, looks like they could be repositioned and 2 more installed. Take a look under your rig and measure you may be surprised.
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12-04-2017, 12:22 AM
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#5
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Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 34J
State: Florida
Posts: 57
THOR #8707
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mwild
I’m new to RV and have a thornhurricane 34j. When not connected the house batteries will lose power within 5 or 6 hours. I can’t make it throughout the night and have to turn inverter off. I think the res fridge is a big strain. Dealer said there is no room for additional batteries but there has to be another solution,. Thoughts?
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We have a 2017 34J and have the same issue. We were boon docking just last weekend and about 3AM the inverter started beeping due to low voltage.
The next night we turned the inverter off before going to bed and the fridge was still cold in the AM. Not the ideal solution but it works unit i replace the original batteries with something with better capacity and add solar.
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12-04-2017, 12:56 AM
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#6
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Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
State: Alabama
Posts: 37
THOR #10196
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If I add solar will that matter. I still need either better batteries or more of them to store the energy
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12-04-2017, 01:21 AM
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#7
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Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 34J
State: Florida
Posts: 57
THOR #8707
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mwild
If I add solar will that matter. I still need either better batteries or more of them to store the energy
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Probably right. If you run your generator up to the point you go to bed, solar will not help. I will be replacing my batteries even though they are new. If they are similar quality as the rest of the parts Thor uses to build their coaches, replacement is probably a good idea.
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12-04-2017, 04:39 AM
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#8
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Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Hurticane 34J
State: Massachusetts
Posts: 36
THOR #1987
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Your first step is to replace the batteries the ones Thor installs are junk. Especially if they are the all black Harris batteries. In the case of batteries name brand really means something. And Interstate are some of the best, that’s what I got and they are 1000% better than the factory ones. I don’t boondock much, and I have an older 34J without the residential fridge, but my Harris batteries would die overnight too, and they could barely run my slide. Go with some Interstates. Did they move the batteries in newer models? My batteries are to the left of the door with the pump for the jacks. I could easily fit another battery in the compartment, and it would be tight, but I might even be able to squeeze in a 4th battery.
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12-04-2017, 12:18 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Challenger 37LX
State: Arizona
Posts: 506
THOR #7863
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mwild
If I add solar will that matter. I still need either better batteries or more of them to store the energy
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The only reason I mentioned solar is if you’re boondocking, it reduces the amount of time you’ll need to run your generator to charge the batteries. That saves gas, and that extends your time boondocking.
__________________
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Mike
USAF Veteran, Retired Security Professional
The only thing necessary for evil to prosper,
Is that good men do nothing.
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12-04-2017, 06:16 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Hurricane 35C
State: South Dakota
Posts: 1,132
THOR #3761
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Solar will help on sunny days, not so much on overcast or rainy days as you won't really gain that much energy unless you invest in a lot of panels and a controller that knows what to do with them.
Getting as many good batteries (we have 4 Interstate AGM group 31 batteries) as you can and figuring out your energy budget will help. We boondock a lot, and on overcast days we run the genny for a couple of hours when needed and we also have the auto generator start set for when the batteries get to 50% (11.7V) as well as 400W of solar panels. We make it through the night easily and generally make it through most of the day as well with a lot of phone/laptop charging and Xbox/TV/Sat TV through the daytime. The residential fridge is generally pretty efficient.
The original Harris batteries we had replaced as we purchased a unit that had been on the lot a while and the batteries had a reputation for being bad already. We had the dealer install the new batteries as part of the deal. Lesson learned from our previous MH.
__________________
John
2016 Thor Hurricane 35C with pups Piper and Annabelle
2013 Ford Fiesta toad
FMCA - F457085
Blog - https://traversity.us
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12-04-2017, 11:11 PM
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#11
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Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
State: Alabama
Posts: 37
THOR #10196
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Many thanks. Great advise. Will look into interstate batteries after winter.
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12-05-2017, 04:14 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Challenger 37LX
State: Arizona
Posts: 506
THOR #7863
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I just remembered something. I am not sure this is true, but was told the ice maker on the residential fridge is a big battery drainer. So at least at night, we keep the ice maker off.
__________________
__________
Mike
USAF Veteran, Retired Security Professional
The only thing necessary for evil to prosper,
Is that good men do nothing.
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12-05-2017, 07:00 PM
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#13
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Junior Member
Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Hurricane 34J
State: Washington
Posts: 2
THOR #10216
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We have a 2016 Hurricane 34J, and within a a few days after delivery we learned of the “Harris Battery” issue. Within 2 to 3 hrs of being disconnected, our inverter started alarming with low voltage. After trouble shooting and research, we settled on 4 each 6 volt 235 AH Duracell batteries from Batteries Plus. It is a tight fit with 3 of the batteries placed in the slots available, and the 4th battery placed fore-n-aft behind the other 3. The Duracell batteries are fairly tall making installation of the Flow-Rite battery filling system a must. We are not big into boondocking, but we have yet to get the low battery alarm and we have gone up to 20 hrs without a recharge.
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