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Old 11-16-2017, 06:51 PM   #1
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One or two batteries

Hi , I own a Thor axis 2014 wanted to know if adding other battery will be worth the money. Only dry camp two weeks out of the year. Been ok with one.

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Old 11-16-2017, 06:56 PM   #2
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Always opt for two...
Unless you can find room for four!

Seriously: do you find yourself wanting more power while you're off the grid?
Only you can make this decision...
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Old 11-16-2017, 08:24 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by lomendo View Post
Hi , I own a Thor axis 2014 wanted to know if adding other battery will be worth the money. Only dry camp two weeks out of the year. Been ok with one.
I always like to have more than I need but if you are okay with one, why spend the money. Keep in mind that every time you draw a battery below about half charge you are lessening the life of the battery.
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Old 11-16-2017, 11:04 PM   #4
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My Vegas has 2 and I was planning on adding more, but so far no problems, so I will wait until the need appears.
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Old 11-16-2017, 11:07 PM   #5
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What do we want??

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Old 11-17-2017, 12:55 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by Whirnot View Post
My Vegas has 2 and I was planning on adding more, but so far no problems, so I will wait until the need appears.
How long are you running yours before recharging (Genny, shore or alternator)?

Have two thinking of adding two more myself
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Old 11-17-2017, 02:50 AM   #7
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I always like to have more than I need but if you are okay with one, why spend the money. Keep in mind that every time you draw a battery below about half charge you are lessening the life of the battery.
Battery life is lessen every time it's discharged, whether 25%, 50%, or 75%. Obviously the battery's life measured in cycles is reduced much faster as the depth of discharge is increased. I'm just saying the 50% number is just one data point that was selected as a good rule of thumb, but there is nothing magical about it.

What's interesting to consider is the economic value of having more batteries in order to discharge them less so they last more cycles. It turns out based on battery manufacturers' data that it doesn't really make that huge a difference over a wide range of depth of discharge.

Having said this, if it was me and my existing battery was getting the job done, I'd leave it alone until it dies. At that time I would replace it with two batteries to gain capacity. I would not add a new battery in parallel to the existing one that may be a few years old.

The OP didn't state if the battery was bad at present, but if that's the case, I'd go with two new matching ones.
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Old 11-17-2017, 03:08 AM   #8
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Then again... there is nothing much economical about a RV to begin with.... I just spent the $$$ having my two wet cell batteries, pieces of worthless crap that Thor installed, replaced with AGM 6 volt batteries instead. I now don't have to keep it plugged in to the shore power at home and just hit the "store" button.
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Old 11-17-2017, 12:12 PM   #9
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You know, back in '14 when the Axis/Vegas line first came out we had to make do with only one crappy Harris battery and we liked it. Drove uphill both ways too.
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Old 11-17-2017, 12:34 PM   #10
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only reason i added a 2nd was that starter boost switch. if something happens to drain my chassis battery i want the extra boost to get me started.
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Old 11-17-2017, 02:08 PM   #11
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You know, back in '14 when the Axis/Vegas line first came out we had to make do with only one crappy Harris battery and we liked it. Drove uphill both ways too.
I understand Jamie.... Face it, lots of us just like to tweak these rigs...
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Old 11-17-2017, 03:54 PM   #12
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I agree motorhomes and RVs are an expensive luxury, but that doesn't justify throwing money at every problem. The urge to upgrade is usually also limited by wanting to obtain value for the investment, otherwise we'd all be buying 20 kilowatt-hour lithium banks.
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Old 11-17-2017, 03:56 PM   #13
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Then again... there is nothing much economical about a RV to begin with.... I just spent the $$$ having my two wet cell batteries, pieces of worthless crap that Thor installed, replaced with AGM 6 volt batteries instead. I now don't have to keep it plugged in to the shore power at home and just hit the "store" button.
There are numerous parasitic draws on your rv even with the switch in store mode that will discharge your $$$ 6 volts as well. The only 100% disconnect is to disconnect the ground cable from the coach frame.
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Old 11-17-2017, 03:58 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by axis earl View Post
Then again... there is nothing much economical about a RV to begin with.... I just spent the $$$ having my two wet cell batteries, pieces of worthless crap that Thor installed, replaced with AGM 6 volt batteries instead. I now don't have to keep it plugged in to the shore power at home and just hit the "store" button.
There are numerous parasitic draws on your rv even with the switch in store mode that will discharge your $$$ 6 volts as well. The only 100% disconnect is to disconnect the ground cable from the coach frame or a manual disconnect on the ground cable.
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Old 11-17-2017, 04:00 PM   #15
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Sorry for the double post, big fingers, small memory.
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Old 11-17-2017, 04:16 PM   #16
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One battery is ok, two are better, four better still, and six would probably be ideal, but they take space, and are heavy. We went from four house batteries in our former DP to two in the Gemini, didn't know any came with only one, which seems to me to be not enough.
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Old 11-17-2017, 04:20 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by axis earl View Post
Then again... there is nothing much economical about a RV to begin with.... I just spent the $$$ having my two wet cell batteries, pieces of worthless crap that Thor installed, replaced with AGM 6 volt batteries instead. I now don't have to keep it plugged in to the shore power at home and just hit the "store" button.
If it were me, I would always opt to keep it plugged in. The converter will keep them fully charged and float the batteries when they reach the fully charged state. Much better for any battery to keep it as close to fully charged as possible, as long as you are using a 'smart' charger and do not overcharge.
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Old 11-17-2017, 04:25 PM   #18
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Originally Posted by JamieGeek View Post
You know, back in '14 when the Axis/Vegas line first came out we had to make do with only one crappy Harris battery and we liked it. Drove uphill both ways too.
In the snow; right??
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Old 11-17-2017, 04:33 PM   #19
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Depends on so much more than number of batteries, doesn't it?

Furnace blower is a big user overnight, but the size of furnace may be smaller in smaller rig. And/or furnace may not run as often in smaller rig. TVs are also very different. Some I have use over 100 watts (measured) and others less than 50 watts. LED lights use little power compared to some.

Just saying these differences may be greater than 1 vs 2 batteries. And then there is battery size itself, condition, etc...

I'd go with what works. It's hard to argue with success.
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Old 11-17-2017, 04:54 PM   #20
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I agree: do what you can to reduce your power usage, and see how that works out for you first.
But I'm still not going to bed without my evening cup of tea (microwaved!)
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