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Old 09-25-2022, 11:01 PM   #1
MJJ
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
State: Alabama
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THOR #28071
Question on batteries

I am new to motor home ownership and female. I thought I was pretty rad with my knowledge of my little travel trailer but a motor home is a whole new ball of wax. I have a 2009 Four Winds Siesta with low miles that I purchased. So far I have had to have it aligned, awning repaired, brakes, shore power cord replaced, new chassis battery, oil change, new front right tire and the satellite dish rewired. I boondock a lot and am planning a big trip out west. Recently I was boondocking and the coach battery went dead. I was able to close the slide and stairs by starting the engine and then the generator and run it a while to re charge the battery. I am thinking I need a new coach battery but I will need to run the heat at night for about 7 hours without using the generator so is there a battery compatible with my motor home that would give me that power without killing the battery? There is only one coach battery under the hood. The chassis battery is under the drivers side floor which I just replaced. Also, when I store this RV, do I need two battery tenders for each battery?

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Old 09-25-2022, 11:53 PM   #2
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Running the propane furnace 7 hours each night is a significant battery draw. Even if cycling 50% most furnaces draw 6-8 amp while running, so 7 hours is about 0.5*7*7 = 25 amp hours. Other loads (except for a DC fridge while will add a bunch) will about double that to 50 amp hours each day.

That isn't all that bad and doesn't really warrant jumping into lithium batteries. I would add another coach battery to what you have, probably two Group 31 AGMs to get up to 200 amp hour capacity. That should cover you for two nights without going below 50%.

G31 AGM batteries are available from Amazon for about $200 each. Renogy and WindyNation are good brands.

Run your generator for a few hours each day to keep the batteries charged up or install 2-4 hundred watts of solar panels (but only if you camp in sunny spots).

If you have a modern battery isolation monitor you can just charge the coach batteries during storage and it will also charge the chassis batteries.

David
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Old 09-26-2022, 12:06 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by MJJ View Post
I am new to motor home ownership and female. I thought I was pretty rad with my knowledge of my little travel trailer but a motor home is a whole new ball of wax. I have a 2009 Four Winds Siesta with low miles that I purchased. So far I have had to have it aligned, awning repaired, brakes, shore power cord replaced, new chassis battery, oil change, new front right tire and the satellite dish rewired. I boondock a lot and am planning a big trip out west. Recently I was boondocking and the coach battery went dead. I was able to close the slide and stairs by starting the engine and then the generator and run it a while to re charge the battery. I am thinking I need a new coach battery but I will need to run the heat at night for about 7 hours without using the generator so is there a battery compatible with my motor home that would give me that power without killing the battery? There is only one coach battery under the hood. The chassis battery is under the drivers side floor which I just replaced. Also, when I store this RV, do I need two battery tenders for each battery?
OK - Terms:

The CHASSIS battery starts the engine and is directly charged by the alternator.

The HOUSE battery(s) are used to power the house DC loads when camping and are directly charged by the CONVERTER (just like in your trailer).

The term COACH battery is too generic/ambiguous as the entire MH is a coach.

Your CHASSIS battery is under the hood and your HOUSE battery in under the steps. Most Class C motorhomes have room under the steps for (2) batteries which would help your boondocking issue.
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Old 09-26-2022, 12:14 AM   #4
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Agree with David above. Going to two 12 volt AGM batteries for the coach would be a huge improvement.
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Old 09-26-2022, 02:00 AM   #5
MJJ
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Thanks! My coach battery though is under the hood near the engine. Where would they put a second battery. I am not sure there is room under there.
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Old 09-26-2022, 02:05 AM   #6
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Thank you but this is a dodge sprinter class c, and not sure why but the battery that starts the engine is under my feet on the drivers side. You have to unscrew a plate to get to it to replace it. The deep cycle battery or the one that is for all the other stuff like the slide and stuff in the coach part or living part, whichever you want to call it, is actually under the hood of the motor home next to where the engine is. Weird, I know but that is where it is at so there isn't really any room there to add another battery.
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Old 09-26-2022, 02:07 AM   #7
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Thank you for your reply. I am just not sure where or how another battery would be installed since there is not a battery bay. The deep cycle battery is under the hood near the engine. And that is the battery for the coach not the engine. The engine battery is under my feet (driver's side)
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Old 09-26-2022, 04:53 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by MJJ View Post
Thank you but this is a dodge sprinter class c, and not sure why but the battery that starts the engine is under my feet on the drivers side. You have to unscrew a plate to get to it to replace it. The deep cycle battery or the one that is for all the other stuff like the slide and stuff in the coach part or living part, whichever you want to call it, is actually under the hood of the motor home next to where the engine is. Weird, I know but that is where it is at so there isn't really any room there to add another battery.
Well, that's a different animal.
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Old 09-26-2022, 08:15 AM   #9
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This year I added three Vmax Tanks AGMs to my MH and a Victron BMV 712 battery monitor and I'm happy with it.
I believe the AGM VMax is the best you can get if not going lithium.

If I was in your position, I would install a battery monitor and measure the use in Amperes Hours (Ah) and the decide how big the battery bank needs to be.
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Old 09-26-2022, 11:21 AM   #10
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You can install a second coach/house battery remote from the existing one. It just takes a bit of work:

Find a suitable place, maybe in an outside compartment or inside in a cabinet. Make sure that there is a decent route to get the cables installed, maybe by dropping through the floor and running up to the existing battery. Run a a pair of #2 or larger cables up to the existing battery and tie it to that battery's posts.

It won't be perfect as there will probably be a bit of imbalance while charging and discharging, but with the large #2 cable it should probably be ok. Do replace the existing battery with one like the new one you are installing. AGMs are best for this application as they don't need any water maintenance.

David
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Old 10-01-2022, 08:14 PM   #11
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Our Chassis battery is also located under the drivers feet but appears to be space under the hood for an additional battery. Discuss your problem with a good welding shop and ask them if they build you an additional tray/box under your hood for the second batter.
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Old 10-01-2022, 09:01 PM   #12
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your inverter 12VDC to 115AC draws a lot of power What is it powering.?
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