Extra battery option?

[Newtorving]

Anyone know if there is room in the 2021 Thor Delano to install an additional battery? Perhaps under the stairs or somewhere else? I'm looking for extra life while not shored up... thank you in advance. excuse the incorrect language as I am a newbie.. hopefully you got the gist of what I am attempting to achieve.

[Bob Denman]

Is there any extra room next to your coach battery?
While not required: it's a good idea to keep your batteries close to one another.
The more cabling you have to run: the more potential complications you might have.

[Newtorving]

Sadly I do not know. I am assuming the home battery is located under the stairs. I pick up our first RV inn a couple weeks.

[lwmcguire]

After you check it out a larger capacity battery with the correct footprint may be the simplest upgrade

[paulwadley]

Hi Newtorving

Welcome to the forum. You are correct your coach(home) batteries are located under the entrance steps. You should have 2 batteries in that compartment. Once you have it, look under those steps to confirm the size batteries you have as well as the type installed. Most come with 2 flooded lead acid marine deep cycle batteries.

Paul

[Chance]

Congratulations.

Whatever you end up doing, I suggest taking into consideration total weight added to motorhome. Specs show the coach should have a Group 31 battery, and it doesn’t show a second as an option; at least that I can see. A few reviews of Delano and Tiburon indicated very low OCCC (occupant and cargo carrying capacity), so if able to add an additional matching battery, it will add “about” 70 pounds or so, which comes right off the OCCC.

Just food for thought.

[Hooligan2]

My 2016 Siesta (Thor Sprinter chassis "C"s) Coach battery in step well. OEM was a single Group 27, took option to add another battery. Both batteries fill the compartment. Grp 27 is 12 inch long, the grp 31 is 13. Two Grp 31's will be tight....
The Group 27's--

[ducksface]

Posts 90 and 196 in my signature thread shows what I did to find out where a battery will fit.
I can fit two in the rear of each from fender well VERY easily.
I can also get two in the front of each fender well.
I can get 6 on each side of each frame rail.

Cable length is only semi important.
Bigger cable for a longer run.
Too big is not too big.

On a 24.1 I could stuff an extra 15 batteries prrettty easily....
The factory put them where they did for their ease.

I suggest the rear of the front wheel wells.
Easy, easy access, easy to jump, weight where it should be.

[DavidEM]

Originally Posted by Hooligan2

My 2016 Siesta (Thor Sprinter chassis "C"s) Coach battery in step well. OEM was a single Group 27, took option to add another battery. Both batteries fill the compartment. Grp 27 is 12 inch long, the grp 31 is 13. Two Grp 31's will be tight....
The Group 27's--

My new Axis 24.1 has a similar looking battery compartment under the step. It had two Group 24s installed. I replaced them with two Group 31 AGMs that fit, just barely.

The removed G24s are now sitting in a compartment just aft of the step, a foot or two from the new G31s. I will probably wire the G24s to the G31s with cables cut through the bottom of the aft compartment and then over to the step compartment.

That will give me about 340 Ahs of capacity.

David

[ducksface]

I'm going to tell you to go ahead and mix battery types.
Some people don't like it.

The benefit is now.
The detriment is six years down the road when the battery bank lasted 6 years instead of 6.5 years.

Charge rates and curves don't really mean a lot in an rv coach.
If they charge overnight in 5.5 hours instead of 5 hours, there's not much care.

[DavidEM]

I thought a bit about mixing FLA and AGM battery types.

First, I recall when AGMs first came out (yes I am that old and I do remember) that all the charger manufacturers said don't worry about it, there isn't much difference in charging parameters between the two.

Then I recalled looking at some recent charging profiles and they weren't much different between the two types.

And finally my WFCO converter has no provision for changing battery types, one profile for all.

So I decided to fuggetaboutit. As you note, the difference in battery life is probably measured in months if any.

David

[Wiley1]

I can only talk about my 2017 Freedom Elite 23H.
From the factory, it can take two #31 batteries, end to end.
.
But, after my friend got under there with an arc welder, it now holds 4: 2 end to end and 2 more behind those. All stuffed in under the stairs, like this:

[Fullabunk]

My 2020 4 winds 31Y has room for 4 size 27 batteries under the steps. To fit 4 in, the master large capacity breakers need to relocated to outside the battery area from taking space inside. The cables are plenty long enough to make the relocation.

[TL1961]

Our 2021 Delano TT came with two deep cycle house batteries (under the entry steps). There’s an option to add a second solar panel but the 100w panel that came standard does such a good job of keeping them charged I don’t think we’ll need it.

[polanowj]

That's interesting - our '21 Delano 24TT only came with one house battery - a Powertron D29HM 67CCA 840CA 210RC. Was trying to determine the amperage (not the CCA), I'm thinking it may be the 67 (as in 67 amp hours), which seems low. Odd that both the '21 units came with different house batteries, although Thor has been having trouble sourcing for it's units.

[Courtlen]

Originally Posted by polanowj

That's interesting - our '21 Delano 24TT only came with one house battery - a Powertron D29HM 67CCA 840CA 210RC. Was trying to determine the amperage (not the CCA), I'm thinking it may be the 67 (as in 67 amp hours), which seems low. Odd that both the '21 units came with different house batteries, although Thor has been having trouble sourcing for it's units.

Did you upgrade? How did that work out

[polanowj]

My plan is to upgrade when I ultimately get the RV back. Dropped it off at campers world for warranty work in late October, still don’t have it back yet…

[Wiley1]

I have 4 AGM batteries under the stairs right now.
I try never to allow them to discharge below 50%, so that gives me an effective 200 Amp-hours of usable power.

But, when these batteries begin to die, I will replace them with 3 or 4 LiFePO4 batteries that can be discharged down to 20% without shortening their lives.

When I bought the AGM batteries, I thought I was saving money but I was wrong. Even at 4 times the cost, the LiFePO4 batteries are a far better investment because they will last up to 10 years. And, they are only half the weight of an AGM battery.

[Jim Hamerly]

Do you know waht type of battery is the Powertron D29HM 67CCA 840CA 210RC? Is it lead acid or AGM?

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by Jim Hamerly

Do you know waht type of battery is the Powertron D29HM 67CCA 840CA 210RC? Is it lead acid or AGM?

AGMs are Lead Acid batteries - using glass mat electrolyte.

That Powertron battery is a Flooded Lead Acid battery (FLA) and not even deep cycle by this picture: