Quote:
Originally Posted by Chateau_Nomad
Cheap skate here too. The dealer provided 12v deep cycle battery that came with our new coach was evidently abused like a red-headed step child. Most are.
I modified my class C step to accommodate two GC2 6volt flooded batteries $89 each from Sam's Club.
Simple fix...
As suggested above, get a battery hydrometer. Test the cells in your current battery... forget the load test. If ANY cell is bad, the battery is toast.
Step two: Replace the battery with what you feel comfortable $$$.
Step three: Invest in a minimal solar setup to prevent a repeat of this scenario.
If you use ANY lead-acid battery, you MUST keep up on the charge cycle. Discharged below 12volts even a few times will RUIN a deep cycle battery. You can get a 170watt Rich Solar panel for $180. I consider that - even with a cheap PWM controller - a wise investment for battery maintenance.
You'll notice many motorhomes now come with at least one panel on the roof. That's all you need... unless you heavily boon-dock.
|
Tks,
We never boondock, except the regular Walmart overnight between destinations were we usually turn on the generator for AC...
I did make the mistake to spend money in solar and installed a 100W solar panel ( coach came prepared for that) with the illusion it would keep the batteries in shape....
Yesterday it was cloudy and the solar panel was pumping an amazing 0.3A into the batteries and when we have full sun the max I got was 4 amps for a few seconds so for my use/location, it is worthless.
Thor Forums
