tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post6977847656880389818..comments2024-03-16T20:29:10.881-04:00Comments on Travel with Kevin and Ruth: We didn't understand 12 volt batteries!...Part 3Kevin Readhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05795747155781311686noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-77069476826550088372016-08-12T22:46:33.064-04:002016-08-12T22:46:33.064-04:00Kevin had to do a slight modification to the set u...Kevin had to do a slight modification to the set up for our 2 main batteries that are under our entry step. As you said the 6 volt batteries are a slightly different size. The other 2 he put in the basement compartment right beside the steps. Here is the post of when he installed them, it also shows a picture of where they are situated. <a href="http://www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2010/03/cedar-key.html" rel="nofollow">www.travelwithkevinandruth.com/2010/03/cedar-key.html</a>Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18136052866820208847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-22233356697649902232016-08-10T08:40:53.611-04:002016-08-10T08:40:53.611-04:00Replacing my two 12v batteries with four 6 volt ba...Replacing my two 12v batteries with four 6 volt batteries appeals to me but I see a potential problem. My 12v batteries fit into a sliding tray. It might hold two 6v batteries but I can't see where I could put the other two without long, heavy gauge connecting cables.<br /><br />How did you fit four batteries into Sherman?Mark's Dadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14147337479803223671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-14715796272833209272016-08-08T20:07:34.784-04:002016-08-08T20:07:34.784-04:00So glad you are enjoying your new solar set up Wen...So glad you are enjoying your new solar set up Wendy! Doesn't it feel so liberating? :-)<br /><br />Normally, anything that requires heat usually has a higher wattage. Just google "toaster oven under 800 watts", it looks like there might be a few available but not sure how good they are. Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18136052866820208847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-27647797110996664152016-08-08T20:02:46.195-04:002016-08-08T20:02:46.195-04:00Thank you!Thank you!Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18136052866820208847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-2572703604455884642016-08-08T20:02:25.061-04:002016-08-08T20:02:25.061-04:00Yes, there are certainly many advantages to having...Yes, there are certainly many advantages to having the AGM batteries. I guess the main thing would just be getting over the cost of them. Then again, better products are more money but can be worth it in the long run. It is a matter of whether it is worth that extra cost to you or not.<br /><br />We can't imagine traveling without solar as well. We love being independent! :-)Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18136052866820208847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-69061936554467165252016-08-08T19:55:27.354-04:002016-08-08T19:55:27.354-04:00Yep, it takes a look to kill the 6 volt batteries,...Yep, it takes a look to kill the 6 volt batteries, especially when they are maintained properly. We would never go back to the 12 volt and like you, we may even go with the AGM ones as well if our current Tojans ever die.Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18136052866820208847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-8757836776147067672016-08-08T19:52:39.220-04:002016-08-08T19:52:39.220-04:00You are welcome Croft! Hope you like it too. :-)You are welcome Croft! Hope you like it too. :-)Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18136052866820208847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-77643706791916052502016-08-08T19:49:57.967-04:002016-08-08T19:49:57.967-04:00Yes, 4 batteries certainly give you more storage. ...Yes, 4 batteries certainly give you more storage. We are very happy having the 4, Kevin has even mentioned the odd time of getting 2 more but by doing that it would be giving up more of our motorhome basement storage which we don't have too much of to begin with.<br /><br />Yes Croft, it does take a little longer to charge but we normally find with a nice sunny day that all four batteries are totally charged by lunch time and that is with us using some of the battery power during those morning hours. We find it nice to have that bit of extra battery power for a rainy day. :-)Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18136052866820208847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-30266036267657619272016-08-08T19:43:34.487-04:002016-08-08T19:43:34.487-04:00Thank you Barney, that is good to hear. :-)Thank you Barney, that is good to hear. :-)Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18136052866820208847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-44055994019715436352016-08-08T19:42:52.684-04:002016-08-08T19:42:52.684-04:00So glad you are enjoying your solar panel and char...So glad you are enjoying your solar panel and charge controller, now that you have the one panel and can see what it does for you, you may be like us and want to increase your solar output with additional panels. The the nice thing about solar, you can add to as you see fit. :-)<br /><br />That is possible, I guess with our unit they are all connected to the house batteries so maybe Kevin was not aware of that fact.<br /><br />Kevin is very much a numbers kind of guy so he may just be interested in that digital meter display that you have. He will definitely have a look at it that is for sure. Thanks, for the suggestion.Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18136052866820208847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-46277333655042109682016-08-08T17:37:01.079-04:002016-08-08T17:37:01.079-04:00Thanks Kevin right now we are in NS using the sola...Thanks Kevin right now we are in NS using the solar all the way, right now supper is almost ready in the crock pot, it's been cooking for 6 hrs at no cost other than the sun. I'm so glad you showed us what to buy. Now do you know where we can get a toaster oven 800 wts. Then we would be all set thanks for all the info on batteriesWendyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01898175752839734204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-53289221630290036442016-08-08T09:28:13.691-04:002016-08-08T09:28:13.691-04:00Great posts!
rocmoc n AZ/Fld/BajaGreat posts!<br /><br />rocmoc n AZ/Fld/Bajaadirtsurferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01772255882176405139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-59083840000457702892016-08-07T23:25:36.016-04:002016-08-07T23:25:36.016-04:00Another advantage of AGMs are that you don't n...Another advantage of AGMs are that you don't need to vent them. They can be kept inside the rv. For us it would be a good option since we have a travel trailer and it has little to no outside storage. They would fit neatly under the sofa which is next to the converter. <br /><br />I can't imagine traveling without solar. Even in a campground it's once less thing to hookup and worry about whether you have a secure connection. living.boondockingmexicohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17157433834193440923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-30493344310498826912016-08-07T19:01:27.976-04:002016-08-07T19:01:27.976-04:00On our first MH we had two 12 volt batteries hooke...On our first MH we had two 12 volt batteries hooked in parallel. I never had good luck with them. I doubt if they lasted more than two years for each set. One would typically go bad and drag the other one down with it. On our new MH we have two 6 volt batteries in series, a 100 watt solar panel, and charge regulator. I have had the batteries for 7 years and they are going strong. I check the water level periodically. I would love to get two 6 volt AGM batteries to replace the current house batteries but I can't kill them. The starter battery did go bad a couple of years ago and was replaced with an AGM.Jim and Pat on the roadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04242592182528734748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-62621997868759928982016-08-07T18:05:15.561-04:002016-08-07T18:05:15.561-04:00Thanks for sharing all your research Kevin. It has...Thanks for sharing all your research Kevin. It has spurred me into dedicating myself to be more conscious of what is going on with my batteries. I ordered one of those cigarette lighter battery monitors. Thanks for the link.Crofthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17634815881045387152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-36984173392964312942016-08-07T18:02:08.780-04:002016-08-07T18:02:08.780-04:00Remember that it takes much longer to charge four ...Remember that it takes much longer to charge four batteries than it does two. This applies whether you are counting on driving or solar. I am not sure we drive enough hours in an average day to completely recharge four 6V batteries from a 50% discharge condition. Crofthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17634815881045387152noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-86594991495546425422016-08-07T12:46:29.567-04:002016-08-07T12:46:29.567-04:00All very good advise and works wonderfully, we to...All very good advise and works wonderfully, we too have been doing about the same as you, but still when hit a few cloudy days might need use our generator a bit, mind 4 batteries instead of two would give us more storage.our awesome travelshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13031755671050584629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-3708060032576589332016-08-07T12:45:45.822-04:002016-08-07T12:45:45.822-04:00This is definitely the best set of articles on bas...This is definitely the best set of articles on basic 12v for the RVer. Thank you for writing it.Barney, The Old Fat Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14242837062100545160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-74721707274376961702016-08-07T12:44:56.465-04:002016-08-07T12:44:56.465-04:00I bought the Renogy 100W solar panel and charge co...I bought the Renogy 100W solar panel and charge controller you recommended a couple of months back - thanks for the recommendation! <br /><br />To get more visibility into what the system is doing, I bought a digital meter that displays voltage, instantaneous current, instantaneous watts, and cumulative watt-hours drawn from the house battery since reset. It's a bit tricky to hook up and not as easy to interpret data, but cost only $18.75 vs what is probably the gold standard (Trimetric) at about $160. Hopefully the link below works. BTW, some cigarette lighter sockets are connected to the starter battery, not the house batteries!<br /><br />Links not working for me, but search Amazon Automotive for "Bayite LCD Meter With Shunt"Creigh Gordonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05267728698204033199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-62214495302520138802016-08-07T12:02:40.325-04:002016-08-07T12:02:40.325-04:00Solar next. :-)Solar next. :-)Kevin Readhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05795747155781311686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7171307653508307040.post-87232882537400767402016-08-07T11:52:28.510-04:002016-08-07T11:52:28.510-04:00Solar next?Solar next?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17109951318187920615noreply@blogger.com