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Battery upgrade

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Category: Forest River r-pod
Forum Name: Maintenance Issues, Tips and Tricks
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Topic: Battery upgrade
Posted By: Oliver
Subject: Battery upgrade
Date Posted: 07 Jun 2019 at 4:50pm
I want to change out my 12V battery for 2 6V.To get longer off grid power. But I wonder if I need to go with the larger golf cart batteries or just regular 6V. A friend with a larger rig than my 2016 171 used just regular size and he said he's happy with them. Any suggestions?



Replies:
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 08 Jun 2019 at 11:25am
If you are going to go to the trouble, go with GC2s. That is the MOST aH's you can put on the tongue without modifications to the frame work etc.


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Mark, Susie, Micah, and The Maggie.
'11 RP177(sold) '17 Lance 2295 http://www.rpodnation.com/some-of-our-mods-so-far-with-pics_topic2786.html" rel="nofollow - FurPodsMods
'17 Ford F250 CCSB


Posted By: Oliver
Date Posted: 08 Jun 2019 at 1:13pm
Is the tongue space equal on all R-pods? I measured, and it looks like the golf cart batteries will fit, even though they're bigger.


Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 10 Jun 2019 at 8:29am
within some manufacturing tolerances, yes, the trays on all pods are "the same". using a single box to hold both batteries saves room too.

https://postimg.cc/XZ5xzSs2" rel="nofollow">


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Mark, Susie, Micah, and The Maggie.
'11 RP177(sold) '17 Lance 2295 http://www.rpodnation.com/some-of-our-mods-so-far-with-pics_topic2786.html" rel="nofollow - FurPodsMods
'17 Ford F250 CCSB


Posted By: Oliver
Date Posted: 10 Jun 2019 at 5:55pm
Thanks Furpod...I assume I'm looking at two 6V golf cart batteries? Are you happy with them? Lithium still lingers in my mind. What do you know about them? A friend told me they are more expensive, but hold a charge longer, and are lighter, but a better choice.?And maybe I would only need one? I want to be able to camp off grid as long as possible. Also use solar.


Posted By: LewisLey
Date Posted: 13 Jun 2019 at 4:26pm
Originally posted by Oliver Oliver wrote:

Thanks Furpod...I https://www.timesunion.com/marketplace/article/best-probiotics-for-gut-health-18159677.php" rel="nofollow - prefer these probiotics for my gut and assume I'm looking at two 6V golf cart batteries? Are you happy with them? Lithium still lingers in my mind. What do you know about them? A friend told me they are more expensive, but hold a charge longer, and are lighter, but a better choice.?And maybe I would only need one? I want to be able to camp off grid as long as possible. Also use solar.

How much more expensive are they anyway? Might be worth it.


Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 13 Jun 2019 at 8:11pm
Lithium batteries come with several.. "issues"... some good, some.. not so much..

They can't be fully charged by the stock charger/converter, so you need to change that out, $200 or so if you do it yourself.

They cannot be charged if the battery is below 32F.

They are expensive at initial purchase. A 100 watt battery will be around $1-1.2K (100 watts of FLAs, in 2 GC2s, can be had for about $170)

They can be discharged, and charged, at a much higher rate then FLA batteries.

They can be discharged to a much lower SOC, theoretically 1%, without damage. (FLA batteries should not be brought below 50% SOC)

They weigh substantially less then a comparable FLA battery, usable power storage wise.

Their expected life cycle is very much longer then FLAs, This means "over time" they are not much more expensive then FLAs.


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Mark, Susie, Micah, and The Maggie.
'11 RP177(sold) '17 Lance 2295 http://www.rpodnation.com/some-of-our-mods-so-far-with-pics_topic2786.html" rel="nofollow - FurPodsMods
'17 Ford F250 CCSB


Posted By: Oliver
Date Posted: 14 Jun 2019 at 6:14pm
Thanks Furpod. Looks like 2 GC2's is the better choice for me. I don't want to change my charger/converter out. I don't want to pay that much for lithium batteries. So to make an improvement on my stock 12 volt, I think I will go with 2 GC2's like what you have pictured. Are you happy with their performance? How long can you go when boondocking? What can you safely run without the risk of them going down in the R-pod?


Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 15 Jun 2019 at 12:26pm
The longest we ever went was 10 days I think. We ran out of vacation, not 12v.

How long they last isn't an easy question to answer. Everyone's usage, and needs are different.

The big users of 12v are the furnace fan the water pump, and the antenna booster. Run the fridge on propane. Turn off all unnecessary loads. If you Pod doesn't have LED lighting already, switch it out to LEDs.

We ran Trojan T105's. They are twice as expensive as the GC2's you can get at Sam's, Costco, etc. They are considered the very best. But the ones at wholesale houses are 90% as good for 50% of the cost. Your call. We own, but have never hooked up, an inverter, so all we ever ran was the standard 12v loads, plus I added USB charge points for phones and such.

Where we live, boondocking is mostly a spring and fall activity, the heat and humidity here in the summer means hook up camping is a must.


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Mark, Susie, Micah, and The Maggie.
'11 RP177(sold) '17 Lance 2295 http://www.rpodnation.com/some-of-our-mods-so-far-with-pics_topic2786.html" rel="nofollow - FurPodsMods
'17 Ford F250 CCSB


Posted By: Oliver
Date Posted: 17 Jun 2019 at 7:11pm
I'm living in my pod full time in SC state parks.I am retired military and want to travel. I have full hook up here but gearing up for off grid. The batteries I'm looking at are 2 GC 6V at Batteries Plus. Duracell I think. I get 10% off by ordering online and pick up at their store. Then I'll order the case like yours. Then I want to get solar. Maybe you can suggest what to get there. Am I on the right track?


Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 18 Jun 2019 at 12:29pm
If I was going full time, I would also carry a small generator. There WILL be times of low sun and high 12v usage. Trying to travel with the weather can help some.

We carry and use a 120watt GoPower portable panel set and controller. We are happy with it. Cheaper options exist. I won't go into how it happened, but we lucked into our panel set brand new for $125. Otherwise I would have a different, (less expensive) set. 120watts to maybe 200 watts, is a good match for a pair of GC2's.


BTW, SC has some great state parks, we spend a couple weeks every winter at Huntington Beach SP, and we really likes Croft SP. None we have been in have disappointed.


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Mark, Susie, Micah, and The Maggie.
'11 RP177(sold) '17 Lance 2295 http://www.rpodnation.com/some-of-our-mods-so-far-with-pics_topic2786.html" rel="nofollow - FurPodsMods
'17 Ford F250 CCSB


Posted By: Oliver
Date Posted: 19 Jun 2019 at 12:24pm
I was talking with a friend, and he said he would just add another 12v Marine battery like the existing one. Cheaper, he said. Is that a good idea, or should I go with two 6v golf batteries?


Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 19 Jun 2019 at 2:48pm
Originally posted by Oliver Oliver wrote:

I was talking with a friend, and he said he would just add another 12v Marine battery like the existing one. Cheaper, he said. Is that a good idea, or should I go with two 6v golf batteries?


Adding a second, matched battery, will double your available aHs from what you have now.

Your stated goal was to stay off grid as long as possible. Going with dual GC2's will quadruple what you have now. Totally your call.


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Mark, Susie, Micah, and The Maggie.
'11 RP177(sold) '17 Lance 2295 http://www.rpodnation.com/some-of-our-mods-so-far-with-pics_topic2786.html" rel="nofollow - FurPodsMods
'17 Ford F250 CCSB


Posted By: Oliver
Date Posted: 28 Jun 2019 at 5:11pm
I have ordered the white battery case. When it comes I will go to Batteries Plus and get two GC batteries. They said they can tell me how to wire it up. I'm taking a picture of mine. In your picture I can't tell what's going on in the lid? And which wire is for solar? And what solar do I need?


Posted By: Oliver
Date Posted: 29 Jun 2019 at 5:11pm
Furpod, what is going on the inside of the lid? I just ordered a box like that. It looks like it is wired into the lid. Does the lid come like you have pictured? Or do I need to make some mod?


Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 30 Jun 2019 at 4:10pm
I wired in a battery cutoff switch.

for our solar, I just hooked straight to the batteries from the portable panel. Your Pod should have a "solar on the side" plug. It is already wired to the battery. When you look, you should see you battery connections have 2 wires on each post (3 on the positive if you have a power tongue jack) the larger wires are the trailer wiring, the smaller two are wired to the solar on the side.




https://postimg.cc/d7dMMzhN" rel="nofollow">

https://postimg.cc/jWJw6RMj" rel="nofollow">

https://postimg.cc/JyXBL1Vk" rel="nofollow">


Solar on the side connector:

https://postimages.org/" rel="nofollow">


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Mark, Susie, Micah, and The Maggie.
'11 RP177(sold) '17 Lance 2295 http://www.rpodnation.com/some-of-our-mods-so-far-with-pics_topic2786.html" rel="nofollow - FurPodsMods
'17 Ford F250 CCSB


Posted By: Oliver
Date Posted: 30 Jun 2019 at 5:10pm
Why do you have a battery cut off switch..? how is it wired and used? I wonder if I need one.


Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 30 Jun 2019 at 9:02pm
Because your Pod will always use SOME power, even when you have everything.. off.

So if your trailer sits for a month it WILL drain your battery(ies). That is very bad for them. So when the camper had to sit for a couple months, (doesn't happen often) we can disconnect the batteries with the turn of a key. We actually store at home now, with full hook ups, so it's a non issue for us at this point.


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Mark, Susie, Micah, and The Maggie.
'11 RP177(sold) '17 Lance 2295 http://www.rpodnation.com/some-of-our-mods-so-far-with-pics_topic2786.html" rel="nofollow - FurPodsMods
'17 Ford F250 CCSB


Posted By: Oliver
Date Posted: 01 Jul 2019 at 9:46am
Ok..I'm using mine full time. So I really don't need to turn in all the way off. If I did I can just disconnect right? And it'll save me doing all that extra neat work you did! BTW do you only have one gas tank?


Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 01 Jul 2019 at 5:46pm
Yes, you can just disconnect one lead and it accomplishes the same thing.

We had dual 5 gallon tanks mounted most of the time, ran dual 7.5's for winter trips.

Current camper mounts 3 5's.. little weird configuration, but it works.. LOL.


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Mark, Susie, Micah, and The Maggie.
'11 RP177(sold) '17 Lance 2295 http://www.rpodnation.com/some-of-our-mods-so-far-with-pics_topic2786.html" rel="nofollow - FurPodsMods
'17 Ford F250 CCSB


Posted By: Oliver
Date Posted: 03 Jul 2019 at 5:20pm
My plastic white box arrived today. I will go to Batteries Plus and purchase 2 GC batteries. Is there anything I need to know about replacing them? I'm currently in a park hooked up to shore power. Do I need to disconnect that to replace the batteries?



Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 04 Jul 2019 at 7:28am
You don't have to disconnect, But turn off the inverter/charger breaker. That will minimize the chances of accidental shorting.


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Mark, Susie, Micah, and The Maggie.
'11 RP177(sold) '17 Lance 2295 http://www.rpodnation.com/some-of-our-mods-so-far-with-pics_topic2786.html" rel="nofollow - FurPodsMods
'17 Ford F250 CCSB


Posted By: Oliver
Date Posted: 04 Jul 2019 at 2:41pm
Where is the inverter/charger breaker located?


Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 04 Jul 2019 at 2:51pm
Originally posted by Oliver Oliver wrote:

Where is the inverter/charger breaker located?


In the breaker box......


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Mark, Susie, Micah, and The Maggie.
'11 RP177(sold) '17 Lance 2295 http://www.rpodnation.com/some-of-our-mods-so-far-with-pics_topic2786.html" rel="nofollow - FurPodsMods
'17 Ford F250 CCSB


Posted By: WFG
Date Posted: 04 Jul 2019 at 7:01pm
Hello,
I have been looking to upgrade the plastic battery boxes with a single one piece battery box. 
Who did you order this box from? 
Will there be any issue putting it on 180?
That is a very neat install wiring and all.  Can you recomend a battery shut off switch?
Thanks Rich


Posted By: Kingskerswell
Date Posted: 04 Jul 2019 at 11:58pm
This is a link to the place that I will be getting my dual GC2 batt box:
https://allbatterysalesandservice.com//catalog/product/view/id/16102
uploads/5689/Screen_Shot_2019-07-04_at_8.46.17_PM.png" rel="nofollow - uploads/5689/Screen_Shot_2019-07-04_at_8.46.17_PM.png

I don't know about suitability for your application but the link will get the dimensions of the battery box and you can check that with your trailer.


Posted By: WFG
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2019 at 12:09pm
Thank you for the info will check it out.
Rich


Posted By: Oliver
Date Posted: 07 Jul 2019 at 3:32pm
Furpod, I'm getting my golf cart batteries Tuesday. Then I will focus on solar. So you think I need 200 watts to keep them up? I will get a 200w solar suitcase if I knew the best one to get?


Posted By: Oliver
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2019 at 6:52am
So you think Gopower is the way to go? Where can I get that? And 200 watts will do the trick?


Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2019 at 11:02am
Originally posted by Oliver Oliver wrote:

So you think Gopower is the way to go? Where can I get that? And 200 watts will do the trick?


as I said, we have GoPower, but there are other options.  Zamp is a good option, and I hear very good things about Renogy.. Plenty of options on Amazon, including the 3 I mentioned.

More wattage can mean faster charge times. Never count on getting more then half of the rated amps out of a panel(s), even in the very best of conditions, you won't see the rated capacity..

A 200 watt portable panel is going to be a bit hefty, check the weight, and your capabilities... I doubt my wife could deal with a 200 watt system solo.. but she can set up our 120.

https://postimg.cc/Y4Wm3SBb" rel="nofollow">


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Mark, Susie, Micah, and The Maggie.
'11 RP177(sold) '17 Lance 2295 http://www.rpodnation.com/some-of-our-mods-so-far-with-pics_topic2786.html" rel="nofollow - FurPodsMods
'17 Ford F250 CCSB


Posted By: Oliver
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2019 at 12:19pm
The weight is not as important to me as getting the right amps. What should I get for those two 6v GC batteries? I'll check prices on brands.


Posted By: Oliver
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2019 at 12:29pm
I have to give Batteries Plus 2 old batteries for core deposit. I'm connected to shore power in a park. Can I remove the battery without shutting everything else down, including the fridge? I want to remove the current battery in the morning and take it to town to get the batteries. Can I just leave the shore power and fridge as is?


Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2019 at 5:57pm
Yes you can remove it. Put the fridge on 120v. when you disconnect the battery, be VERY careful not to short the cables to each other or the frame of the camper, etc.

We used the 120watt panels with 2 GC2's. I was pleased with the match.


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Mark, Susie, Micah, and The Maggie.
'11 RP177(sold) '17 Lance 2295 http://www.rpodnation.com/some-of-our-mods-so-far-with-pics_topic2786.html" rel="nofollow - FurPodsMods
'17 Ford F250 CCSB


Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2019 at 7:10pm
Furpod, Does the controller run off the converter?  Asking.  It requires 12Vs.

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Mike Carter
2015 178


Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 09 Jul 2019 at 12:54pm
Originally posted by mcarter mcarter wrote:

Furpod, Does the controller run off the converter?  Asking.  It requires 12Vs.


Yes, but if he is on shore power, the converter charger will be supplying 12v for it.

Personally, I would just make sure I had all my stuff lined out, and shut off all power for the 30 minutes it takes to do the swap.. but That wasn't the way it sounded that Oliver wanted to roll... Wink


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Mark, Susie, Micah, and The Maggie.
'11 RP177(sold) '17 Lance 2295 http://www.rpodnation.com/some-of-our-mods-so-far-with-pics_topic2786.html" rel="nofollow - FurPodsMods
'17 Ford F250 CCSB


Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 09 Jul 2019 at 4:57pm
Thanks, much appreciated.

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Mike Carter
2015 178



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