Need Battery Boxes?

[JimHam]

Looking to put a bank of 4 6volt batteries in my Cougar 21 RBS for boondocking. A single RV/marine battery is just not doing the job in the cooler weather when I need to run the furnace at night. The battery rack is behind the propane tanks in an area covered by a plastic cowling but the bottom is open. These batteries are 1 inch taller than the 12v Marine/RV battery I have been using and putting them in plastic boxes will be a problem with clearance on the front of the camper as the front wall tapers out toward the top of the batteries. Anybody have a cougar with batteries mounted directly on the angle iron rack in front and no boxes? Do you get road spray coming in under the front cowling that could cause corrosion problems for exposed batteries? I've not seen a lot of road spray on my propane tanks but have seen moisture under the propane tanks. I may have to fabricate something that moves the batteries forward a bit for clearance if I go with these taller 6 volt batteries.

[Pull Toy]

My first reaction was that your TV battery doesn't need weather protection, your camper probably doesn't either.

IMHO, and I could be wrong, but if your batteries "naturally" vent to the atmosphere, a battery box will only trap the explosive gasses that are part of the normal charging cycle, and cause secondary concerns. As to the corrosion issue, I'm still using a trick I learned 50 years ago. Smear Vaseline jelly on your terminals to weatherproof them cheaply. If they still corrode... baking soda and a wire brush, then more Vaseline!

I would however suggest, that if you opt to not use boxes, you cover the Positive (+) terminal with a protective cover to avoid surprises!

Good Luck,

[Desert185]

I have two 6V GC batts and this was recommended by John. It works very well.

http://www.batterymart.com/p-hm426-dual-6-v-battery-box.html?gclid=Cj0KEQiAsf_BBRDMpoOHw4aSq4QBEiQAPm7 DL18bEU4YTGwL8LVCjZ_gYmgxUKlvC4bTaVLk056aP4AaAneZ8 P8HAQ

Edit: A NOCO box was recommended, and this is very similar.

[ROLIN JOSEPH]

I have a 21RBS and have upgraded to two 6volt batteries and I cut two plastic boxes down to trays. See the pictures. I have added an additional cross-member to support the sagging battery weight.
I do not have any problems with road spray however keep in mind that four batteries weigh 340 lbs. That’s a whole lot of additional tongue weight.

[bsmith0404]

I was just going to say going from 1 RV battery to 4 -6 volt batteries is quite a big jump. Weight and space is obviously the big concern. I'm curious, not saying you don't need it, but you currently have 1 RV battery that isn't cutting it. You haven't upgraded to 2 RV batteries which would double your amp hours, or gone to a larger pair of RV batteries which would more than double the amp hours. Additionally, you could have gone to 2- 6 volt batteries which would also more than double your amp hours over the 1 RV battery. 4- 6 volt batteries will give you approximately 5 times what you currently have with 1 RV battery. Is that what you need? Is the weight and required space/modification needed for how you use it?

[Outback 325BH]

Look here:

http://www.allbatterysalesandservice.com/browse.cfm/4,573.html

They have many configurations for different batteries.


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[Desert185]

Look here:

http://www.allbatterysalesandservice.com/browse.cfm/4,573.html

They have many configurations for different batteries.


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That's the link I couldn't find. Bought the NOCO, dual 6V batt box for ~$50. Good price for a quality product, and I, too, think that two 6V GC batts should be suffficient without adding a tremendous amount of weight to the equation.

[Outback 325BH]

That's the link I couldn't find. Bought the NOCO, dual 6V batt box for ~$50. Good price for a quality product, and I, too, think that two 6V GC batts should be suffficient without adding a tremendous amount of weight to the equation.



I bought one that holds two T105's. Very well built. Im installing it this winter. Had to fabricate a secondary mount because I'm not real confident in the factory mount handling all that weight.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20161203/c6b1ca5d8ff010206f53f30af5f14006.jpg


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[JimHam]

Hey folks, thanks for all the replies. I did some measuring today and 4 batteries will not fit so I am looking at just going with two. As you can see in Rolin Joseph's photos there is no more room in the battery compartment once you get two in there. I have a new Interstate 12v but it is the Marine type which according to my research is not a true deep cycle battery but a compromise. I may just keep that one for my fishing boat and get two 6 volt golf cart batteries for the RV. Problem with the 6 volt batteries is the height - they are taller and I wont be able to get the top on the boxes with my setup. Looking things over today there is no easy way to fabricate a different battery rack without cutting out the factory rack and welding in a new one and space is still an issue. I think I will do the dual 6v setup without the top on the boxes and see how that works. Will post up once I get them in there. Still shopping for the best value in 6v batteries.

Rolin Joseph, how you like those 6 volt interstate batteries?

[JimHam]

Rolin, what interstate battery do you have in your cougar? The 6v interstate ive been looking at is the 2300 which is 11-1/8 tall, about 3/8 too tall for my 2014 cougar.

[michael_h]

If you want more battery long-lasticity why not make up a quick disconnect system with extra pre-wired battery boxes & when needed carry those in your TV and add or subtract the extra battery sources when needed. Just my 2 cents ;-)

[JimHam]

Michael,

That is a good suggestion and sort of what I have been doing with my current set-up. I have two of the RV/Marine type batteries but they both do not fit in the battery compartment at once so I have been swapping them out. One of them has gone bad so I need to make a change and am looking at the 6 volt set-up. On a recent hunting trip the single RV/marine battery would only last one night running the heater. Recently bought a used generator so I ran that to charge the battery during the day. I also have a small solar panel that I put on the battery when I am not around to run the generator. Between the two I could keep the battery charged but had to go through this routine every day and I want more capacity. The cost of 4 batteries is getting a little too high so it looks like the 2 battery set-up would be a good compromise for me.

[ROLIN JOSEPH]

JimHam,
Battery information is; Interstate Deep Cycle Extreme. GC2-XHD-UTL. 122MIN@75AMPS. 232Ah. and are 9.5” high. They sit in plastic trays, (battery boxes cut down to trays) and weigh 85lbs each.
They fit snug in the 21RBS and, since the photos were taken, I have added a better nylon bumper to protect the upper edge of the batteries from rubbing against the fiberglass and also for additional ‘clamp down’ of the batteries.

[ROLIN JOSEPH]

JimHam,
The batteries have served me very well and I have had them since 2013. I do not use the propane furnace unless I am on full hookups because that is a major battery drain (because of the blower). I have installed LEDs everywhere which helps a lot with cutting down on electric power demand

[JimHam]

Thanks Rolin Joseph, I wound up getting a complete refund on my bad Interstate Marine/RV battery so that made the decision to go with Interstate a no-brainer. Got two Interstate 2400 6 volt batteries rated at 20AH - 250 for a total cost of just two-hundred-nine bucks with my warranty refund and cores. Not a bad deal! I did have to fuss with the dealer about the manufacture date and condition of the batteries he had in stock and he finally admitted it was time to rotate the stock of 2400's he had. They were pretty sorry looking with dust and grime on top pretty thick. If he had not agreed to order me two fresh 2400's I would have gone elsewhere but he called Interstate while I was there and had two fresh batteries delivered this week. I will be going with a set-up just like yours and thanks for the pictures and advice. Will be trying things out Christmas week when I spend about 7 days at our property in IL where I have no hook-ups. Hoping to get at least two nights with the heater out of this set-up but I will probably use the same daily routine with the generator and solar charger to keep them topped off anyhow.

[Desert185]

Thanks Rolin Joseph, I wound up getting a complete refund on my bad Interstate Marine/RV battery so that made the decision to go with Interstate a no-brainer. Got two Interstate 2400 6 volt batteries rated at 20AH - 250 for a total cost of just two-hundred-nine bucks with my warranty refund and cores. Not a bad deal! I did have to fuss with the dealer about the manufacture date and condition of the batteries he had in stock and he finally admitted it was time to rotate the stock of 2400's he had. They were pretty sorry looking with dust and grime on top pretty thick. If he had not agreed to order me two fresh 2400's I would have gone elsewhere but he called Interstate while I was there and had two fresh batteries delivered this week. I will be going with a set-up just like yours and thanks for the pictures and advice. Will be trying things out Christmas week when I spend about 7 days at our property in IL where I have no hook-ups. Hoping to get at least two nights with the heater out of this set-up but I will probably use the same daily routine with the generator and solar charger to keep them topped off anyhow.

You don't want to run the batts below 50% charge or they won't last very long. I would plan (and do) run the gen an hour in the AM, and then an hour or two at night to keep them charged at a reasonable level. If you have a surge protector it will indicate when the charging amps are down to an amp or less when the batteries are charged so you don't run the gen unnecessarily.

[JimHam]

Picked up the new batteries Friday. Yesterday I hooked them up in series and connected to my 12volt charger they showed pretty good charge but were drawing about 6amps and showing 70% charge. I left them on the charger because it is a so-called "smart charger" that senses the battery charge and adjusts the output accordingly. When batteries are fully charged the charger goes into "float" mode to keep them at max charge. So far they have been on the charger about 18 hours and are still drawing 3.8 A but the % charge is still showing about 75%. I know these things suck up a lot of charge - more than my old single battery just seems like they are taking a long time to come to full charge. From reading a lot on battery charging and maintenance lately I know it takes a lot longer to charge this type of deep cycle battery. Been keeping a close eye on them and they are not getting hot or bubbling just sucking up the amps. Oh, and I checked the lights in the camper and have the old incandescent bulbs so I have ordered enough new LED lights to replace.

[ROLIN JOSEPH]

Jim,
If you have set up your new batteries the same way I have mine, you are not going to be able to see the water level in them because you cannot get your head close enough, and directly over, the batteries. The fiberglass sloping front will get in your way. My solution is to keep a hand mirror handy for when you have to top up with distilled water. Also get yourself a hydrometer if you don’t have one.
I take them, (the batteries), out of the trailer in winter and keep them in the garage on a trickle charger.

[Desert185]

Picked up the new batteries Friday. Yesterday I hooked them up in series and connected to my 12volt charger they showed pretty good charge but were drawing about 6amps and showing 70% charge. I left them on the charger because it is a so-called "smart charger" that senses the battery charge and adjusts the output accordingly. When batteries are fully charged the charger goes into "float" mode to keep them at max charge. So far they have been on the charger about 18 hours and are still drawing 3.8 A but the % charge is still showing about 75%. I know these things suck up a lot of charge - more than my old single battery just seems like they are taking a long time to come to full charge. From reading a lot on battery charging and maintenance lately I know it takes a lot longer to charge this type of deep cycle battery. Been keeping a close eye on them and they are not getting hot or bubbling just sucking up the amps. Oh, and I checked the lights in the camper and have the old incandescent bulbs so I have ordered enough new LED lights to replace.

If you talk to Deltran, who makes the Battery Tender brand, they will tell you to disconnect one battery and charge them one at a time (a typical diesel TV installation). Of course, after installation and connected to the trailer's converter, they have to be charged together, but I would charge them individually before installation. Doing this might resolve the initial long charge issue.

[JimHam]

Yep, I have always taken my boat and RV batteries inside for the winter and charge them at least monthly during the off season. My 15 amp charger may be a little small for charging my new battery bank. It is also not a 6V charger. I made the mistake of putting it on a single battery at first and it did not recognize that the battery was 70% charged and went into full charge mode at 15 amps. In fact it did not even register a charge on the battery. So when I figured out what was going on I wired them up in series so my charger would work properly. About 28 hours later they are on Float so they are finally charged up. The manufacture date on these two batteries is March of 2016 so they are 9 months old. Guess that's why they needed charging when I got them home. I am already looking for an automatic charger that can handle 6 volt deep cycle batteries. Given my experience with charging these batteries on my home charger I am not sure my on-board charger in the RV can handle them. Can't run the generator 24 hours a day! Might need to take a charger with and hook straight to the generator for my winter camping trips. Anybody have suggestions on a good heavy duty portable charger? Was in TSC today and saw a Schumaker bench charger that advertised it was for 6 or 12V heavy duty truck and equipment batteries on sale for about 125 bucks.

[Outback 325BH]

I just leave my RV plugged in. The converter is a smart battery charger and keeps the batteries in tip-top shape.


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[JimHam]

Outback, can't keep the trailer plugged in when I'm boondocking. thinking i might need a heavy duty charger hooked to my generator to top-off my batteries quickly. Not sure how fast the on-board charger could charge up these batteries if it's as slow as my home charger.

[Outback 325BH]

Outback, can't keep the trailer plugged in when I'm boondocking. thinking i might need a heavy duty charger hooked to my generator to top-off my batteries quickly. Not sure how fast the on-board charger could charge up these batteries if it's as slow as my home charger.



Generally, the converter has high-amp ability to do what you need. If you boondock a lot, more battery capacity and a better converter are normally the first upgrades.

If you have and use a generator, plugging your camper into it and letting your converter charge the batteries is the easiest and best way to go.


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[Desert185]

I have used a variety of Battery Tender brand chargers over the years with great results. I bought this one from Costco on sale for $30 a few weeks back.

http://products.batterytender.com/Chargers/Battery-Tender.html

I leave my two, 6V GC batts in the trailer and let the converter charge them while boondocking and keep them on a float charge while stored at home. The smart converter does a good job. I topped them off with the BT individually before installation.