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Old 08-17-2017, 09:50 AM   #41
Johnny's Journey
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the trailer had one of those group 29 in it and my trailer guy added a group 27 of the same type...
The story is unfolding even further. Are the Amp ratings equal to one another ?
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Old 08-17-2017, 11:48 AM   #42
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I don't have the batteries sitting in front of me so I don't know about the amp hours, I was surprised they were not the same size batteries also

my trailer guy put the Second one in because he had to weld and make the battery tray area bigger and I have never opened the cases until now, the cases are the same size

Although I would never put in 2 batteries different sizes anyway, is that a big issue when they are being run in parallel or as one bank together ?

the trailer has only been put into use the last 2 1/2 months for a week at a time and then it sits a week or so

The batteries were not completely dead, but I was at the last light on the meter inside the camper which I had never seen before

That was why my original question ask about the refrigerator and how much battery power it draws, I thought if it was on propane it did not draw battery power

until the last 2-3 weeks the trailer was being moved a lot with the truck to different campgrounds etc. and between that and running the generator some the batteries were always full on the four light meter inside the camper

Occasionally down one light but then run the generator for a couple of hours and it was back up to four

So I was surprised to see it so low this last time but the refrigerator was on

I realize if I have wet batteries they must be maintained and charged

it's just the trailer has had quite a few issues and I had not gotten to the solar set up just yet

Headed to the shop now to see if my mechanic was able to get some six volt interstates for me
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Old 08-17-2017, 12:10 PM   #43
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Although I would never put in 2 batteries different sizes anyway, is that a big issue when they are being run in parallel or as one bank together ?
It can in an environment such as you are questioning in regards to 9 to 10 days of battery life. Guess which one will give up first leaving the second one to work twice as hard and still try to deliver power thru a drained battery.
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Old 08-17-2017, 12:31 PM   #44
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I'd suspect the biggest problem with two batteries of different capacity would be in charging them. One battery will be "fully charged" while the other would be "still needing charged". So, if the battery charger shuts off, you'll never fully charge the larger battery. However, what usually happens is the larger battery still needs charging, the converter senses this and keeps sending "top-off" current to both batteries. This essentially "overcharges" or "burns up" the smaller of the two batteries since it can't keep absorbing power while the larger battery keeps accepting the charge "happy as could be"....

When you stop charging, the smaller battery depletes faster, would be "0 left" while the larger battery may still be 30% charged and trying to "push power" through the discharged smaller battery. That would stress the big one and cause the smaller battery to be damaged with repeated recharges.

Neither condition, discharging or recharging would be "equal" for the batteries and one is "always stressed".... It's no wonder one "gave up the ghost" while the other one is probably getting close. As to leaking battery fluid ??? Was the case damaged or was there some other reason? It's probably not related to the size difference unless it was at the caps/vents which could be indicative of an overcharged battery that's getting too hot and vaporizing the fluid. That would probably be the smaller of the two, if that were the situation....

Of course that's only a guess, but having two different size batteries is not a good idea, in fact, it's probably a very bad idea, especially for battery reliability/longevity.....
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Old 08-17-2017, 12:44 PM   #45
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I don't know why he put a smaller second battery in at the shop, I definitely would not have done that just to be on the safe side if I had known, maybe it was all auto zone had in stock that day...

The original larger battery that came with the trailer was supposed to have been replaced a few months before I bought it last fall but had a sticker that said 7-15
So it was a couple of years old from the manufacture date anyway

Its the old 7-15 battery that looks like it's leaking out the seam on the sides, I've never seen a battery do that so it's damaged or was defective anyway

Both batteries are taking a charge fine and my ctek Smart charger is supposed to tell me if a battery is bad...
I haven't had them load tested, was going to do that today but not worried about it now since they are both going to have to be replaced

think the battery I bought a few months ago is fine but I have plenty of other trailers use that on
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Old 08-17-2017, 03:14 PM   #46
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To help keep from having unknown type of battery problems. Do 2 things all the time. Replace or add both batteries not one, always have Two of the same batteries period.
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Old 08-17-2017, 03:37 PM   #47
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If the case wasn't split by some sort of physical encounter then it was probably overcharged and that was probably due to using different sizes of batteries. Is the case swelled/disfigured at all? Could the person that installed the 2nd battery maybe dropped the split one?

It could be any number of things at this point but if I were you I would replace both batteries with 2 of the same kind right away. What kind you choose is up to you, your requirements and the size of your storage tray. Good luck......and next time you let someone do that kind of work for you.....check out their work and what they did/installed....don't ask me how I learned.
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Old 08-17-2017, 10:16 PM   #48
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case looks normal, and seems fine/dry when not on the charger...
but i noticed when it was hooked to the ctek the next morning the sides were wet, definitely has an issue

got 2 interstate 6 volts today at costco
now have to remove the smaller boxes, mount the new ones and figure out how to wire all of that correctly on sat

wish me luck lol
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Old 08-18-2017, 04:52 AM   #49
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case looks normal, and seems fine/dry when not on the charger...
but i noticed when it was hooked to the ctek the next morning the sides were wet, definitely has an issue

got 2 interstate 6 volts today at costco
now have to remove the smaller boxes, mount the new ones and figure out how to wire all of that correctly on sat

wish me luck lol
Disconnect the shore power from the trailer.
Disconnect the battery cables.
Connect the white (ground) cable to the NEG post of the first 6 volt battery.
Using the same gauge wire as the white ground cable, connect the POS post of the first battery to the NEG post of the second battery.
Read the voltage from the neg post of the first battery to the positive post of the second battery to make sure you have 12 volts (two 6V in series)
Connect the black (positive) cable to the POS post of the second battery.
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Old 08-19-2017, 12:59 AM   #50
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here is a weird question

the only 6 volt charger i have at the house is a battery xtender sp-3

it is a 3 amp and does 6 and 12 volt

on the front it has a digital readout on what percentage the battery is

was thinking i should top off both new 6 volts so they would be the same charge when i put them in the trailer

plugged the first one in and it shows charging but that the battery is at 55%....
is this going to be an issue sitting on the shelf and being that low?

or is it normal to be discharged like that when i get it new?

will let this one finish charging before i try the other and see where it is
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Old 08-19-2017, 06:11 AM   #51
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Not a bad idea to have the batteries charged when installed but not a necessity. Could take a while with a 3 amp charger. Odd the battery was only at 50% though. Use a volt meter and check each battery. You need to be reading 6.2v at a minimum or the battery goes back immediately. Hope the Costco is close by.
Also, take a quick look at the manufacture date on the batteries. If you do have to take them back, take both of them. Then look for the latest manufacture date on the replacements. I'm pretty sure 6v batteries aren't as popular as 12v and may sit longer on the shelf. Not a bad idea to take your volt meter with you. I would
Sorry I couldn't get the numbers in the spec chart to line up. Let me know if you have questions.

State of Charge Specific Gravity Voltage 12V 6V
100% 1.265 12.7 6.3
75% 1.225 12.4 6.2
50% 1.190 12.2 6.1
25% 1.155 12.0 6.0
Discharged 1.120 11.9 6.0
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Old 08-19-2017, 08:42 AM   #52
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plugged the first one in and it shows charging but that the battery is at 55%....
Quote:
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take a quick look at the manufacture date on the batteries.
Agree. If it does not have a month/year sticker look for an embossed date by laser on the case it's self.
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Old 08-19-2017, 10:08 AM   #53
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Battery after 8 hours on 3amp charger was only 65%....

Put the other battery on charger and it started out at 68%

Realized one of my chargers does 15 amp 6 volt, so first battery is on that for a few hours
Second is still on 3amp

Going to try and get both batteries to around 80% i guess and then put them on the camper

Batteries have 6/17 stickers on both...

Of course my voltemeter is with the camper 6 hours away
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Old 08-19-2017, 10:21 AM   #54
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Your camper likely has a 55amp charger. Just install them and plug in the camper to 110VAC.

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Old 08-19-2017, 10:09 PM   #55
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Going to try and get both batteries to around 80% i guess and then put them on the camper

Batteries have 6/17 stickers on both...
Quote:
Originally Posted by madmaxmutt View Post
Your camper likely has a 55amp charger. Just install them and plug in the camper to 110VAC.
Cvin ever consider charging them together in series (like how your going to convert your trailer now) with a single charger set @ 12 volt's ? That would be near equal to recreating the charging conditions on your trailer.
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Old 08-20-2017, 01:40 AM   #56
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Long day - rescued a feral/ very weak kitten on the interstate today and lost a few hours dealing with that
but wanted to update real quick

Before i left home put both of them on the 15 amp for 2-3 hours each and according to that little digital readout on the 3amp charger that brought them both up to about 95%

J smith thanks so much for that easy/clear write up on how to connect them

Did it exactly as you said and it seems great

Will run the generator for a few hours tomorrow
And get the solar panel hooked up

Guess for right now i will pull that heat strip connection wire off the back panel of the frig and tape all that up with electrical tape
May get one of the guys at home to wire a switch in once the trailer is back down south

With 100 watts of solar and running the genny a little more than i have been am really hoping the batteries dont get down far much at all

Boondocking for a couple of days and then at an rv park with shore power for a couple

Will use my voltmeter and check the batteries some to see how they are doing, will keep this up to date

Thanks for all the help everyone
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Old 08-20-2017, 05:48 AM   #57
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Thank you for rescuing the kitten.

Hope your battery problems are behind you now. Seems like you have had a rough start with your trailer, but you have kept on where others would have dropped it off and quit or got another one. If this forum can continue to help, by all means keep asking and we will keep answering.
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Old 08-20-2017, 08:48 AM   #58
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^^^^^ Agree. Many give up (I can only speak more from other forums I've been a long time member as compared to here but the out come I'm sure is the same here) from what would appear to be intimidation. It can be rough to admit and listen to replies but you, you are trooper.
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Old 08-20-2017, 10:41 PM   #59
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Thanks for all the encouragement and help guys

Quit is not in my vocabulary- sometimes to my detriment lol

Seems to be doing well with the 2-6 volt
Raining here almost all day and cloudy/raining tomorrow so dont know if i will mess with the solar panel any yet
Ran the genny for a few hours
Batteries are at 12.66 right now after using lights/water pump etc

Did not want to lose my light in the frig unhooking from the back so took the whole switch out and apart to disconnect what i think is the heat strip wire

Light is still working so guess that was it

It was the bigger red wire with a black one in a plug that goes to a white and brown wire

Will be in an rv park tues and wed nite, so will have shore power

After that will be in campground with no power, will see how the solar panel/batteries do
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Old 08-22-2017, 07:11 AM   #60
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It is officlal- I HATE THIS CAMPER


Frig has been working fine on propane the past day or so

And now i leave in an hour to take a friend to the grand canyon and it is not working....

In the middle of the nite it decided to quit i guess
Propane is full, valve has been changed and new lines put on it just to be safe
Batteries are new and fine and were running it fine all day yesterday

And now the check light is staying on

Unreal and i am just about fed up
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