The Ultimate Battery Life

[George Boley]

There has been a ton of discussion about batteries, their average life span, what kind to buy and how to increase their life expectancy.
As many of you know I have a 1910 motor launch (boat) which I restored. No the story is not about the boat, it's about it's battery. The battery is a deep cycle standard battery that I bought at the local automotive store for $69.00. This battery operates the engine's ignition, through a Ford model T buzz coil. The engine is started by turning the flywheel, there is no starter or lights, so the battery powers only the ignition. The engine, a 1906 has no generator. Even though I use the boat all the time, I only charge the battery once a year.
The above info is just background data to help us assess what I'm about to tell you about this battery. Are you ready for this-----------?
This battery will be SIXTEEN YEARS OLD come this June. No I wouldn't believe it ether, if I didn't know it to be true. So it begs the question, why is this battery lasting so long. I think there are two reasons and both apply to our coaches. (1) According to my battery meter, I never draw down more that 10% of it's capacity in between charges and, (2) I never leave the charger on longer then is necessary. No we'll never get anywhere near 16 years service on our coach batteries, but if we can take any solace from this old boat battery, I bet we can extend their life by following a couple of simple rules. Don't overcharge them, turn off your battery master switch when you are plugged in. And don't draw them down to far in between charges. We don't need alot of fancy equipment to accomplish this, just paying attention will usually do. George B

[whemme]

George,

Good advice for all of us.

[bill crommett]

Sam: It appears that batteries have gone the some way as television programming, They aint what they used to be !

[bcope01]

I had an uncle that purchased a used 1960 or 1961 Ford Thunderbird and soon thereafter had to replace the battery. After that he never had to purchase another battery for the next 25 years until he sold the car. Of course that battery didn't last 25 years, but he held Sears to their "lifetime" guarranty to the original purchaser on that era Diehard battery. Every time a battery failed, he'd take it back to Sears for a replacement. I'm sure Sears didn't expect many people to own the same car for that many years. And I'm also sure they didn't expect to sell that battery to someone as thrifty as my uncle.

Haven't seen any deals like this around for many years.

Bill

[jdarryl]

Hi George, I'm brand new to RV'ing and I'm not all that clear on the overall use of the batteries. When you say you only draw down your battery about 10% between charges do you use the batteries for dry camping or are you mostly plugged into shore power when you travel?

I will be dry camping alot, many small Bluegrass Festivals don't have all the hookups. I would love some pointers on how to keep the batteries charged or minimize my usage of them during these times. I will be doing most of my cooking outside, and spend most of my time outside playing music.

If I understand some of the feedback on batteries and charging systems it would seem that realistically I would only get about 2 days on a full charge and the factory charger takes quite some time to recharge the batteries.

How often do you need to run the generator and how long does it take to recharge? If I ran my generator for 1 hour a day would that keep them charged?

Can the batteries be overcharged when you are driving? Or does the system automatically shut down when fully charged while driving?

Some members have suggested swapping out chargers so that you can charge the batteries quicker and have more contro over the whole system.

[George Boley]

Hey JD, Don't confuse my boat with my coach. We do a lot of dry camping and I often drag those coach batteries way down below 10%. With fairly new batteries, we can easily go 3 days without charging and that is using our 12Volt TV in the evening. You mentioned using your generator to charge your coach batteries. The alternator on your chassis engine will charge your coach battery 2-3 times as fast as your generator. Plus why drain down those coach batteries even more to start that generator. And your last concern, that alternator is less likely to over charge your coach batteries than either your generator or a shore tie (plugged in).
And Bill, loved that story about your uncle and Sears. He reminded me so much of me, I laughed out loud George B

[George Boley]

Sam,
Yes, when the round knob is in the off position the coach batteries are disconnected from ALL circuits. Do this when ever you are plugged in at a campground or at home. The coach's converter is capable of producing enough 12Volt current to meet your normal needs and you aren't (over) charging the batteries. Once you are ready to leave the campground turn the switch on and the engine alternator will recharge (without overcharging) those batteries. This question comes up time and time again, the factory needs to do a better job of explaining this process to new owners. George B

[Trisha]

The factory dosn't explain it at all. Yes, what george says. Round battery disconnect knob disconnects the batteries from all drains and all charges. (Don't know about alternator but I assume yes.)

the factory also assumes, I guess, that people who grew up in the era of maintenance free batteries know what a plate in the cell is. That's not true of most folks born after 1960. I really wish they took more time either educating people or giving them a booklet about batteries. I nearly ruined mine before I learned. They were still overfilled (and I haven't filled them since that overfill experience.

Gotta go. Lightning.

[Fourwinds]

Hello everyone,

Jess (and Bonnie) Dixon here from Bakersfield, CA. We drove to TX to pick up our 2002 26' RSB with a tow vehicle.

The previous owner did a great job of walking us through the entire systems, for which we were and are so very grateful. But although I took notes, they weren't enough. Now that we are home I feel as if I know "very little" and am troubled and frustrated by this.

I had a 33 amp line run to the back of our house where we will park it.
It's in the drive now, plugged into a regular 3 prong AC outlet in our garage.

I can't remember the owner checking the battery water level before we left Childress, TX and faced 60 mph winds on our way home. Not a pleasant maiden voyage! Visibility down to 10 feet once, which made us both pray to God for protection. I degress. Sorry.

We arrived home April 8 and I plugged it in around April 11. I did NOT turn the "On/Off - Charge" knob by driver's seat. I started worrying about burning up the batteries by over-charging, so yesterday I checked the batteries. Without a mirror, it's nearly impossible to check the water level on the back battery (any tricks you all can pass on for this?) I was
dismayed to find almost all cells dry. I fear the worse. But I immediately filled them with water - - probably over-filled some - about 3/8" from the top (??) My wife and I turned on the lights in the coach with it unplugged and they worked.

We searched the Born Free manual and likewise was disappointed that they do not give a practical - hand's-on - walk through all possible scenarios new novice owners WILL FACE! Much disappointed! So again in nervous ignorance I plugged it in again last night.

I just read what George said and in my bathrobe went out and turned off the "On/Off Knob" by driver's seat, but left it plugged in. I have no idea how many amps it is plugged into. I have NO guages whatsoever.

Does the fact that the lights came on when we turned them on, indicate that the batteries were not fried?

We're planning on driving to Missoula, MT for our oldest grandson's High School graduation on Jun 3. Should I replace the batteries before then,
assuming I've damaged them too severely to chance a trip with them?

The owner told me he felt I should and could use these batteries till the end of this year and then he recommended I replace them with "Golf cart batteries" and ....again, I've forgotten the proper terminology - - cross
wire them for (?) greater efficiency (?). These cost around $80 each at Camping World here.

Why cross wire them? Is that the same as "in-line" wiring? Will I need new cables?

I might as well add another question to my tirade here..... What guages should I invest in?

In my defense of my ignorance here: My dad was killed ten days before I was born. No Grandparent or Uncle ever taught me one practical thing.
All I know I've learned by reading, trial and much error, and asking a ton of questions. This RV challenge is a whole new ball game for me.

Thanks for your kind help everyone.

Jess

[bill crommett]

Jess : Yes, you have alot to learn, but there are others to give that information who are much better qualified to give the technical answers in an understandable format. However, here are some of the questions you should make sure you get good and understandable answers to: 1) The battery switch 2) the care and feeding of batteries 3) The difference between the coach battery system and the chassis battery system. 4 The proper inflation of the tires and the load sarrying capacities 5) The aging of tires and when to replace them. 6) Ball joints 7) the draining and cleansing of the fresh water system The care of your holding tanks .. Then, go to all the rallys you can attend, because there is a wealth of information there that will be generously shared. Much of the questions listed here are covered in the previous questions asked on this thread, but I am sure that others will chime in where needed. Just ask, and happy camping !

Bill

[Mike Jean Bandfield]

Hello everyone,

I had a 33 amp line run to the back of our house where we will park it.
It's in the drive now, plugged into a regular 3 prong AC outlet in our garage.

A 30A breaker is necessary to run an electric heater or the AC and the microwave at the same time. Doing this on a normal wall outlet will trip the 15A or 20A breaker. If you are careful not to turn on too many appliances the 15A line will work fine.

We arrived home April 8 and I plugged it in around April 11. I did NOT turn the "On/Off - Charge" knob by driver's seat. I started worrying about burning up the batteries by over-charging, so yesterday I checked the batteries.

A week on the charger wasn't good.

Without a mirror, it's nearly impossible to check the water level on the back battery (any tricks you all can pass on for this?)

Steal one of Bonnie's old compact mirrors or buy a cheapy dental mirror at the drug store and leaveit in the compartment.

I was dismayed to find almost all cells dry. I fear the worse. But I immediately filled them with water - - probably over-filled some - about 3/8" from the top (??)

Use distilled water and fill them to just under the split-ring inside the cell. If they are over filled now don't try and remove acid and don't aggressively charge them until they evaporate to normal level.

My wife and I turned on the lights in the coach with it unplugged and they worked.

Leave a couple of lights on for a couple of hours, turn the lights out and check the battery monitor on the range hood. If the green light is still on you've got some useful battery life left.

You need to get a digital volt meter. Harbor Freight has a cheapy that's normally $10 but goes on sale all the time for $3 or $5. IF you've got a Frys in Bakersfield you can get a nice B&K for a really good price. You'll need this to do any kind of precise monitoring.

When you have hook ups, either at home or camping, disconnect the battery. Connect the battery while driving or dry camping. Driving safely charges your batteries. Charging them from shore power requires some monitoring - read other posts on the subject. Depending on the state of discharge they could require any where from a few hours to a day or so to fully charge.

I just read what George said and in my bathrobe went out and turned off the "On/Off Knob" by driver's seat, but left it plugged in. I have no idea how many amps it is plugged into. I have NO guages whatsoever.

In the off position there are no drains on the battery and it should stay charged for weeks. Just check it periodically.

Think of the battery like a water source and the wires as plumbing. Voltage is a measure of pressure and Amps is a measure of flow. The pressure is fairly consistent at about 12vdc. The flow depends on how many valves (appliances) you have turned on. So you control how many amps are drawn by turning things on.

We're planning on driving to Missoula, MT for our oldest grandson's High School graduation on Jun 3. Should I replace the batteries before then, assuming I've damaged them too severely to chance a trip with them?

I'd run it thru similar expected demands while in your driveway. It depends on how long you intend to dry camp. In the summer, with long days and no need for the furnace you won't need a lot of battery.

The owner told me he felt I should and could use these batteries till the end of this year and then he recommended I replace them with "Golf cart batteries" and ....again, I've forgotten the proper terminology - - cross
wire them for (?) greater efficiency (?). These cost around $80 each at Camping World here. Why cross wire them? Is that the same as "in-line" wiring? Will I need new cables?

You probably have 2ea 12VDC batteries wired in parrallel and he suggested 2ea 6Vdc batteries wired in series.

That covers some of what you needto know. A telephone call might help fill in the gaps. Any number of us would be happy to do that if you'd like. Just let us know.

Mike

[bcope01]

Jess:

Here is a good resource for getting started on all things 12 Volt and batteries, called "The 12 Volt Side of Life."

http://www.ccis.com/home/mnemeth/12volt/12volt.htm

Another good resource is the "Car and Deep Cycle Battery FAQ" found here.

http://www.uuhome.de/william.darden/

Take the hassle out of checking your batteries and get a "Qwik-Fillâ„¢ Dual 12-Volt Battery Watering System with Filler" from Camping World. I'm sure glad I did.

http://www.campingworld.com/browse/skus ... unum=27037

Hope this helps.

Bill

[Judy Harris]

Jess, thanks for your questions - I am learning from the responses as well. Do not despair. My husband and I are woefully inadequate when it comes to anything mechanical or electrical but we have traveled over 10,000 miles in our 2004 BF and haven't broken or blown up anything yet. We have even dry camped a few times, albeit somewhat nervously. I have read tons of stuff on the electrical systems in an RV and while I never will really understand amps, volts and watts, I know what I can run under what circumstances, which is good enough to go. The main thing is that the Born Free is very well built and is tolerant of those of us who are ignorant about these things. Keep reading this board. I check it every day and have learned soooo much. Thanks to all of you wonderful experts out there who help us less fortunate in this regard! And, most importantly, happy travels, Jess.

Judy Harris, Chuck Harris and the furkids

P.S. I did hear from BC Ferries officially and they would not cover the loss of property due to the "grounding" of a ferry. They also did offer that they lost 2 passengers in the incident. Everything is a gamble.
2004 26' RSB

[Fourwinds]

Special thanks to the following:

Bill Crommett - thanks for the important items.

Mike & Jean Bandfield - thanks for the answers and good suggestions. Our son & family live in Cornelius, OR. He works for Intel.

Bcope01 - Bill and Barb. Thank you for your info and the web sites. I'm headed there now. The battery "watering" system sounds and looks intriguing. Will have to check it out.

Now where is the top secret on how to take trips when gas is already at $3.05 and $3.09/gallon - at two stations across the street from each other noted this morning in Bakersfield, CA? I'm looking for a device at Camping World that reduces $3.00 plus for unleaded to $1.30/gallon.
Surely there just MUST BE such a device. Right? LOL

Big thanks again to every one.

Jess & Bonnie
Bakersfield, CA
2002 BF, 26 rsb

[whemme]

Jess,

Read the 3 pages of posts at the following link to our website for other coach battery information: http://www.bornfreervclub.org/bulletin_ ... asc&start=