6 volt battery mod

Rolling_Fortress · 03-15-2017, 07:46 PM

I'll soon be installing solar panels on my Jayco 377RLBH. Read a lot about how people upgrade from one 12 V battery to two 6 V golf cart batteries. Anyone have advice as to which 6V batteries are best?

Thank you

klassic · 03-15-2017, 07:55 PM

Do you have the residential fridge?

What year is your rig?
6v are tough to get into a 2016.

Rolling_Fortress · 03-15-2017, 08:04 PM

I have the double door gas/elec fridge. With the solar addition I'm looking to keep the battery charged enough when my camper is at the storage yard (in-between trips) for a week or so to keep the fridge going. Not looking to boondock at this time. Figured I could add a panel or 2 (+add'l batteries) if I decide to go that route later.

Thanks!

Rolling_Fortress · 03-15-2017, 08:05 PM

I have the 2017 377 RLBH

DonHansen · 03-15-2017, 08:13 PM

check out the Trojan line, T105s are quite common

klassic · 03-15-2017, 08:32 PM

The 2017 is much better for installing batteries.
I don't even want to get into the 2016 with you.

I don't know which battery is the best. Others know more about that then I.
I think you need minimum 220 amp hours. Two Trojan T-105's would get you that.
Mustang will soon see this thread and jump in, he's one of the solar gurus here.

If you want to add more batteries later, later might be too late as all your batteries should be the same age.

For panels..you should get in the 200-300watt range.
That's all I have to say.

This is my solar setup with a residential fridge. I can scrape by 3 days with sun. I don't think I would make 4 days.
2- 260w panels
30a Morningstar MPPT controller
2 Trojan T-105's.
I really need 4 of them to get double the amp hours..But because they only 2 years old, I will need to buy all 4 to wire them all together (the age thing)
But since I can't fit 4 in a 2016 NorthPoint I am getting 2 420 ah batteries.
Had I of thought all this out ahead of time I would have bought the proper batteries the first time.
Moral...give some thought of what you plan on doing in the next two years.

Murff · 03-15-2017, 08:33 PM

If you are near a battery distributor, call them and ask if they have any "blemished" (blems) 6 volt batteries. They may have a crease or a dent in the case but still have the warranty and are usually 25 to 50% cheaper than perfect ones.

Murff

klassic · 03-15-2017, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Murff

If you are near a battery distributor, call them and ask if they have any "blemished" (blems) 6 volt batteries. They may have a crease or a dent in the case but still have the warranty and are usually 25 to 50% cheaper than perfect ones.

Murff

That's a good idea.
If you were near me I would sell you mine for next to nothing.
I good way to start without dumping big money into an unknown.

edatlanta · 03-16-2017, 03:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rolling_Fortress

I'll soon be installing solar panels on my Jayco 377RLBH. Read a lot about how people upgrade from one 12 V battery to two 6 V golf cart batteries. Anyone have advice as to which 6V batteries are best?

Thank you

Trojan!

dzwiss · 03-16-2017, 05:35 AM

Pop for the AGMs right from the start and you will never have to top them off or equalize them. It took me 5 years of messing with my 6 volts to realize what a pain they are. Now I'm a happy camper.

**Mustang65** · 03-16-2017, 06:45 AM

Klassic pretty much covered the battery information you will need. Two 6 volt "True Deep" cycle batteries are the way to go if you are looking at SOLAR and dry-camping. If you need to install the batteries is a storage compartment you may want to look at AGM, but be prepared to dump some extra money into them for the about the same Life Cycle.

Trojan T105 (220Ah) is probably the most common 6 volt batteries in use by RVers. They are good and with proper maintenance will last you a long time (following 50% rule). Trojan also makes a T145 6 volt battery (260Ah, thicker plates) that will give you a little more Tv watching at night or TT heater run time. Another major brand is USBattery, they have an excellent line of batteries as Trojan does. These two companies have been around for ages and they back their products and have a wide range of products to meet your needs.

When I installed SOLAR, I went with two T145 batteries. They meet the needs of our CURRENT SOLAR camping life style, and with the Morningstar 60 Amp SOLAR charge controller I can add additional SOLAR panels.

You mentioned future SOLAR.... as Klassic mentioned between 200 and 300 watts of SOLAR is a good start. They will keep your batteries charged without worrying about shore power while in storage, or dry camping. You mentioned dry-camping, during the summer the 200 - 300 Watts should meet your needs (assuming that you keep your demand within reason), but if you plan on dry camping in the non-summer months I would recommend that you start with more SOLAR as the angle of the sun in Fall, Winter and Spring will greatly affect the amount of power they produce.

The reason Klassic asked if you have a Residential fridge is because they are a battery POWER HOG. They drain the battery (using an inverter) VERY FAST and need to have a larger battery bank if dry-camping.

Here are a few inexpensive battery monitoring tools to get you started.

Good Luck, and keep us informed. We all love reading about these projects.

Don

My Registry

RVing with SOLAR

Subaru297 · 03-16-2017, 08:23 AM

Trojan and Crown are the two top brands that I can think of.

Rolls/Surrette is another good brand but I am unsure of the availability in the States.

I would suggest measuring your battery compartment and seeing what you can actually fit in there and get the biggest 6v batteries you can. Keeping the fridge running for a week will need a fair bit of capacity. Especially if you are not around to monitor things.

A few days of clouds and you will end up with dead batteries and a fridge of spoiled food. You need to figure out what the actual draw of the fridge is and build in enough battery capacity and solar to get though a week with poor solar conditions.

Cheers

Khans Keeper · 03-16-2017, 11:05 AM

I am upgrading to 6 volt batteries as well, and am currently in the selection process. I am considering the 230ah Duracell Pro model #SLIGC115, mainly because it is much more affordable than the Trojan T-105. Does anyone have experience with this battery?

starcraft69 · 03-19-2017, 10:00 AM

Costco 220 ah save some money. Trojan just a name and you pay for it. We are going on three years with Costco batt and doing well. We got 5 years out of the last set.

klassic · 03-19-2017, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Subaru297

Trojan and Crown are the two top brands that I can think of.

Rolls/Surrette is another good brand but I am unsure of the availability in the States.

I would suggest measuring your battery compartment and seeing what you can actually fit in there and get the biggest 6v batteries you can. Keeping the fridge running for a week will need a fair bit of capacity. Especially if you are not around to monitor things.

A few days of clouds and you will end up with dead batteries and a fridge of spoiled food. You need to figure out what the actual draw of the fridge is and build in enough battery capacity and solar to get though a week with poor solar conditions.

Cheers

Thanks for listing the Rolls. I hadn't heard of them before. Nice to know they made your list.

I'm replacing my t-105s with these
Rolls S-550 Deep Cycle Battery | HES PV
Mainly because I can pick them up close to me. The price is decent too

Subaru297 · 03-19-2017, 10:02 PM

Wow. Two of those should give you lots of power!

**Mustang65** · 03-20-2017, 06:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Subaru297

Wow. Two of those should give you lots of power!

While he has the 5er parked at home he will connect it to the GRID and sell the power back to the Electric company.....

Don

My Registry

RVing with SOLAR

klassic · 03-20-2017, 07:14 AM

Lol.
I wish the 2016 battery compartment was the same as the 2017.
I can barely check the water level on my two batteries, it's not easy.
It's a really bad design for the '16.
I won't be able to check the water level of the back battery with these new ones. The are 7" taller
And at 125lbs they won't be easy to lift out.

In the 2017 I would easily be able to get 4 T105's in and check the water.

Subaru297 · 03-20-2017, 09:20 AM

Install one of the battery watering systems. A little extra cost up front but if you can't access them it is a good alternative.

klassic · 03-20-2017, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Subaru297

Install one of the battery watering systems. A little extra cost up front but if you can't access them it is a good alternative.

I thought about that, but I don't know how well that would work in the winter.
I was looking at these too. Any comments?
Solar Series Water Saving Vents

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