batteries

[dspithaler@...]

Rich When I got my 89 SP 36' it had 4-12 Volt Deep cycle Interstate for
the house in the front compartment & 2- 12 Volt Deep cycle in the rear for
the Cat starting batteries. The house batteries had 2 that were weak so I
changed the 4 to 4-- 6 Volt Trojan batteries & left the 12 Volt deep cycle in
the
rear as they were good. Was that a bad idea??? Now two years later I am
going to change the Starting batteries to 2--12 volt Interstate starting
batteries as I thought they are better for starting than the Deep Cycle. Is
that
going to work & be good?
Don
89 SP 36'
Butler, PA


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[ingamar2]

I have owned a 90WBWL for three years and have had troubles starting
it in cold weather(25 to 30 degrees). The starting batteries and the
house batteries are the same. There are six total and are now about
four years old. I would guess they are ready to be changed out but was
wondering if someone out there has changed the way they are setup. Can
you put four house batteries and two starting batteries in a sereis or
do they all have to be the same as it is now. Can you seperate the
house batteries from the starting batteries as it is in most coachs.
Can anyone recommend a certain battery that is better than others.

Craig Hovda
90WBWL
Bigfork Mt.

[g_man1146]

Hi Craig,

If all the batteries are connected in parallel, such as I had on
my '90, do not mix types. They should all be deep cycle batteries
which, in good condition, will crank just fine. Sounds like your
batteries are about gone. I used Interstate 12 vdc, deep cycle, lead
acid batteries with excellent results. Another option, if they fit
is to use 6, 6 volt golf cart batteries wired in series/parallel to
give you 12 volts. (Each pair of 6 volt are wired in series to give
you 12 V, then the three pairs are wired in parallel to maintain the
12 V.)

Rich D. '99LXi43' CT


--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "ingamar2"
wrote:
>
> I have owned a 90WBWL for three years and have had troubles
starting
> it in cold weather(25 to 30 degrees). The starting batteries and
the
> house batteries are the same. There are six total and are now
about
> four years old. I would guess they are ready to be changed out but
was
> wondering if someone out there has changed the way they are setup.
Can
> you put four house batteries and two starting batteries in a
sereis or
> do they all have to be the same as it is now. Can you seperate the
> house batteries from the starting batteries as it is in most
coachs.
> Can anyone recommend a certain battery that is better than others.
>
> Craig Hovda
> 90WBWL
> Bigfork Mt.
>

[dspithaler@...]

Thanks Rich That's what I thought you meant when you said not mix
batteries I wanted to make sure that I hadn't done something wrong

Don
89 SP 36'
Butler, PA



Mixing battery types in the same bank (connected together) is not a
good idea. Having two different types in different banks, such as
you have (or are going to do), is not a problem as long as they
require the same charging voltage. The four 6 volt lead-acid
batteries connected in series/parallel will charge with the same
voltage as the two 12 volt lead-acid in parallel.

Gel batteries and, to a lesser extent, AGM's should never be charged
with the same voltage as lead-acid batteries. Doing so will damage
the Gel/AGM's as they require lower charging voltages.

Yes, if the batteries are for starting only, go to the Interstate
starting batteries in the rear. Deep cycle batteries can be used for
starting but not vice versa as starting batteries will suffer if
used for the deep discharge "house" use.

Rich D. '99LXi43' CT


--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, dspithaler@a... wrote:
>
> Rich When I got my 89 SP 36' it had 4-12 Volt Deep cycle
Interstate for
> the house in the front compartment & 2- 12 Volt Deep cycle in the
rear for
> the Cat starting batteries. The house batteries had 2 that were
weak so I
> changed the 4 to 4-- 6 Volt Trojan batteries & left the 12 Volt
deep cycle in the
> rear as they were good. Was that a bad idea??? Now two years
later I am
> going to change the Starting batteries to 2--12 volt Interstate
starting
> batteries as I thought they are better for starting than the Deep
Cycle. Is that
> going to work & be good?
> Don
> 89 SP 36'
> Butler, PA
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>









[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[dspithaler@...]

Hank I have had 4 6 Volt Trojans in my 79FC 33' for six years & they are
doing fine yet. They are house & starting in one bank. They are the small
ones. I don't remember the size of them The genny has a 12 Volt for it. I
have had 4 6 Volt Trojans in the 89 SP as house batteries for 2 years & they
are doing fine. They are 145's & just fit in the compartment for height. They
were also $397.50 for the 4. They are a lot heaver also. Probably have me
over the weight limit?????
Don
89 SP 36'
Butler, PA

---DON: RE: Batterys...I have two 12v INTERSTATE batterys in my
90SP36..been working fine for 2 yrs.....also have four 12v house
batteries in front for house...got them from wal-mart two yrs
ago..still running.......I have 6v trojans in my MH in Australia and
like them after 5 years still working but they are recharged bu
SLOAR all the time..........would like to hear from u about trojans
working in you SP36 hjouse.
Regards,
Hank Hannigan
90SP36






[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[erniecarpet@...]

Craig, when it gets below 50 I turn on my block heater. Maybe the fella that
has the coach where you park it can turn on the heater before you try and
start it. Don't want you to miss any MSU games! Ernie 83pt40 in Kansas


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[dspithaler@...]

Thanks Blair & Rich for the battery info. Don 89 SP 36' Butler, PA


At 11:37 AM 11/2/2005, you wrote:
>Rich When I got my 89 SP 36' it had 4-12 Volt Deep cycle Interstate for
>the house in the front compartment & 2- 12 Volt Deep cycle in the rear for
>the Cat starting batteries. The house batteries had 2 that were weak so I
>changed the 4 to 4-- 6 Volt Trojan batteries & left the 12 Volt deep
>cycle in the
>rear as they were good. Was that a bad idea??? Now two years later I am
>going to change the Starting batteries to 2--12 volt Interstate starting
>batteries as I thought they are better for starting than the Deep Cycle.
>Is that
>going to work & be good?
> Don
> 89 SP 36'
> Butler, PA
Deep cycle batteries are made totally different from starting
batteries. They can be discharged
to 50% for 1000-2000 cycles before dying, sometimes more. However, they
are NOT made to
be used for a high amperage discharge rate as when in starting your
engine. It will kill them
very quick. 50% discharge is about 12 volts. It you set it up so the
lowest voltage is higher
than 12 volts, the life of the batteries is greatly increased

If you take a starting battery, brand new in your car, and let it run down
overnight and then
recharge, and do it night after night, it might last, if lucky, ten
days. They are not made for
multiple cycles of deep discharge. They are designed for short, high
amperage discharge as in
starting your engine.

The best mix is to have a separate starting battery and another set of deep
cycle glass or AGM's
for the coach. If you use AGM's, you can use the same bulk and float
settings as on the starting
lead acid battery, making it real simple to set up. Not so with glass mat.

I installed 3 8D AGM's for the coach and 1 8D lead acid for the
chassis. The bulk charge is 14.4
volts and the float charge is 14.0 and it echo charges the chassis battery
to 13.5volts. This give
me over 800 amp hours at 12 volts for dry camping. When the voltage
reaches 12, it signals the genset
to start, makes it real simple...

Blair in Oregon









[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Henry Jay Hannigan]

---DON: RE: Batterys...I have two 12v INTERSTATE batterys in my
90SP36..been working fine for 2 yrs.....also have four 12v house
batteries in front for house...got them from wal-mart two yrs
ago..still running.......I have 6v trojans in my MH in Australia and
like them after 5 years still working but they are recharged bu
SLOAR all the time..........would like to hear from u about trojans
working in you SP36 hjouse.
Regards,
Hank Hannigan
90SP36






In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, dspithaler@a... wrote:
>
> Rich When I got my 89 SP 36' it had 4-12 Volt Deep cycle
Interstate for
> the house in the front compartment & 2- 12 Volt Deep cycle in the
rear for
> the Cat starting batteries. The house batteries had 2 that were
weak so I
> changed the 4 to 4-- 6 Volt Trojan batteries & left the 12 Volt
deep cycle in the
> rear as they were good. Was that a bad idea??? Now two years
later I am
> going to change the Starting batteries to 2--12 volt Interstate
starting
> batteries as I thought they are better for starting than the Deep
Cycle. Is that
> going to work & be good?
> Don
> 89 SP 36'
> Butler, PA
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

[g_man1146]

Don,
Mixing battery types in the same bank (connected together) is not a
good idea. Having two different types in different banks, such as
you have (or are going to do), is not a problem as long as they
require the same charging voltage. The four 6 volt lead-acid
batteries connected in series/parallel will charge with the same
voltage as the two 12 volt lead-acid in parallel.

Gel batteries and, to a lesser extent, AGM's should never be charged
with the same voltage as lead-acid batteries. Doing so will damage
the Gel/AGM's as they require lower charging voltages.

Yes, if the batteries are for starting only, go to the Interstate
starting batteries in the rear. Deep cycle batteries can be used for
starting but not vice versa as starting batteries will suffer if
used for the deep discharge "house" use.

Rich D. '99LXi43' CT


--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, dspithaler@a... wrote:
>
> Rich When I got my 89 SP 36' it had 4-12 Volt Deep cycle
Interstate for
> the house in the front compartment & 2- 12 Volt Deep cycle in the
rear for
> the Cat starting batteries. The house batteries had 2 that were
weak so I
> changed the 4 to 4-- 6 Volt Trojan batteries & left the 12 Volt
deep cycle in the
> rear as they were good. Was that a bad idea??? Now two years
later I am
> going to change the Starting batteries to 2--12 volt Interstate
starting
> batteries as I thought they are better for starting than the Deep
Cycle. Is that
> going to work & be good?
> Don
> 89 SP 36'
> Butler, PA
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>

[Blair]

At 11:37 AM 11/2/2005, you wrote:
>Rich When I got my 89 SP 36' it had 4-12 Volt Deep cycle Interstate for
>the house in the front compartment & 2- 12 Volt Deep cycle in the rear for
>the Cat starting batteries. The house batteries had 2 that were weak so I
>changed the 4 to 4-- 6 Volt Trojan batteries & left the 12 Volt deep
>cycle in the
>rear as they were good. Was that a bad idea??? Now two years later I am
>going to change the Starting batteries to 2--12 volt Interstate starting
>batteries as I thought they are better for starting than the Deep Cycle.
>Is that
>going to work & be good?
> Don
> 89 SP 36'
> Butler, PA
Deep cycle batteries are made totally different from starting
batteries. They can be discharged
to 50% for 1000-2000 cycles before dying, sometimes more. However, they
are NOT made to
be used for a high amperage discharge rate as when in starting your
engine. It will kill them
very quick. 50% discharge is about 12 volts. It you set it up so the
lowest voltage is higher
than 12 volts, the life of the batteries is greatly increased

If you take a starting battery, brand new in your car, and let it run down
overnight and then
recharge, and do it night after night, it might last, if lucky, ten
days. They are not made for
multiple cycles of deep discharge. They are designed for short, high
amperage discharge as in
starting your engine.

The best mix is to have a separate starting battery and another set of deep
cycle glass or AGM's
for the coach. If you use AGM's, you can use the same bulk and float
settings as on the starting
lead acid battery, making it real simple to set up. Not so with glass mat.

I installed 3 8D AGM's for the coach and 1 8D lead acid for the
chassis. The bulk charge is 14.4
volts and the float charge is 14.0 and it echo charges the chassis battery
to 13.5volts. This give
me over 800 amp hours at 12 volts for dry camping. When the voltage
reaches 12, it signals the genset
to start, makes it real simple...

Blair in Oregon



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]