Battery Consideration/Decision

[Ramblinman]

Hi Everyone,

My original Deka Battery is not holding a charge - it is time to get a new one it is the original that came with my 2010 Hwak

In light of this I mistakenly bought a Group 27 to replace - got home - too big - did some checking realize Im a dolt.

This got me to thinking that this is probably a good time to upgrade my batteries or potentially double up.

I am looking for ideas before I pull the trigger on a new battery.

Situation:

• I have portable solar which I am not crazy about - as it seems to keep malfunctioning
• My Hawk has a full load - I live in a cold climate - extra battery would be nice for the furnace
• I run a propane fridge
• I have a Honda Generator to augment power if required -but it is cumbersome to carry around.
• I am preparing my Hawk for a trip to Baja this Winter
• Not interested in a permanently mounted solar

Question:

1. Is the extra battery worth the money and losing the storage space?
2. Best way to connect the 2 batteries?
3. Has anyone put 2 x group 31's or 27's? Do they fit in the original battery box.

Hoping to generate some conversation and hear about other peoples experiences.

BTW the owner of the shop is really encouraging me to with Power Surge - which is somehow affiliated with deka and it is about 60 buks cheaper.

 

[Ace!]

I just like the word dolt. It isn't used enough. Thanks.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Question:

1. Is the extra battery worth the money and losing the storage space? It is in my opinion.
2. Best way to connect the 2 batteries? Two batteries of the same size and age, placed in parallel. Alternatively, two six volt batteries of the same size and age, placed in series.
3. Has anyone put 2 x group 31's or 27's? Do they fit in the original battery box. I would have to check. I have two group 24 AGM batteries in my Grandby.

Hoping to generate some conversation and hear about other peoples experiences.

BTW the owner of the shop is really encouraging me to with Power Surge - which is somehow affiliated with deka and it is about 60 buks cheaper.

 

[iowahiker]

Depending on how you use your battery/batteries, the second battery can pay for itself or not. The deeper you discharge a battery, the shorter the life by an ever greater amount. For example, a battery could have 700 10% cycles but only 50 50% cycles. The first case has a battery life of 7,000 %-cycles versus only 2,500 %-cycles for the second example, i.e. the first battery delivers almost 3 times the amp-hours as the second case over it's life. If adding the second battery moves you from 40% cycles to 20% or from 20% to 10% then the second battery will pay for itself.

What can go wrong:
1. You had a five year life out of your first battery so you are doing something right with one battery (i.e. hate to mess up a good thing).
2. If adding the second battery prevents combined battery discharging to more than 5%, then the second battery is worse than one battery alone since sub 5% discharging shortens battery life. Batteries have a sweet spot of maximum cycle life around 10+/-% discharge, a lot more or a lot less reduces battery life.
3. Two batteries have twice the number of cells so you double the chances a bad cell will sink your system if the bad cell occurs in such a manner as to "parasite" the remaining good battery.
4. If you rarely use your camper, the second battery will not pay for itself since old age could kill the batteries instead of cycles. The second battery "paying for itself" requires cycles to actually be used.

We had two batteries installed by FWC at the factory and no bad cells while having reached/approaching the break-even point (second battery paying for itself).

I am not a battery expert but very good with numbers.

 

[Ramblinman]

I average about 40 nights a year - I want to spend more time in the in my camper during the winter - which means more furnace time - I also have the generator to keep things topped off if I need as well.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

I average about 40 nights a year - I want to spend more time in the in my camper during the winter - which means more furnace time - I also have the generator to keep things topped off if I need as well.

A Wave 3 or Wave 6 would be another heat source without adding to the electrical load.

 

[MarkBC]

I have two Group 30H batteries in my FWC Hawk, connected in parallel.
They're in the storage spot under the couch...so, yeah, I do lose some storage space. But I'm OK with that.
Worth the money? Well, they're a one-time cost (i.e., no operating cost) that should provide several years of use -- worth it to me.

 

[fish more]

I have had the same Cabelas AGM group 24 batteries since 2009, Both will fit in area of the battery compartment if you mount the batteries on their ends. Using AGM's will allow you to mount in any position with exception of upside down. I mounted a marine battery switch to chose which battery I chose to use at the time. I alternate battery usage on each trip. I also installed a marine on-board battery charger.

 

[iowahiker]

We went with two batteries for the same reason you are considering going to two, cold weather furnace. We have cold weather camped up to five nights on two group 24 batteries without a generator or starting the truck and still had battery capacity left. We do not run the furnace all night.

 

[Trailbob]

We ran single group 24 batteries in Hawk campers from 1999 through 2015. This fall I installed two group 24 Excide FP-AGM-24DP batteries, along with a Trimetric meter to monitor them. A big factor for me was the use of an ARB 12v fridge/freezer that we keep in the back seat of the truck, and connect to the camper. We use it mostly in hot weather to keep fish very cold or frozen, so it uses a bit of energy. We got along fine with one battery (pre-AR, but we were very sparing with the furnace and lived in CA at the time. I used a Honda generator for charging, and very recently installed solar.

I really like the extra cushion that two batteries provides, and would have ordered our current camper with two if I could go back to 2010 do it over. I bought Excide batteries based on cost since Bi-Mart had them for around $150 each (and they are what FWC currently uses).