Electrical Questions

[Bdold]

pvstoy- You wrote "Over a long period of time this will hurt your battery and evaporate out the water if it is a wet cell"
Can you define a long period of time? I still have my original single battery my Grandby came with. I've left the camper plugged in for a several 2 day periods just to cool the refrigerator before a trip. I actually just learned I had a charger....maybe I should have read all the pamplets in the grey pouch, 4 years ago. I've stayed numerous days without charging and run it down low over the last 4 seasons and I think the battery is shot as it does not appear to hold a charge very long. Assuming the factory battery LED checker is accurate.

 

[pvstoy]

I could never assume the led lights would give me answers and have relied on a volt meter to know for sure. Led light panel is a reference for a starting place. If the charger puts out a steady voltage of 13.8 volts that is considered charging and not at a maintence , trickle rate. Over the long haul say a week then the battery would start losing water and left on could boil out a battery. I don't remember what voltage your inverter / charger puts out. A four stage charger system works out great and can really extend the life of a battery. What comes stock in FWC is a one stage.

 

[Bdold]

I plan to take my battery out and replace it with a Cabelas AGM. I spent the last 2 nights out on a cold river bottom without a recharge of the system. I ran the furnace for around 5 hours( a guess). I have all LED bulbs. This morning the LED was claiming 1/3. After a 2 hour drive home, it was on 2/3. As of last summer, I put an 85 watt panel on the lid. Frankly, I have no idea if it's working or not.

Does anyone have a picture of their dual batteries wired in place?

 

[Bwht4x4]

Here's a pict of the dual batteries from my new Hawk I picked up a week ago. I haven't touched the batteries at all. This is how FWC set them up.

 

[Bdold]

Thanks. I was curious if FWC made their own jumpers or if they bought some manufactured ones. Looks like I will be ok to make some, if I decide to get 2.
I see they put the batteries in containers. Are the containers loose? or glued down? I'm assuming they would not screw them down as the must be for acid containment.

Is that a Salmon?

 

[Bwht4x4]

The containers don't budge at all. I think the straps are screwed down to prevent them from moving. It's a pretty clean set up IMO.

 

[billharr]

The containers don't budge at all. I think the straps are screwed down to prevent them from moving. It's a pretty clean set up IMO.

On the shell I bought the strap was bolted down and the case was cut down. The battery is in the rear cabinet over the propane tanks and had to be slid over the strap.

I moved the battery to the front and added another battery. On the front location the box is not cut and it is screwed to the bottom. They put a piece of plywood in the bottom so the battery will never touch the screws.

Bill

 

[pvstoy]

I would want the lid that is sold with the bottom of the battery box. For protection and lay stuff ontop without the terminals showing and shortting out.

 

[Bwht4x4]

There is a special wooden cover that goes over the batteries then another hinged lid goes down over them too. I don't plan on storing anything under the hinged lid above the batteries.

 

[Bdold]

Bwht4x4- What brand are those batteries?

I read the reviews on the Cabelas AGM and several people were fairly disatisfied as they only got a year of use out of it. Maybe they are not the norm or they abused the battery too much. Cabelas stated the battery is designed for 600 discharges and one guy claimed he only got 90...as I recall. I know I will abuse mine as I run the heat all night to keep the dog and girlfriend warm.

 

[Bwht4x4]

bdold,

They are Exide AGM batteries. I believe they are these: http://www.exide.com/us/en/product-solutions/transportation/product/exide-edge-marine-rv-agm.aspx

BTW< I've got quite a few NR points for deer (11), elk (12) and pronghorn (6) in CO. If you have any good advice on how to use these I'm all ears.

 

[Bdold]

According to the Exide site, they don't have a dealer here. Or maybe the search mode wasn't working.

Better to take the full on hunting discussion offline. There is another hunter on this site, from CA, who might be able to offer you some out of state advice, if he reads this. I'll send you a PM with my email.

 

[Bdold]

It appears that FWC wires the batteries together and then connects the camper to one battery. A friend of mine suggested this "I’d connect the solar to the positive on one battery and the negative on the other battery [SIZE=14.399999618530273px]. [/SIZE]Do the same thing with the wires that send power to the camper[SIZE=14.399999618530273px]" [/SIZE]Does this seems ok?

 

[billharr]

It appears that FWC wires the batteries together and then connects the camper to one battery. A friend of mine suggested this "I’d connect the solar to the positive on one battery and the negative on the other battery [SIZE=14.399999618530273px]. [/SIZE]Do the same thing with the wires that send power to the camper[SIZE=14.399999618530273px]" [/SIZE]Does this seems ok?

This is how I wired mine.

Link to article

 

[Bwht4x4]

The image provided by Bill is my intended way of wiring them together. Just haven't had the time yet.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

dbold, the article by Mello Mike has a nice schematic of a typical solar installation. The battery installation that Bill shows has two 12vdc batteries in parallel, so the voltage remains at 12vdc. In the article, it shows two 6vdc batteries wired in series, so the overall voltage there is 12vdc across the two.

The entire article is worth reading. Bill, thanks for the original link.

Is your avatar a young drathaar or griffon?

 

[Bdold]

Sage- Neither, I think. She's a regular GSP. Both griffon and drathaar have beards, right? My girlfriend doesn't like the beard, which it weird since I have one.

Bill- Thanks for the article.

Bwht4x4- I sent you a PM with my email.

 

[Bwht4x4]

bdold, email sent.

Thanks