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Old 04-18-2016, 01:19 PM   #1
JJ1
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2009 23' International
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Upgrading to 6V T-105's

I am upgrading the batteries on my '09 23D' International. I know that my batt box has to be modified to accommodate the taller T-105's. Are there any other upgrades I should expect? I am going to add solar down the line, just it right now.
Thanks for the hell and advice!
John
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Old 04-18-2016, 01:40 PM   #2
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We upgraded our 2008 23' L-lounge to 6V batteries and appreciate the extra capacity. We upgraded the converter at the same time (and installed 200w of solar). With expensive new batteries going in this might be a good time to upgrade your converter and/or inverter for the longer term.
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Old 04-18-2016, 01:52 PM   #3
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Thinking about doing the same thing. Do any of the wires need to be extended/altered?
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Old 04-18-2016, 02:03 PM   #4
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I upgraded my converter and added two inches to the top of the box. Photo shows the extension and plug for portable solar .
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Old 04-18-2016, 02:03 PM   #5
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I had to pull in some extra slack for my inverter cables, but the battery cables were fine.
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Old 04-18-2016, 02:13 PM   #6
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6 volt conversion

I did the conversion last year its been great put in the PD 4655 3 stage converter/charger at the same time. The wires are pretty simple pos. camper wire to batt 1 pos post, neg of battery 1 to pos post of battery 2 and neg camper wire to neg post of battery 2. The tongue jack wire to pos post battery 1. You will have one less jumper wire between the two batteries than 12volt setup. Good camping.
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Old 04-18-2016, 02:40 PM   #7
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Portable solar details?

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Originally Posted by AWCHIEF View Post
I upgraded my converter and added two inches to the top of the box. Photo shows the extension and plug for portable solar .
Was think of doing something similar (portable panels that can be easily disconnected). What equipment did you use?
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Old 04-19-2016, 06:44 AM   #8
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Was think of doing something similar (portable panels that can be easily disconnected). What equipment did you use?
Renogy 100 watt suitcase. Bought directly thru Renogy. They give a substantial military discount and free shipping. Recently used it for several days dry camping in Key West. With frugal battery use on Sunny days it worked very well, easily getting my batteries back up to 100%. Cloudy no sun days not so good of course. I have a higher rated 30amp controller and an additional 85watt panel that I am going to add to the system. My next major purchase is going to be a small generator for those all too common overcast days.
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Old 04-19-2016, 07:11 AM   #9
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Is the disconnectible plug part of the package?
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Old 04-19-2016, 07:56 AM   #10
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Upgrade your battery cables while you are at it to a thicker gauge.
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Old 04-19-2016, 10:31 AM   #11
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Thanks for the advice!
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Old 04-19-2016, 11:59 AM   #12
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Is the disconnectible plug part of the package?
Nope, it is a SAE water proof two wire plug used commonly on boats. I bought the base thru Amazon packaged by Zamp. I have a bag full of the other connectors left over from my boating days. I use them for all removable DC connections.
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Old 04-19-2016, 12:05 PM   #13
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For my Renology suitcase solar set up I bought "Anderson" 50amp connectors and 10 gauge landscaping wire from Amazon. Soldered all connections. These connectors are male-female and as long as you are careful about positive negative on assembly the connections are idiot proof.
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Old 04-21-2016, 08:45 AM   #14
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AWCHIEF, that extension on your battery box looks sweet. Can you provide details on construction materials and methods? I am planning on modifying my box to accommodate the T-105s as well.

Thanks.
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Old 04-22-2016, 07:31 AM   #15
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Used 2 inch aluminum C-channel. Cut to almost fit (not much of a metal worker) and attached with self tapping screws to box. If I did it again I would use light weight steel C-channel or farm the job out to a shop and have the frame aluminum cut, welded and attached properly. I can weld light steel but not aluminum. That is an art form and is worth paying someone to do it right.
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Old 04-22-2016, 09:25 AM   #16
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Lewster (Lew) recommended this to me awhile ago, and I believe he does this on his upgrades.

Consider installing a 50 amp circuit breaker between your batteries and the Airstream. I installed a 50 amp surface mountBlue Sea Systems 285-Series Circuit Breaker this should protect the Airstream's 12v systems from any power spikes.

Hopefully, my diagram will not confuse you. Ignore most of it. You can see where mine is, coming off my batteries main power and before it connects to the Airstream's main bus.



And here is a photo of it before it goes to the Airstream distribution bus.
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Old 04-23-2016, 06:28 PM   #17
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6 volt added

I constructed a new "raised top" for my battery box to add 3 1/2 inches so the T-105 6 volt batteries would fit inside. I used an old stop sign or two and alot of rivets for the project.

I use the outdoor electric outlet mounted to the frame as an input for my Go Power 80 Watt solar cell (or as a direct input to charge with my Honda 1000). I use standard 3 prong connectors on my solar and generator cables as inputs.

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Old 04-23-2016, 07:17 PM   #18
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George, nice looking box. I like having the extra room above the batteries.
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Old 05-02-2016, 02:49 PM   #19
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Better Trojan T105s

I've used Trojan 6v deep cycle flooded batteries for years. I just had to replace my batteries and found that Trojan has "Smart Carbon" technology in their new "RE" line of batteries.

Deep-cycle batteries used in off-grid and unstable grid applications are heavily cycled at partial state of charge (PSOC). Operating at PSOC on a regular basis
can quickly diminish the overall life of a battery, which results in frequent and costly battery replacements.

To address the impact of PSOC on deep-cycle batteries in renewable energy (RE), inverter backup and telecom applications, Trojan Battery has now included "Smart Carbon™ as a standard feature in its Industrial and Premium flooded battery lines.

The RE line has double that warranty and are designed to last 10 years. They cost about 10% more but will more than pay that back with longer life.
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Old 05-02-2016, 02:51 PM   #20
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One note on the new T105 RE batteries. The terminal at the top is larger than your standard car type so some of your modified battery boxes could encounter a problem. Mine just barely fit.
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