Need new house battery

[roger59]

Suggestions for a replacement house battery for a 2004 Interstate. Battery is under the passenger seat. Also after replacement any idea to keep a solar trickle type charge when not in use,

[unifreck]

Put some solar on top, that will trickle charge your battery if outside. I changed my batteries to AGM 6 volts to give me more available power to charge electronics and my E-bikes between uses. Do not have to leave power plugged in to home, with attendant gremies that like to disconnect your power source.
PM me if you would like to see the setup since you're just up the road. AEW

[LB_3]

Unfortunately the T1Ns don't have enough room under the passenger seat for a second battery so you won't get the Ah benefit from going to 6v batteries.

We're relatively happy with the Lifeline AGM battery in our van. As a closed cell battery, it's pretty tolerant of being over charged since you can't really boil away the water but they're relatively expensive.

You don't need a fancy full solar system if you only want to keep the battery from running down in storage. As long as you also install a battery disconnect switch, small 15-20 watt portable solar charging panel would work fine since it wouldn't have the power to damage your battery by over charging it.

[lewster]

Originally Posted by LB_3

Unfortunately the T1Ns don't have enough room under the passenger seat for a second battery so you won't get the Ah benefit from going to 6v batteries.

We're relatively happy with the Lifeline AGM battery in our van. As a closed cell battery, it's pretty tolerant of being over charged since you can't really boil away the water but they're relatively expensive.

You don't need a fancy full solar system if you only want to keep the battery from running down in storage. As long as you also install a battery disconnect switch, small 15-20 watt portable solar charging panel would work fine since it wouldn't have the power to damage your battery by over charging it.

Be careful with those Lifelines. You can overcharge them and if they are pushed too far with voltages exceeding 15.5VDC (@77deg. F) the one way valve WILL open and expel acid vapor, which is not replaceable.


Lew Farber
RVIA/RVDA Nationally Certified Master Tech
ABYC Certified Master Marine Electrician
Master Tech Energy Systems, Inc.
AM Solar Certified Installation Center*AMS Lithium Batteries
Lifeline AGM Batteries**Magnum Inverters***Victron Energy Components
541-490-6357

[Lily&Me]

Originally Posted by roger59

Suggestions for a replacement house battery for a 2004 Interstate. Battery is under the passenger seat. Also after replacement any idea to keep a solar trickle type charge when not in use,

Our replacement batteries over the past 9 years have been Interstates. I couldn't tell you exactly which one, but it is a good one, recommended by the dealer here.

Pull in there, and they take care of it.

Our first replacement required a modification to the passenger seat, to elevate it high enough to install the better battery. They took care of that, too.

We haven't had any problems with battery depletion when not in use...turning off the "Use" button to prevent parasitic drains, then back on once we take off again.

The engine running begins the charge process again, and keeps the battery where it needs to be.


Maggie