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12-24-2015, 11:09 AM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
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BlackJack was thirsty....
Although Xmas eve, it is going to be a warm one near 70. I went and turned off the dehumidifier, cracked the vent and opened up the trailer. I installed new dual 6 volts earlier this year so I removed the cushion to check the battery levels. Using a unused condiment bottle I topped off the electrolyte levels. Total was about a quart for all six caps. The plates were all covered, but the amount of liquid in these units is enormous. Seems to take a lot to raise the level one inch. Just a reminder to keep those plates covered.
Merry Christmas
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
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12-24-2015, 11:28 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Southwick, Massachusetts
Trailer: None, sold my 2014 5.0TA
Posts: 7,124
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How full did you fill them?
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Happy Motoring
Bob
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12-24-2015, 11:32 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
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up to right below the lip of the bottom opening, about 1.5 inches below the top.
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
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12-24-2015, 12:34 PM
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#4
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Site Team
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Portland, Oregon
Trailer: 2014 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 11,023
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There's an indicator ring you can see when you pull the cap off. Add distilled water up to that ring. I use a turkey baster purchased from the Dollar store.
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Donna D.
Ten Forward
2014 Escape 5.0TA
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12-24-2015, 12:44 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
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I use my battery hydrometer to add water.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
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12-24-2015, 12:59 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Southwick, Massachusetts
Trailer: None, sold my 2014 5.0TA
Posts: 7,124
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008
up to right below the lip of the bottom opening, about 1.5 inches below the top.
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Sounds right, surprised you needed so much H2O.
__________________
Happy Motoring
Bob
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12-24-2015, 01:03 PM
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#7
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Site Team
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Canyon Lake, Texas
Trailer: 2015 19 "Past Tents", 2021 F150 Lariat 2.7L EB
Posts: 10,222
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I picked up one of these when we got the trailer:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...E98XKXNJY99Y0C
Works well, and you don't have to eyeball anything - automatically at the right fill level. Only thing is to remember to push down hard when filling, so the auto shutoff works as designed.
__________________
"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy an RV. And that is pretty close."
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12-24-2015, 01:15 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
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With the dual sixers you only have access to 50% easily, the other 3 are way back and you need a light and a mirror to look down. I filled them right up below the ring, maybe 1/8" below. This was my first refill, they may not haven been 100% full when I installed them.
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
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12-24-2015, 01:44 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Tampa Bay Area, Florida
Trailer: 2015 Escape 5.0TA (Little Elsie) Extensively Personalized
Posts: 2,960
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I use a Pro-Fill onboard battery watering system. It has a series of tubes and replacement caps. Once installed, you hook up the bulb shaped "pump," put the open ended tube in a bottle of distilled water, and squeeze away until resistance is felt when squeezing the bulb. Automatically fills all cell to the proper level and whole process takes 5 minutes. 4-1/2 of those minutes are hooking up the pump and getting the distilled water. About $50 but extremely simple.
__________________
What a long strange trip it’s been!
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12-24-2015, 01:49 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Galesville, Wisconsin
Trailer: 2017 21 "Blue II" & 2017 Highlander XLE (previously 2010 17B "Blue" & 2008 Tacoma)
Posts: 4,232
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008
With the dual sixers you only have access to 50% easily, the other 3 are way back and you need a light and a mirror to look down. I filled them right up below the ring, maybe 1/8" below. This was my first refill, they may not haven been 100% full when I installed them.
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I think I remember reading somewhere that new batteries may consume more water for the first few cycles? Not sure why it would be if its true...
__________________
Eric (and Mary who is in no way responsible for anything stupid I post)
"Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance." George Bernard Shaw
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12-24-2015, 02:08 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Trailer: 2015 Escape 19 "Seventy Degrees"
Posts: 3,495
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12-24-2015, 02:41 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Olathe, Kansas
Trailer: 2015 21ft Escape "Spirit of the Plains", 2014 GMC Sierra with max tow package
Posts: 1,100
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008
With the dual sixers you only have access to 50% easily, the other 3 are way back and you need a light and a mirror to look down. I filled them right up below the ring, maybe 1/8" below. This was my first refill, they may not haven been 100% full when I installed them.
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We have the u-shaped dinette so the batteries are fairly easy to get at. I wonder if they didn't move them more toward the center since you got yours. I topped ours off before it went to storage and I doubt if they even took a couple of table spoons. Loren
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12-24-2015, 02:43 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Marana, Arizona
Trailer: 2018 Airstream Flying Cloud (Escape 19 & 5.0 previously)
Posts: 1,078
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rbryan4
I picked up one of these when we got the trailer:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...E98XKXNJY99Y0C
Works well, and you don't have to eyeball anything - automatically at the right fill level. Only thing is to remember to push down hard when filling, so the auto shutoff works as designed.
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I haven't seen one of these since I worked at a Texaco station. Not sure of the year, but gas was 33.9 cents/gal.
__________________
Rich & Mary
"Everything in moderation, including moderation."
- Oscar Wilde
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12-24-2015, 02:49 PM
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#15
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Site Team
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Portland, Oregon
Trailer: 2014 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 11,023
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There's all kinds of fancy gadgets to do all kinds of things... but, I'm cheap! Headlamp, a mirror, turkey baster and a gallon of distilled water and I'll be able to do the maintenance work on Ten Forward's batteries for years.
Now, if someone comes up with an auto-tire filler... I'd be all over that
__________________
Donna D.
Ten Forward
2014 Escape 5.0TA
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12-24-2015, 04:08 PM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Galesville, Wisconsin
Trailer: 2017 21 "Blue II" & 2017 Highlander XLE (previously 2010 17B "Blue" & 2008 Tacoma)
Posts: 4,232
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Donna D.
There's all kinds of fancy gadgets to do all kinds of things... but, I'm cheap! Headlamp, a mirror, turkey baster and a gallon of distilled water and I'll be able to do the maintenance work on Ten Forward's batteries for years.
Now, if someone comes up with an auto-tire filler... I'd be all over that
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__________________
Eric (and Mary who is in no way responsible for anything stupid I post)
"Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance." George Bernard Shaw
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12-24-2015, 07:00 PM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Southwick, Massachusetts
Trailer: None, sold my 2014 5.0TA
Posts: 7,124
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Loren & Cathy
We have the u-shaped dinette so the batteries are fairly easy to get at. I wonder if they didn't move them more toward the center since you got yours. I topped ours off before it went to storage and I doubt if they even took a couple of table spoons. Loren
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Jim's was a group 29 that he converted to twin 6's. My 2014 came with the 2 6's and they are easy to access. Obviously different battery placements.
__________________
Happy Motoring
Bob
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12-24-2015, 08:01 PM
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#18
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Site Team
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Canyon Lake, Texas
Trailer: 2015 19 "Past Tents", 2021 F150 Lariat 2.7L EB
Posts: 10,222
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008
With the dual sixers you only have access to 50% easily, the other 3 are way back and you need a light and a mirror to look down..
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True, in a 21. In my 19 they're in the storage box, and a snap to check.
__________________
"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy an RV. And that is pretty close."
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12-24-2015, 10:56 PM
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#20
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Tampa Bay Area, Florida
Trailer: 2015 Escape 5.0TA (Little Elsie) Extensively Personalized
Posts: 2,960
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimrules
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I don't think this is what Donna meant when she said "automatic." I believe she was referring to the elusive air compressor that didn't require human intervention. Such a beast does not exist.....yet!
__________________
What a long strange trip it’s been!
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