Upgrading your battery system.... - Page 4

PGDriver · 12-09-2014, 04:46 PM

Bob we never changed out the unit in our Escape 19 combined with the 6 volt batteries all we did was take them in for the winter and re-install them in the spring. After 4 years we sold the trailer and the batteries were still good as new. We always kept track of the voltage drop over the years of use when we camped. Although not scientific, we never noticed any decline.

Now this is not to say there aren't better units on the market (thought I would put this in before anyone had heart failure

) but what Escape installed in our trailer worked well for us.

Cheers Doug

padlin · 12-09-2014, 04:47 PM

ETI uses Interstate batteries, the 6's are the the GC2-XHD-S you mentioned previously.

Make that the GC2-XHD, don't know if the S makes a difference.

jamman · 12-09-2014, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobbito

Thanks Doug. I think we will just stick with the ETI batteries then and replace them with Interstates when they die down the road.

Oops, I certainly didn't read the thread carefully enough. My apologies. Thanks for the info on both the WFCO power unit and the Xantrex. The Intellipower link shows a graph of %charge vs Time at various voltages and the boost voltage of 14.4 takes around 4 hours. However, isn't this for a 12 volt battery. I assume that two 6 volt batteries take 8 hours (and it matches what I believe we used to experience when we charged our Nash). What concerns me is the maximum 4 hours of boost on the WFCO unit. It could mean a lot longer charging for us, and as we use a generator at the lake (Yes we use a generator when fishing. We charge the boat's electric batteries at the same time as the trailer, every few days. The noise from our Honda generator is more than offset by no outboard noise on the lake).

Though the Xantrex seems to be a better option, I don't have the bucks or the know-how to change over to it. We will have to live with whatever the WFCO gives us.
Thanks for the advice. I am blown away by the level of knowledge and skill on this forum.

Bob

The ETI 6V batteries ARE Interstate U series.

You should think of them as 1 12V battery, they would take the same length of time to recharge - EXCEPT that their chemistry is different and they want higher voltages, so they will take longer and won't get fully charged. (And since they hold more amp-hours it may take longer to put them back - that depends on how far down you run them.)

Many here are happy with the battery setup, and it should be at least as good as the Nash (which is a nice sticky.)

With all LED lighting (optional and strongly recommended) the batteries should go much farther than with incandescent lights.

padlin · 12-09-2014, 05:06 PM

Mine are GC2-XHD-UTL, is that U series?

fudge_brownie · 12-09-2014, 05:38 PM

The GC2-XHD is a direct replacement for the discontinued U series. They do have an ever so slightly different charge recommendation with the new series, I believe they have a slightly different chemistry inside but are functionally identical. The charge rates are lowered by .10 of a volt in the absorption stage.

jamman · 12-09-2014, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by padlin

Mine are GC2-XHD-UTL, is that U series?

Technically, no, I have been a bit sloppy with my terminology. But for all practical purposes, yes. The UTL/UT/S at the end indicate the type of battery post - they are all GC2-XHD.

The U series and GC2-XHD are not quite the same. The charging voltages are slightly different. The first table is U, 2nd is a special U, and 3rd is for our GC2-XHD ETI-supplied 6V batteries: Interstate Batteries FAQ :: How do I charge certain deep cycle 6-volt and 12-volt batteries?

cpaharley2008 · 12-09-2014, 07:37 PM

Getting back to my original question, will the WFCO handle the Duracell dual 6ers with 220 a/h without issues?

jamman · 12-09-2014, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Getting back to my original question, will the WFCO handle the Duracell dual 6ers with 220 a/h without issues?

I have not been able to find any info about the Duracell HPGC battery charging requirements.

I think it is safe to assume they do not require higher voltages than the Interstates, so the WFCO should do as well with Duracell 6V batteries as it does with Interstates. (And it will probably do better since the Duracells probably require more "normal" charging.)

hotfishtacos · 12-09-2014, 10:08 PM

We had a few posts here about beer but we haven't covered food yet...just sayin..!..

NJ Joe · 12-09-2014, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamman

I have not been able to find any info about the Duracell HPGC battery charging requirements.

I think it is safe to assume they do not require higher voltages than the Interstates, so the WFCO should do as well with Duracell 6V batteries as it does with Interstates. (And it will probably do better since the Duracells probably require more "normal" charging.)

I'm not sure if this particular battery is made by East Penn but I know some of the Duracell brand batteries are.

http://www.dekabatteries.com/assets/base/1913.pdf

padlin · 12-10-2014, 06:12 AM

I don't see one that's 220Ah, are you looking at the one that Sam's carries? It's 215Ah but no big deal. Irregardless, using the table NJ Joe found (I couldn't find anything better) what Jamman says stands. If the WFCO is doing what it's supposed to, it should handle the Duracell better then the Interstates.

From what I've read, the WFCO's have a tendency not to perform all their stages, more so as they get older. I would think your choice of batteries would have no bearing on it.

PGDriver · 12-10-2014, 11:35 AM

Well after much reading and searching I have think the Noco Genius 7200 charger will be my next purchase, it seems to be the best suited in its price range and will work well with all the other batteries I have. its rated for 230AH batteries so it should work well with the dual 6 volts.

G7200 | Genius Battery Chargers

Cheers Doug

cpaharley2008 · 12-10-2014, 12:15 PM

So, would one attach this to their battery bank while it is installed in the trailer or are these for stand alone storage set ups?

PGDriver · 12-10-2014, 12:46 PM

Jim I would tend to use this over the winter when my batteries are in the shop. Although with the testing mode it might be nice to hook it up in the trailer every once in awhile and just see how the batteries are doing.

Doug

BCnomad · 12-10-2014, 12:57 PM

Supposedly this here little fella is an improvement (charging wise) over the stock unit. I do not see specs though?

Converter

padlin · 12-10-2014, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BCnomad

Supposedly this here little fella is an improvement (charging wise) over the stock unit. I do not see specs though?

Converter

Did you talk to Randy at Best about it? If you're not familiar with him, he knows his stuff.

thoer · 12-10-2014, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PGDriver

Well after much reading and searching I have think the Noco Genius 7200 charger will be my next purchase, it seems to be the best suited in its price range and will work well with all the other batteries I have. its rated for 230AH batteries so it should work well with the dual 6 volts.

G7200 | Genius Battery Chargers

Cheers Doug

Doug - looks like a nice one. I'll be interested to hear how it works for you. Amazon has them for less than $80 - seems like an excellent charger for the price if the quality is good.

Brian B-P · 12-10-2014, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PGDriver

Well after much reading and searching I have think the Noco Genius 7200 charger will be my next purchase, it seems to be the best suited in its price range and will work well with all the other batteries I have. its rated for 230AH batteries so it should work well with the dual 6 volts.

G7200 | Genius Battery Chargers

I've noticed that this line is currently offered by Canadian Tire, so they're readily available (but that may not be the cheapest place to buy them).

Quote:

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

So, would one attach this to their battery bank while it is installed in the trailer or are these for stand alone storage set ups?

As the product overview explains, the Genius line has both multi-purpose battery chargers (including the G7200) and on-board battery chargers (GEN*). The Multi-Purpose Vs. On-Board section of the page explains the difference: I think if you are leaving a multi-purpose model mounted on the trailer it needs to be in a weather-protected location. I don't know about this brand, but with others a portable charger not intended to be left installed typically needs manual intervention to start it each time outside power is provided, while an onboard maintainer typically would pick up by itself.