AGM Batteries - Page 4 - Escape Trailer Owners Community
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×

Go Back   Escape Trailer Owners Community > Escape Tech > Problem Solving | Owners helping each other
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 04-05-2016, 12:50 PM   #61
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1700
Posts: 14,935
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Bennett View Post
I think I will just stick with the standard termials, an M* threaded insert, but am curious as to others thoughts on the merits of the optional L-blade or Marine Terminals. I don't really see a big advantage.
That's a nice illustration... strangely not from the Lifeline site.

4. The least desirable to me would be the automotive post, since it must be used with clamp-type cable terminations.

3. I wouldn't mind the threaded inserts, and that would be the way to go if height in the case is an issue. My only concern would be that if anything happens to the threads (which are in copper) there would be no easy fix. At least copper is better than the similar but lead (and differently sized) threaded socket in GM side-terminal automotive batteries.

2. The marine terminals are also copper threaded inserts, but have a post (intended for starter cables) which might be handy for clip-on leads for meters or chargers. They also have different sizes for positive and negative (also standard practice with threaded posts offered by other brands), to eliminate the chance of a backward hookup if properly sized cable terminal rings are used; the positive terminal thread is also larger than the plain threaded inserts. I think that I would prefer this to the plain threaded inserts.

1. I like the L-blades, although I have not had them in copper before. Bolts are used, just as with the threaded inserts. They also require the use of a nut, which means two wrenches and less convenience, but you can apply as much clamping force as desired, with no chance of stripping a thread built into the battery
Brian B-P is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2016, 01:03 PM   #62
Senior Member
 
Jim Bennett's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Trailer: 2017 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 15,532
A bit of an update. Escape must install a battery box if the batteries are inside the trailer, as they must presume that the user might put in flooded batteries. Once one takes possession, they could do what they want.

Quote:
Originally Posted by freespirit View Post
I was reading this thread thinking what I would do with the batteries on the Escape 19. I couldn't find exact info on the Escape website for the dual 6 v battery option, perhaps I missed it. If you talk to Escape about the dual 6 volt batteries, please ask them to post the battery MFG, PN, Weight, and dimensions for the dual 6 volt battery option on a Escape 19 (assume they are the same for your trailer choice). I suggest this assuming the dual 6 volt option is not an AGM battery and therefore wondering if Escape will offer a dual 6 volt Lifeline (or Other) AGM upgrade and if so how much, MFG, PN, etc? Will need to know the specs of the current battery in the dual 6 volt option so I know what fits in the storage box in case Escape does not offer an AGM upgrade and I have to provide them.
also if anyone has any pictures of the dual 6 volt option on an Escape 19 please post them or a link.
Thank you
They do not offer an AGM upgrade. If I go that way, I will supply my own. I imagine someone will have the photos of the dual 6V installed in the storage box, or on the tongue, of the 19.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian B-P View Post
That's a nice illustration... strangely not from the Lifeline site.
Yeah, I found it on a few sites selling the Lifeline batteries, but not on Lifeline's site.

The marine terminals were really the only one I couldn't figure out, but see it now that you mention their purpose. I think the simple threaded insert would definitely work best. I one wanted a good contact to attach leads it would be easy to add something small.
__________________
2017 Escape 5.0 TA
2015 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost
2009 Escape 19 (previous)
“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” — Abraham Lincoln
Jim Bennett is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2016, 01:10 PM   #63
Senior Member
 
thoer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Galesville, Wisconsin
Trailer: 2017 21 "Blue II" & 2017 Highlander XLE (previously 2010 17B "Blue" & 2008 Tacoma)
Posts: 4,232
Jim, so will you see if Escape will delete the batteries from your build? Personally, I've had such good luck with our Interstate dual 6V (going on six years old and still performing almost like new) that the cost of them from Escape seems awfully reasonable. Is you main thought for the AGM to be able to not vent them?
__________________
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
thoer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2016, 01:15 PM   #64
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Area 51, New Mexico
Trailer: pondering.....
Posts: 728
not sure about Lifeline, but noticed Trojan Reliant T105-AGM batteries have a few distributors/dealers in BC...wonder what they cost locally for Escape?
freespirit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2016, 01:20 PM   #65
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Edmonton, Alberta
Trailer: 1979 Boler B1700
Posts: 14,935
The obvious factory upgrade to AGM would be the Interstate 31M-AGM, from Interstate's limited AGM selection, but that's only a guess... and all Interstate AGM batteries are 12-volt. Group 31 is Interstate's biggest AGM size, and a pair would have somewhat less capacity (and 10% less weight, and different proportions) than dual GPL-4CT. With Jim's latest update, this is now not very relevant (with no factory upgrade there is reason to be limited to Interstate), but I had already written this...

It would make sense to me to ask them if they would install customer-provided batteries. I think it would be awkward for them to build without batteries (to complete wiring, and testing), so my guess is that they would need to be provided prior to the build, not at pickup time. It might be practical to buy AGM batteries online and have them shipped directly to Escape's factory.

An alternative might be to get the larger box with only the standard battery, and use it for a while until doing an upgrade as a by-owner customization. In the 21' apparently the same box is used for the Group 29 upgrade as for the dual 6V upgrade - that may be one way to get the big box in a 21' or Jim's 5.0TA, although it may not apply to the 19'.
Brian B-P is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2016, 01:26 PM   #66
Senior Member
 
Ron in BC's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: North Van., British Columbia
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19, sold; 2019 Escape 21, Sept. 2019
Posts: 8,744
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian B-P View Post
An alternative might be to get the larger box with only the standard battery, and use it for a while until doing an upgrade as a by-owner customization. I
Yes, that was the easiest way for me to get my dual 12 volt set-up. The trailer must leave ETI with a functioning electrical system. After that, it's fair game for mods.

Ron
Ron in BC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2016, 01:29 PM   #67
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Area 51, New Mexico
Trailer: pondering.....
Posts: 728
so is this correct?
For an Escape 19 (with or without a storage box), the standard is a 12 volt Flooded battery mounted on the tongue. If the dual 6 volt option is purchased then Qty 2 - 6v flooded batteries are mounted on the tongue.
If the storage box is purchased then either the standard or the dual 6 volt batteries are mounted in the storage box and the bottom of the box is designed for the weight of the batteries and the battery mounting method to the box inside the box is rugged (for lack of a better word). Or are the batteries mounted to a metal platform to the tongue and the storage box is merely "around" the batteries inside it? Wish Escape would post really good pics of this ....
freespirit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2016, 01:37 PM   #68
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Area 51, New Mexico
Trailer: pondering.....
Posts: 728
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian B-P View Post
The obvious factory upgrade to AGM would be the Interstate 31M-AGM, from Interstate's limited AGM selection, but that's only a guess... and all Interstate AGM batteries are 12-volt. Group 31 is Interstate's biggest AGM size, and a pair would have somewhat less capacity (and 10% less weight, and different proportions) than dual GPL-4CT. With Jim's latest update, this is now not very relevant (with no factory upgrade there is reason to be limited to Interstate), but I had already written this...

It would make sense to me to ask them if they would install customer-provided batteries. I think it would be awkward for them to build without batteries (to complete wiring, and testing), so my guess is that they would need to be provided prior to the build, not at pickup time. It might be practical to buy AGM batteries online and have them shipped directly to Escape's factory.

An alternative might be to get the larger box with only the standard battery, and use it for a while until doing an upgrade as a by-owner customization. In the 21' apparently the same box is used for the Group 29 upgrade as for the dual 6V upgrade - that may be one way to get the big box in a 21' or Jim's 5.0TA, although it may not apply to the 19'.
there are 5 dealer/distributors listed in BC for the Trojan Reliant AGM battery..maybe Escape could check it out as an option since its local and in the worst case maybe an Escape customer could arrange for the dealer/distributor to have it delivered to Escape prior to delivery, since I ain't a local not sure about the logistics.
freespirit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2016, 01:55 PM   #69
Senior Member
 
Greg A's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Trailer: 2015 Escape 19 "Seventy Degrees"
Posts: 3,495
I don't have the storage box, but here's the dual 6V on the tongue of the 19.
Attached Thumbnails
battery-locks.jpg  
Greg A is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2016, 02:26 PM   #70
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Area 51, New Mexico
Trailer: pondering.....
Posts: 728
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg A View Post
I don't have the storage box, but here's the dual 6V on the tongue of the 19.
Thank you..just curious were your metal straps with lock add-ons or factory standard?
So I assume the angle iron welded across the tongue frame and beneath the batteries is somehow also part of the storage box battery mount method.
wonder if the batteries are also inside a battery box as shown in your photo and then mounted inside the storage box as I assume that would prevent items from coming in contact with the batteries inside the storage box.
freespirit is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2016, 02:29 PM   #71
Senior Member
 
Greg A's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Trailer: 2015 Escape 19 "Seventy Degrees"
Posts: 3,495
The battery box locks are aftermarket after I lost a battery to theft on an earlier trailer. The welded iron on units with storage box I can't address since don't have that option, but I assume they did something to support batteries with that option.
Greg A is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2016, 02:33 PM   #72
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Port Angeles, Washington
Trailer: 2014 19'
Posts: 534
Quote:
Originally Posted by freespirit View Post
Thank you..just curious were your metal straps with lock add-ons or factory standard?
So I assume the angle iron welded across the tongue frame and beneath the batteries is somehow also part of the storage box battery mount method.
The storage box has a glassed in plywood base. The battery(s) set on it. I ordered the box and a group 29 battery.

Slid the battery over and added another group 29 in a plastic box like the installed one.

Personally I like a pair of 12s.
Klem is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2016, 03:39 PM   #73
Senior Member
 
kstock11's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Asheville, North Carolina
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19
Posts: 895
With 2 12 volts and a multi-position switch, do both batteries have to be the same age?
__________________
Kevin
Thanks to the interstate highway system, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything - Charles Kuralt
kstock11 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2016, 04:09 PM   #74
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Port Angeles, Washington
Trailer: 2014 19'
Posts: 534
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron in BC View Post
Klem, didn't know you went the pair of 12's route also. Do you you have them on a multi-position battery switch?

Ron
Simply in parallel with a 60A fuse between them so when my wrench slips ....

I've been doing a pair of 12s for a long time. Sometimes 1 is in the TV and 1 in the trailer. Drive away and you are charging that one. Plug an 'extension cord' (2 wires + & - only) between the TV and trailer when you are camped. Idle the TV for a few minutes before driving off and give all the batteries a kick in their butts.

The twin 12s with my 200w of solar are working great. And if one of the batteries get 'bad habits' I might kick the TV battery to the trailer and replace the TV battery.

When you are driving it's 3 12s in parallel so it's not perfect .. but has worked great for me. If you test 10 batteries you will find 10 different 'reservoirs' they are never the same.
Klem is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2016, 04:14 PM   #75
Site Team
 
rbryan4's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Canyon Lake, Texas
Trailer: 2015 19 "Past Tents", 2021 F150 Lariat 2.7L EB
Posts: 10,222
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron in BC View Post
Interesting, my wife has a 2008 retractable hardtop with 17,000 miles on it. It was her summer car for 5 years. The original Panasonic battery lasted 4 years and now the second one is showing signs of needing replacement despite keeping it charged over the winter etc. So you're probably right, minimum use for batteries doesn't do them any favors.



Ron


Are you sure that's the same AGM battery Ron? I recall some scuttlebutt on one of the Miata forums that Mazda changed the battery after 2005, and their replacement didn't have the lifespan of the older ones. Folks were wanting Mazda to go back to the original Panasonic. Could be wrong. I do know that there was no direct replacement for my original battery when I replaced it in 2014.
__________________
"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy an RV. And that is pretty close."
rbryan4 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2016, 06:39 PM   #76
Senior Member
 
Ron in BC's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: North Van., British Columbia
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19, sold; 2019 Escape 21, Sept. 2019
Posts: 8,744
Quote:
Originally Posted by kstock11 View Post
With 2 12 volts and a multi-position switch, do both batteries have to be the same age?
No, that's a nice side benefit. Each is normally used and charged independently. The only time I put the battery selector switch to "all" is for the few minutes the microwave is being used.

In a worst case scenario, which I've already experienced, with a 3 month old battery suddenly developing an internal short, you have another fully charged battery ready to go at the flick of a switch.

Everyone seems to love two 6's but for me two independent 12's are the way to go.

Ron
Ron in BC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2016, 06:44 PM   #77
Senior Member
 
Ron in BC's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: North Van., British Columbia
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19, sold; 2019 Escape 21, Sept. 2019
Posts: 8,744
Quote:
Originally Posted by rbryan4 View Post
Are you sure that's the same AGM battery Ron? I recall some scuttlebutt on one of the Miata forums that Mazda changed the battery after 2005, and their replacement didn't have the lifespan of the older ones. Folks were wanting Mazda to go back to the original Panasonic. Could be wrong. I do know that there was no direct replacement for my original battery when I replaced it in 2014.
My bad. I missed the "AGM" part. It's a Panasonic but flooded, not AGM. Too bad, sounds like folks on the Miata forums had a valid point.

Ron
Ron in BC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2016, 07:15 PM   #78
Senior Member
 
AKCamper's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Juneau, Alaska
Trailer: 2016 Escape 19
Posts: 555
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Bennett View Post
A bit of an update. Escape must install a battery box if the batteries are inside the trailer, as they must presume that the user might put in flooded batteries. Once one takes possession, they could do what they want.

Jim,
Even if you installed AGM's Lifelines site says you must put in a vented area. If overcharging occurs either from your converter, you r solar controller, or even your vehicles alternator on a long drive it could gas off hydrogen.
AKCamper is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2016, 07:48 PM   #79
Senior Member
 
Jim Bennett's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Calgary, Alberta
Trailer: 2017 Escape 5.0 TA
Posts: 15,532
Quote:
Originally Posted by AKCamper View Post
Jim,
Even if you installed AGM's Lifelines site says you must put in a vented area. If overcharging occurs either from your converter, you r solar controller, or even your vehicles alternator on a long drive it could gas off hydrogen.
I have done a ton of researching now, and though most battery manufacturers recommend that AGMs be vented, many users don't, and I have yet to hear of of one that was overcharged.

It all may be moot though, as it does not like Reace could not install a battery box. It looks like I might be putting them in the location where they go in the standard dinette layout, and then make the front bench as narrow as possible without them there, yet still house the electrical stuff. Maybe I will just go with a standard dinette too, as the small foot space in the U-shaped layout just doesn't cut it for me.

Back to the drawing board!
__________________
2017 Escape 5.0 TA
2015 Ford F150 Lariat 3.5L EcoBoost
2009 Escape 19 (previous)
“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” — Abraham Lincoln
Jim Bennett is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-06-2016, 06:42 AM   #80
Site Team
 
rbryan4's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Canyon Lake, Texas
Trailer: 2015 19 "Past Tents", 2021 F150 Lariat 2.7L EB
Posts: 10,222
AGM Batteries

On the subject of venting AGM batteries: They don't off gas like flooded cell batteries, but that is not to say they can't off gas at all. Many AGM batteries actually have a small vent (very small hole) and come with thin rubber tubing that you route to a small hole that vents to the exterior. On my Miata for example, with the battery mounted in the trunk, the battery had two small holes on top, with two small rubber tubes connected, which merged into a small plastic junction. Then a single small tube went from the junction down the side of the trunk to a small hole that exited the wheelwell. The idea was to route any gas to outside instead of the trunk.
__________________
"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy an RV. And that is pretty close."
rbryan4 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off




» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Escape Trailer Industries or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:59 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2023 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.