batteries? |
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JandL
Senior Member Joined: 29 Mar 2014 Location: California Online Status: Offline Posts: 364 |
Topic: batteries? Posted: 26 Oct 2015 at 11:00pm |
Here is a link to the Lippert Components sofa slide out system. Look at page 10 figure 8 and it shows how to retract the slideout It's the slide mechanism that's on my 2012 177
https://www.rexandsonsrvs.com/manuals/lippert%20Sofa%20Slide%20Manual-Web.pdf |
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JandL
2013 Honda Ridgeline 2012 177 2 Paynes in a Pod |
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cgarb
Groupie Joined: 27 Mar 2011 Location: California Online Status: Offline Posts: 95 |
Posted: 26 Oct 2015 at 10:16pm |
We put in one each warm and cool color LED's for each light fixture. The result is a nice natural light.
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Carol
177 HRE rpod 2014 Honda Pilot |
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headcold
Senior Member Joined: 13 Nov 2013 Online Status: Offline Posts: 125 |
Posted: 26 Oct 2015 at 9:45pm |
I plan to replace my lights with LED's. I would appreciate to know what kind, product numbers, sizes etc. of LED's so I don't have to experiment. Anyone out there with that information at the tip of their fingers. Also, does Forest River sell frosted light covers? To my mind, the light from an LED can be pretty harsh. Does anyone have a solution for moderating the light of LEDs?
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johnmaci
Senior Member Joined: 17 Jun 2014 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 202 |
Posted: 21 Oct 2015 at 12:29pm |
Re #1 & #3;
I bought a generator three years ago, but have never used it. My solar panel keeps my one, deep cycle, Marine/RV topped off all day. With that said, my power needs are modest since most everything is propane powered and lights are LED. We use a coffee percolator on the stove and like to live as "primitive" as possible (no TV, battery operated radio, etc.). this is camping after all :) The furnace fan uses the most power, but we only turn it on during the night; During the day, if things are chilly, we use a Mr. Heater Big Buddy to keep things toasty with a window cracked open. In most instances, our solar panel has replenished the battery by noon from sunrise, and then the controller changes over to maintaining for the rest of the day. |
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Outbound
podders Helping podders - pHp Joined: 19 Nov 2009 Location: Oshawa, Ontario Online Status: Offline Posts: 767 |
Posted: 21 Oct 2015 at 12:21pm |
Personally, I usually go to Costco for batteries and buy the Kirkland deep cycles.
Don't forget, your vehicle's umbilical will supply power to the trailer. So, if you do have a battery failure, connect your trailer to your running tow vehicle and bring in the slide. There is a manual procedure for doing it as well, which I'll leave to someone with a slide to share. |
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Craig :: 2009 RP171 towed by a 2017 F150
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Guests
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Posted: 21 Oct 2015 at 12:04pm |
+1 on the above. I almost went with a single battery. Most of the time, this would be fine, for me. Using my Smoky Mts. trip above, it is/was nice to have some extra capacity on those chilly nights. |
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techntrek
Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9062 |
Posted: 21 Oct 2015 at 9:04am |
Unless you full-time, it makes sense to put in the cheapest deep cycle you can get, IMO. Every time I price things Wal-Mart comes out the cheapest $ per amp. If you are getting a generator I would stick with a single battery, too.
Make sure your lights are LED, and convert them if they aren't (an easy job). They are the second largest energy user after the furnace's blower. |
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Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Guests
Guest Group |
Posted: 21 Oct 2015 at 6:35am |
But wait...there's more.....
To answer #3 more directly - I just returned from 7 days in the Smoky Mts. Even in a campsite with zero shade, solar panels would not have kept up with my usage. I estimate that I was using 40+ amp/hours per day. I was running the furnace, watching 3-4 hours of TV, daily showers, etc. This required my running the generator 3-4 hours per day (in 2 sessions)to keep up. Again, we have to replace those electrons that we use - more use, more charging. |
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Guests
Guest Group |
Posted: 21 Oct 2015 at 3:55am |
Much could be written to answer your questions but, I'll try to be brief. The battery(s) you choose will depend on the type of camping you do and how much power you usually consume.
If you camp a lot without hook ups, two 6 volt golf cart batteries will yield the most available power (amp/hours)between charging. These will not be inexpensive. At the other end of the spectrum, if most of your camping has electrical hook ups, then a single deep cycle/marine ("hybrid") would be fine. Battery power is just required while you are in route to/from your destinations. Understand however, with this arrangement, you will not have much power for those times when you do not have hook ups. Personally, I run two of the deep cycle/marine type batteries and use a generator when "dry" camping for several days. This arrangement gives me about 50-55 usable amp/hours between charging. I do not like to let the batteries get below 70% "state of charge" (and neither should you). Here is how the math works: 2 batteries at 150 amps (each)"reserve capacity". To convert to amp/hours, multiply by .6. 300 X .6 = 180 amp hours. This sounds like a lot of power but, remember, we can only use about 30% of that capacity before the batteries are dead. If we discharge much more than that, we can damage the batteries. So, 180 X 30% = 54 amp/hours available for me to use between charging. These 54 amp/hours can last for days, with light usage. With heavier usage, I am recharging daily (sometimes, more than daily). Two 6 volt batteries (@225amp/hours, wired in series to yield 12 volts) would yield about 67 amp/hours (@ 70% state of charge) but, under heavy usage, I would still likely be charging daily. It did not make much sense to me to spend the extra money on golf cart batteries, as I would still need to carry a generator, anyway. The golf cart batteries will tolerate a more severe discharge but, at the end of the day, if I use 50 amp/hours, I'll need to put those amp/hours back in the batteries. Do I want to charge for a shorter period daily or, a longer period, perhaps, every other day? Where you buy batteries is probably less important than making sure the batteries are "fresh" - less than one month old, preferably. There will be a "date code" sticker on them, somewhere. Dollar wise - I spent about $160 total for my two batteries, a few months ago. 6 volt batteries were in the $200 each neighborhood. The golf cart batteries will last longer but, I can replace mine and still be money ahead. Personally, solar panels would not work for me. I like campsites that are shaded/wooded. I carry a generator. Give some thought to your individual situation and "camping style" vs. how much you are willing to spend. What is best for me (or another) may, or may not, be the best answer for you. If we think of batteries as a "gas tank"- a bigger tank will allow us to go further between refilling. However, we will use the same amount of fuel to get from point "A" to point "B". How much you use and how often you want to "refill" should guide you in the direction you want to go. I'll leave it to others to address the slide problem. Most slides that I am aware of have a manual crank - just for emergencies. |
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cgarb
Groupie Joined: 27 Mar 2011 Location: California Online Status: Offline Posts: 95 |
Posted: 21 Oct 2015 at 12:23am |
3 questions related to batteries: 1. What advice does anyone have for replacing two deep cycle batteries that are no longer holding a charge? Buy online? Go to an auto parts store? A trusted RV repair shop? Buy the same quality as the original equipment, or upgrade? If so, to what standard, assuming you want reliability and good value for the cost? 2. Has anyone had the experience of batteries failing with the slide out side frozen in the expanded position? How did you deal with it? 3. Has anyone bought either solar cells or a generator to keep the batteries charged away from an electrical connection? Assuming you want to camp for a week at a time without a hook up, what would you recommend? Thanks so much for any advice!
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Carol
177 HRE rpod 2014 Honda Pilot |
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