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Tidalwave4455 View Drop Down
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Joined: 25 Aug 2011
Location: minnesota
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Posts: 57 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: 171 - Mod - Dual Battery
    Posted: 11 Jan 2012 at 3:29pm
The dual batteries should be of the same brand, age and capacity.  If one battery is not as good as the other...the lesser battery will degrade a lot faster.
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Joined: 29 Jul 2009
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Posts: 9059 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jan 2012 at 9:18pm
Yes.  The idea is to get the length of each run (- and +) equal.  The paralleled batteries above have a longer run to the battery on the right so they won't charge or discharge the same as the battery on the left.
Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Joined: 26 Nov 2009
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Posts: 3990 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 Jan 2012 at 8:36pm
ok had to think and reread several times what you were saying.  What you did mean is on the 2 batteries from the camper hook the positive to one battery and the negative from the other battery.  then run two jumper cables between each battery from positive to positive and negative to negative.  Correct?
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Posts: 9059 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Jan 2012 at 8:31pm
Just make sure your batteries aren't paralleled like the diagram above shows (very bottom).  The negative take-off should be on the right battery so the draw is equal from both batteries.
Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Posts: 3990 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Jan 2012 at 4:48pm
Getting ready for this weekend I went over to the camper and went to turn on the lights and there was nothing.  Thinking I forgot to turn off the battery switch I went and grabbed the battery charger to find out both batteries were fully charged.  Turned out to be a cheap switch I used went bad.  Hoping to have that switched by the weekend.  Moral of the story - you get what you pay for. 
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Posts: 3990 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Aug 2010 at 9:45pm
The charger should maintain the batteries asa it is in storage but will not be enough as we are using it.  I also shut down the camper while it is in storage so the charger given enough time would charge them.  I hook into power when I get home and charge the battery before shutting down everything.
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Joined: 16 Nov 2009
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Posts: 1950 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Aug 2010 at 2:49pm
Does the on board charger handle both batteries?

Terry
RP-175 W/Lift Kit 2011 Ford F-150 4X4
Saint Augustine, FL: The first permanent European settlement in the USA: 1565
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Posts: 3990 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Aug 2010 at 9:46am
I live very close to East Penn's Manufacturing plant and they have a second's store there.  I went up and picked them both up at a great price.  I had an older Deka battery we used for over 10 years with our popup and I abused that one big time.  The sad thing is that the batterry I removed was another brand that was only 1 1/2 years old and it was already starting to fail.  I do have a solar charger/maintainer hooked to them as the camper is in storage.
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Joined: 10 Jun 2009
Location: Owosso MI
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Posts: 704 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Aug 2010 at 7:54am
 I had 4 Deka DC31s in 2 banks of 2 on my boat. The older bank was 8 years old when I sold the boat and just starting to show some signs of aging. Great batteries. Not cheap though.
.: Mark & Beth :: Silverado 5.3L :: 2018 rPod 180 :.
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Joined: 22 Jan 2010
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Posts: 49 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Aug 2010 at 10:28pm
Great post.  I'm saving this one to reference later should we start some serious dry camping.
R171 2010
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