cruz-in
Southern Maryland
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"Yes, I saw right through your opening post! You want AGMs."
LOL...I was that transparent.... I do think they are kinda cool and have found a great deal on them...just keep getting pulled back to wet cell and it's higher AH capacity. ....
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cruz-in
Southern Maryland
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"One thing not discussed is his solar and the possibility it will make critical choices about battery capacity mute."
Hi Jimindenver,
If you could eloborate on this I would be ineterested in hearingmore of your thoughts on this.
Thanks
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JiminDenver
Denver, Co
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Joined: 09/09/2011
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cruz-in wrote:"One thing not discussed is his solar and the possibility it will make critical choices about battery capacity mute."
Hi Jimindenver,
If you could eloborate on this I would be ineterested in hearingmore of your thoughts on this.
Thanks
Cruz
You said you use 70 to 90 ah a day. Either bank of batteries can produce more than that before they hit 50% and need to be recharged. You have 320 watts of solar that should have no issues replacing that kind of usage. (ideally)
So it wouldn't matter if you had 1000 ah of battery if you only use 90 ah and replace it daily the rest is just a comfort zone. ( many good reasons to have it but just saying) Also once the batteries are charged the solar should be off setting your usage during the day.
My solar and battery bank project are on hold until I can afford to do it right. Until that time we will have to recharge our single 95 ah grp 27 battery off of a genny, sometimes daily. Luckily our usage has never exceeded the 45 ah available before the battery needed to be recharged.
When we do get the solar up it will be 450 watts. I'm told that could handle a bank up to 750 ah. Until I can mount them I will set one 230w panel out to recharge my crappy 95 ah battery. As long as that battery covers my needs and I can recharge it daily, then we are doing fine and anything more is a comfort zone.
Why put up 450 watts of solar for what will only be a 200 ah bank eventually, because I need that recharge in less than idea situations. ( another comfort zone)
It would be great to afford 3 of those big 12v batteries. That would be 455 ah to go with the 450w of solar. I don't know what we would do with all that power except I know we wouldn't be using hand held fluorescent lights at night.
So if you think the AGMs are cool and they cover your needs, then get them. Just remember "cool" wears off fast when it's cold out and you need more ah to run the furnace. I still say go with the extra AHs
JinD
2011 GulfStream Amerilite 25BH
2007/2003 Ford Expedition
Nights camped in 2011 21
Nights camped in 2012 16
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cruz-in
Southern Maryland
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"Just remember "cool" wears off fast when it's cold out and you need more ah to run the furnace."
LOL well said!
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mena661
Southern California
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JiminDenver wrote:
One thing not discussed is his solar and the possibility it will make critical choices about battery capacity mute. This was discussed in his other threads. I still maintain that capacity should be your first choice. Did you have a chance to peruse my thread?
2009 Newmar Canyon Star 3205, Ford F53 V10
Trojan L16 6V's 740 Amp-hours
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JiminDenver
Denver, Co
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mena661 wrote:JiminDenver wrote:
One thing not discussed is his solar and the possibility it will make critical choices about battery capacity mute. This was discussed in his other threads. I still maintain that capacity should be your first choice. Did you have a chance to peruse my thread?
I probably have read your thread but after trying to get caught up after a 13 year break, I have read so many threads that knowing which is yours or connecting his two together gets mind boggling. I read and retain what I can and then if needed go back and reread.
I agree whole heartedly on taking the higher capacity bank. Even at our miniscule usage I'd love to have a bank like yours. It might be over kill but still I'd like to have it. (as well as bigger tanks and more solar)
All I was saying is even though I thought his ah numbers were off in the beginning because it would drop him below 12v on the AGMs at 80% discharge, the AGMs do have the capacity to meet his needs if his solar could recharge them daily. It's just a case of comfort zone vs cool capacity. He can be cool and charged up at the same time and maybe never know the difference.
Personally I believe in meeting my needs as cheaply as possible first, comfort zone second and cool, well I'm old and don't even consider cool anymore.
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3 tons
CA.
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I have two 6v GC's (with no remaining room for additional batts) and 440w of solar (300w MPPT). Yet depending on when (time of year) and where one may camp, solar might often be less than optimum. In simplest terms considering high power consumption, possibly too many eggs in the solar basket. FWC's make more sense, JMO...
3 tons
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cruz-in
Southern Maryland
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Thanks all for your time and input.
mena661, yes I have digested the thread in your link 3 or 4 times. Lots and lots of good info there and it certainly favors Wet cells.
rereading over this thread, I just realized I forget to mention in my original post the overall installation costs. The wet cells will be about $200 more to mount than the AGMs. To accomadate the height, I need to have some metal work done. It would make for a nice clean installation...just another expense.
doing this for the long haul. If the correct decision is Wet Cells, I will go that route....Thanks to you all's inputs, time, and patience (with me, I am certainly leaning toward the wet cells even with the added install cost.
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westend
all over
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Just a thought: if the AGM's meet your present needs and you have space to add another or even two, down the road, it might be the better deal for you. Hard to combine all the nuances of installation, use, and owner behavior to come up with a definitive answer. All things equal, I'd pick the greatest AH capacity with the cheapest price.
'03 F-250 4x4 CC
'71 Starcraft Wanderstar -- The Cowboy/Hilton
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pnichols
Santa Cruz Mountains
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cruz-in,
If you should decide on AGM bateries, you might want to instead "up the quality and amp hours a bit" by looking into a couple of these superb Rolls 6V or 12V AGM batteries ... whichever set of two you can best fit into your battery storage area to get maximum AGM amp hours:
http://www.surrette.com/content/specifications-agm
FWIW, I use a couple of these Interstate (made for them by C&D Technologies Inc.) DCS-100HIT 100 amp hour 12V AGM batteries which are specified to have a life of 600 cycles at 80% Depth of Discharge:
http://www.cdtechno.com/pdf/lit/12_1061_10.pdf
Phil, 2005 E450 Itasca 324V Spirit
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