GMCforum: GMCnet » Best house battery?

Home » Public Forums » GMCnet » Best house battery?

Show: Today's Messages :: Polls :: Message Navigator

Best house battery? [message #207171]

Wed, 08 May 2013 14:49

quadracerx1

Messages: 207
Registered: April 2013
Location: Puyallup, Washington

Karma: 1

Senior Member

Wondering what would be the best house battery? I just purchased a GMC and the house and coach batteries need to be replaced. The house battery is gone, so I need to know a size and type to fit into the Generator Compartment location?

Thanks,

Steve

75 26' GMC Glenbrook Puyallup, Washington

Report message to a moderator

Re: Best house battery? [message #207179 is a reply to message #207171]

Wed, 08 May 2013 16:19

WD0AFQ

Messages: 7111
Registered: November 2004
Location: Dexter, Mo.

Karma: 207

Senior Member

Well Steve, that depends on what you want to do with the GMC as far as camping with no ac power. If you plan to be plugged in most of the time then grab a 12v Marine battery. Easiest way to get over this small hump. If you plan to dry camp a little then get two 6 volt deep cycles at Sam's or Costco.
Where you located? Welcome to our group of owners and wannabe owners.
Dan

3 In Stainless Exhaust Headers One Ton All Discs/Reaction Arm 355 FD/Quad Bag/Alum Radiator Manny Tran/New eng. Holley EFI/10 Tire Air Monitoring System Solarized Coach/Upgraded Windows Satelite TV/On Demand Hot Water/3Way Refer

Report message to a moderator

Re: Best house battery? [message #207180 is a reply to message #207171]

Wed, 08 May 2013 16:33

quadracerx1

Messages: 207
Registered: April 2013
Location: Puyallup, Washington

Karma: 1

Senior Member

Im located in Washington State about an hour SE of Seattle. IF I do two 6 Volts how do I wire them? My coach isn't here so Im not sure how its currently wired...

Thanks for the welcome and the help...

Steve

75 26' GMC Glenbrook Puyallup, Washington

[Updated on: Wed, 08 May 2013 16:34]

Report message to a moderator

Re: Best house battery? [message #207182 is a reply to message #207180]

Wed, 08 May 2013 16:44

WD0AFQ

Messages: 7111
Registered: November 2004
Location: Dexter, Mo.

Karma: 207

Senior Member

quadracerx1 wrote on Wed, 08 May 2013 16:33

Im located in Washington State about an hour SE of Seattle. IF I do two 6 Volts how do I wire them? My coach isn't here so Im not sure how its currently wired...

Thanks for the welcome and the help...

Steve

By looking at your name, "quadracer", I suspected you might dry camp a day or two. Wire them in series. That gives you 12 volts. Make sure to keep a check on the fluid when you decide which way to go. Many a folk have shortened the life of a good battery by not checking and keeping the fluid above the plates, myself included.
Good to have you. You will find that life is good here.
Dan

3 In Stainless Exhaust Headers One Ton All Discs/Reaction Arm 355 FD/Quad Bag/Alum Radiator Manny Tran/New eng. Holley EFI/10 Tire Air Monitoring System Solarized Coach/Upgraded Windows Satelite TV/On Demand Hot Water/3Way Refer

Report message to a moderator

Re: Best house battery? [message #207183 is a reply to message #207171]

Wed, 08 May 2013 16:55

lqqkatjon

Messages: 2324
Registered: October 2010
Location: St. Cloud, MN

Karma: 5

Senior Member

what dan said.

pretty easy to fit two 6 volt golf cart batteries in there. invest in a good battery charger/converter.

they will keep your batteries in tip shop shape, and they should last along time with very little maintenance.

http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Dynamics-PD9245CV-Inteli-Power-Converter/dp/B000GANZZ6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368050007&sr=8-1&keywords =pd9245

I can really see a huge different in my battery capacity going from one of the marine deep cycle batteries to the two golf cart battery set up.

you can go crazy on batteries, but this route, is simple and does work out pretty well.

Jon Roche 75 palm beach EBL EFI, manny headers, Micro Level, rebuilt most of coach now. St. Cloud, MN http://lqqkatjon.blogspot.com/

[Updated on: Wed, 08 May 2013 16:57]

Report message to a moderator

Re: [GMCnet] Best house battery? [message #207185 is a reply to message #207180]

Wed, 08 May 2013 17:08

Mr ERFisher

Messages: 7117
Registered: August 2005

Karma: 2

Senior Member

LIKE THIS

http://gmcmotorhome.info/batt.htm#diode

GENE

On Wed, May 8, 2013 at 2:33 PM, Steve <quadracerx@aol.com> wrote:

>
>
> Im located in Washington State about an hours SE of Seattle. IF I do two 6
> Volts how do I wire them?
>
> Thanks for the welcome and the help...
>
> Steve
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
>

--
Gene Fisher -- 74-23,77PB/ore/ca
�Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today --- give him a URL and
-------
http://gmcmotorhome.info/
Alternator Protection Cable
http://gmcmotorhome.info/APC.html
_______________________________________________
GMCnet mailing list
Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist

Report message to a moderator

Re: Best house battery? [message #207190 is a reply to message #207171]

Wed, 08 May 2013 18:24

JohnL455

Messages: 4447
Registered: October 2006
Location: Woodstock, IL

Karma: 12

Senior Member

And to protect your investment you may want to replace the Buzz Box OEM 12v convertor if the PO has not done so. Progressive Dynamics and Iota are good choices. Series is jump the neg of one bat to the pos of the other and the remaining 2 terminals are your 12+ and - . You'll need a 14" or so piece of batt cable and connectors.

John Lebetski
Woodstock, IL
77 Eleganza II

Report message to a moderator

Re: [GMCnet] Best house battery? [message #207191 is a reply to message #207190]

Wed, 08 May 2013 18:34

ljdavick

Messages: 3548
Registered: March 2007
Location: Fremont, CA

Karma: -3

Senior Member

I found Gary Bunzer's article "The Balance of Power" to be extremely informative. This was in the January 2012 issue of FMC Magazine. There is an online version that does not include graphics, however I prefer the PDF with graphics even though it includes the advertisements that were in the magazine.

<http://www.fmcmagazine.com/images/stories/pdf/battery_balance_jan2012.pdf>

I don't know if it takes permission to share this, but his article is worth sharing.

Larry Davick
Fremont, California
A Mystery Machine
'76 (ish) Palm Beach

----- Original Message -----
From: "John R. Lebetski" <gransport@aol.com>
To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
Sent: Wednesday, May 8, 2013 4:24:44 PM
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Best house battery?

And to protect your investment you may want to replace the Buzz Box OEM 12v convertor if the PO has not done so. Progressive Dynamics and Iota are good choices. Series is jump the neg of one bat to the pos of the other and the remaining 2 terminals are your 12+ and - . You'll need a 14" or so piece of batt cable and connectors.
--
John Lebetski
Chicago, IL
77 Eleganza II
Source America First
_______________________________________________
GMCnet mailing list
Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist

Larry Davick
A Mystery Machine
1976(ish) Palm Beach
Fremont, Ca
Howell EFI + EBL + Electronic Dizzy

Report message to a moderator

Re: Best house battery? [message #207193 is a reply to message #207171]

Wed, 08 May 2013 20:15

mike miller

Messages: 3576
Registered: February 2004
Location: Hillsboro, Oregon

Karma: 0

Senior Member

quadracerx1 wrote on Wed, 08 May 2013 12:49

Wondering what would be the best house battery? I just purchased a GMC and the house and coach batteries need to be replaced. The house battery is gone, so I need to know a size and type to fit into the Generator Compartment location?

Thanks,

Steve

Steve,

The "best" battery for YOU would depend on YOUR use.

That said, for most of us the most battery capacity for the dollar, weight and space is a pair of 6 volt golf cart batteries wired in series.

If you want to go this route, it would be good to know the starting point. There is BIG differences in how the factory set up the house battery between the early, late and most of the transmode coaches.

So what year and model is your coach?

OBTW: It is a good idea to put this information in a signature line so others can give you the "best" advice without having to ask you every time. You location is a good thing to include also.

OBTW2: Welcome to the list.

Mike Miller -- Hillsboro, OR -- on the Black list
(#2)`78 23' Birchaven Rear Bath -- (#3)`77 23' Birchaven Side Bath
More Sidekicks than GMC's and a late model Malibu called 'Boo' http://m000035.blogspot.com

Report message to a moderator

Re: Best house battery? [message #207236 is a reply to message #207171]

Thu, 09 May 2013 10:22

DrPepper

Messages: 80
Registered: February 2013
Location: Goose Creek,SC

Karma: 0

Member

Well, I can tell you What I did and Why. I dry Camp 90%, and I don't what to use the Generator. So I want with Cheaper Trojan 6v 225 AH Deep Cycle Golf Cart Wet Battery T-105 because I got them for $95 each. My Plan was to spend my money on Amp Usage reduction.

So I have 450 AH to work with, and I have been replacing all my Lights, and adding some with LED Modules and Hitlights LED Tape.
I replaced all but Two Fans with Low Amp "Computer Fans" and the got the Lowest Amp SurFlow Pump I could buy.

I also have my eye on a Solar Panel that makes 8amp a hour any I only use 50ams a day. (sorry I ramble)...

Phillip Udel - I Own a 1975 Avion

Report message to a moderator

Re: Best house battery? [message #207296 is a reply to message #207171]

Fri, 10 May 2013 02:49

Luvn737s

Messages: 1106
Registered: June 2007

Karma: 2

Senior Member

I found the Yanida combiner to be a critical link in the DC electrics chain. The PD converter does a good job when AC power is the source, but for on the road driving the combiner seems to keep it all charged well. I take my batteries home when it's in storage and keep them from sitting and baking in the summer heat.

This last trip was the first with absolutely no squawks in the DC electrics area with my 2 6v Costcos working well. Now I'm putting my DC lights on an electrical diet by switching them to all LED eventually.

Randy
1973 26' Painted Desert
Ahwatukee (Phoenix) AZ

Report message to a moderator

Re: [GMCnet] Best house battery? [message #207315 is a reply to message #207296]

Fri, 10 May 2013 09:33

Michael Johnson

Messages: 62
Registered: January 2013

Karma: 0

Member

What's the difference between a combiner and a separator, I'm convinced my
isolator is toast
On May 10, 2013 1:49 AM, "Randy" <Acrosport2@hotmail.com> wrote:

>
>
> I found the Yanida combiner to be a critical link in the DC electrics
> chain. The PD converter does a good job when AC power is the source, but
> for on the road driving the combiner seems to keep it all charged well. I
> take my batteries home when it's in storage and keep them from sitting and
> baking in the summer heat.
>
> This last trip was the first with absolutely no squawks in the DC
> electrics area with my 2 6v Costcos working well. Now I'm putting my DC
> lights on an electrical diet by switching them to all LED eventually.
> --
> Randy
> 1973 26' Painted Desert
> Ahwatukee (Phoenix) AZ
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
>
_______________________________________________
GMCnet mailing list
Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist

Report message to a moderator

Re: [GMCnet] Best house battery? [message #207317 is a reply to message #207315]

Fri, 10 May 2013 09:35

Mr ERFisher

Messages: 7117
Registered: August 2005

Karma: 2

Senior Member

here is the whole deal,
be sure to read the pdf files
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/combiner-to-diode-isolator/p24994-adding-a-combiner-to-a.html

gene

On Fri, May 10, 2013 at 7:33 AM, Michael Johnson <lhasaonmymind@gmail.com>wrote:

> What's the difference between a combiner and a separator, I'm convinced my
> isolator is toast
> On May 10, 2013 1:49 AM, "Randy" <Acrosport2@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > I found the Yanida combiner to be a critical link in the DC electrics
> > chain. The PD converter does a good job when AC power is the source, but
> > for on the road driving the combiner seems to keep it all charged well. I
> > take my batteries home when it's in storage and keep them from sitting
> and
> > baking in the summer heat.
> >
> > This last trip was the first with absolutely no squawks in the DC
> > electrics area with my 2 6v Costcos working well. Now I'm putting my DC
> > lights on an electrical diet by switching them to all LED eventually.
> > --
> > Randy
> > 1973 26' Painted Desert
> > Ahwatukee (Phoenix) AZ
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > GMCnet mailing list
> > Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> > http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
> >
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
>

--
Gene Fisher -- 74-23,77PB/ore/ca
�Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today --- give him a URL and
-------
http://gmcmotorhome.info/
Alternator Protection Cable
http://gmcmotorhome.info/APC.html
_______________________________________________
GMCnet mailing list
Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist

Report message to a moderator

Re: Best house battery? [message #207349 is a reply to message #207171]

Fri, 10 May 2013 19:26

John Heslinga

Messages: 632
Registered: February 2011
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Karma: 4

Senior Member

Hey Steve

I'm in Seattle right now, on a road trip.

I'll drop by. PM me

John

John and Cathie Heslinga 1974 Canyonlands 260 455, Manny tranny and 1 ton, 3:70 LS, Red Seal Journeyman, DTE, BEd. MEd. Edmonton, Alberta

[Updated on: Fri, 10 May 2013 19:26]

Report message to a moderator

Re: Best house battery? [message #207427 is a reply to message #207236]

Sat, 11 May 2013 21:21

RF_Burns

Messages: 2277
Registered: June 2008
Location: S. Ontario, Canada

Karma: 3

Senior Member

Phillip,
Your two 225Ahr 6 volt batteries in series will add together to give you 12 volts and 225 Ahr. In series, the capacity does not add together.
Batteries wired in parallel will add together the capacity but not the voltage.

Bruce Hislop
ON Canada
77PB, 455 Dick P. rebuilt, DynamicEFI EBL EFI & ESC.
1 ton front end
http://www.gmcmhphotos.com/photos/showphoto.php?photo=29001
My Staff says I never listen to them, or something like that

Report message to a moderator

Previous Topic:	Water Heater Repair - UGH!
Next Topic:	23' in Eugene OR on CL

Goto Forum:

-=] Back to Top [=-

Current Time: Mon Oct 07 21:35:30 CDT 2024

Total time taken to generate the page: 0.01413 seconds