Date:         Sat, 15 Jun 2013 16:59:57 -0700
Reply-To:     Vanagon <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Vanagon <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Upgraded house battery bank
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

A report. From someone who owns a Westy because he loves camping in primitive locations off the grid.

My reader may recall that I damaged my cabin battery - a spendy Trojan SC225 - the winter before last by forgetting to disconnect it before putting the van away for the season. It went 100% discharged and that broke it. 

As a result the battery didn't take much of a charge and during last summer's camping trip with Mrs Squirrel, I had a constant struggle keeping food cold in the Truckfridge refrigerator during the many hot days we experienced in Eastern Oregon. Many well over 100F. 

The battery wasn't up to the task of delivering juice at night even after having received a charge during the day either by alternator or solar. 

Rather than replace that costly battery with the same $$$ type, I opted for a pair of $90 Costco 6V GC-2 types wired in series. 

Johnson Controls is said to make these batteries, rated at 200 to 220 amp-hours. It took a bit (a lot) of work to fit them in their battery box under the bench seat, I lost a lot of storage space under there - they are sizable. I re-did the charging wiring while at it. 

So, I'm on the first camping trip of the season, it's hitting low 80s, the reefer is working kinda-sorta hard (not very hard, see the archives about 6 mos ago about how I reprogrammed it) and I'm here to say that this new battery bank feels solid. 

It takes a charge quickly: the panels charge it to 100% before noon, and I have ample power all day and through the night for (soft) music, LED lighting, and refrigeration. In the morning the bank is sitting at 12.5 volts. 

That's the kind of behavior I like. 


Sent from my 1963 aqua blue 702B Western Electric Princess phone.