I spy...

[Wrench]

...a Peak Putters emblem!

It was on a Class C motorhome I worked on at Broadmoor yesterday. The emblem was placed on the water fill door on the back of the coach.

[TJDave]

There is also another small one near the side entryway.

[Wrench]

Dave,
is that yours?

The House battery is not taking much of a charge. I believe it's near death.

[TJDave]

Yep that's mine. Not suprizing on the battery. Planning on doing a double golf cart battery conversion before camping season. Any tips??

[White trash]

A friend of mine works at a RV dealership in Hillsboro OR and can get a killer deal on I think it was odyssey batteries... He was trying to convince me to do dual 6 volts but something about running 4 batteries in my ford just don't seem right.


I can get prices if you'd like.

[TJDave]

I can get prices if you'd like.

Yep, that would be great. Thank-you Sir.

[Wrench]

Yeah, I got a tip: dont skimp when buying batteries! Once you get a good set, keep them charged. The battery is the heart and soul of the RV, so I wouldnt recommend taking a chance on durability.

I have heard good things about the ones from Costco, but dont have any personal esperience. We have been selling the NAPA batteries and they have been rock-solid for us. We used to sell Interstate batteries, but they weren't so reliable. And if you ever have a problem on the road, there is usually a NAPA nearby.

...and stay away from Walmart batteries!!

You can go with 2 6v in series or 2 12v in parallel. The 6v setup typically has more AH capacity. If you have a generator, you really dont need 2 batteries. I know when I go dry-camping, I could typically get about 2 days out of one 12v group 24 running everything. The furnace will have the largest draw, so you should get more out of your batteries if it is warm enough that you dont have to run it.

You currently have one group 24 battery. You may want to look into replacing it with one group 27. It's a little larger, but will fit in there just fine.

No matter WHAT you buy, they will all die a drastic death if they freeze when they are dead. When a battery is dead, the electrolyte is actually water, swells when frozen, and physically splits the plates apart and destroys the battery. If it is kept charged, the electrolyte will not freeze and swell like that.

Do you dry-camp alot for extended periods of time?

[Lurch]

I swapped to dual 6 volts. Got tired of my 12v dieing on me in the middle of the night. I cand deal wit the cold. It's the carbon monixide detector going of that I couldn't handle. I would recomend doing the swap to anyone.

[TJDave]

95% of my camping is dry camping. And when it is cold outside the heater drains the battery almost completely. That is a 2 season old Schwabby battery that is in there. I might try the group 27 since it will fit in there without any modifications. But I have heard that 2 golf cart batteries is the way to go from many people. I should of taken the battery out and stored it in the garage since I have one now.
How hard is it to make something to hold two smaller 6V batts? My battery location is kind of open and out there.
Thank-you for the info.

[Wrench]

I cant remember exactly, but I think your battery tray has enough room for two 6v. If it does, it's a real tight fit, and you will have a heck of a time servicing the battery water.

If they DO fit, spend the extra money and get one of those 6v battery servicing kits that allows you to service both of them simultaneously from a small hose/pump. OR, spend the big bucks and get gell cells that you dont have to service. (like Optima's)

Either way, dual 6v ARE the best bet for extended dry-camping. And if you dont have a solar panel, you may want to look into that also.

There are a few other things that may help also:
-propane system pressure. LP regulators tend to slowly drop operating pressure through their life. If your regulator is not adjusted to peak, your furnace will not put out full BTU's and will run longer to reach thermostat temp. I cant remember where yours was at, but I think it was a little low.

-battery cable connections. They are critical to proper charge and battery life. They MUST be kept clean, tight, and corrosion-free.

[Lurch]

How good are you with propane generators? Mine has starting issues.

[White trash]

How good are you with propane generators? Mine has starting issues.

Propane is stone simple. If it doesn't want to start check the fuel filter first. Is the fuel supply shut off by vacuum or by an electric solenoid? If the engine is getting tired (I doubt yours is worn enough to have the issue) pulling the vacuum line off the engine and sucking on it will get it to start faster.. Yes you'd be suck starting your engine, don't you feel manly now?

[Wrench]

How good are you with propane generators? Mine has starting issues.

Let me guess; is it an Onan?

[Lurch]

Yep

[Wrench]

MicroQuiet 4000, or something like that?

I can take a look at it. Some of those Onan's have real weird airbox issues.

[Lurch]

Probably I'd have to go look at it, Doesn't matter if the airbox is on or off. still starts hard, If it's cold out it wont start at all

[Wrench]

Probably I'd have to go look at it, Doesn't matter if the airbox is on or off. still starts hard, If it's cold out it wont start at all

Sounds like maybe your propane regulator (at the tanks) is out of adjustment and pressure is low.

Is it hard to get it started in the first place, or is it dying soon after it fires for a couple seconds?

[Wrench]

Yep that's mine. Not suprizing on the battery. Planning on doing a double golf cart battery conversion before camping season. Any tips??

Your current battery tray is 9.5 X 16 inches, the longer side running side to side. To fit dual six volts, you will need one that is around 10.5 X 14.5, and it will need the longer side to run front to back instead of side to side like is currently does to be able to slip the batteries into place through that little door. You can fabricate a tray using 2" angle iron and use the existing bolts that run through the floor to mount to. If it were me, I would build a bigger rack and install a larger access door.

I also checked, your current battery is a Group 27. That is about the best you can put in your current setup without modification.

[sams88]

Well the thread title is "I Spy" so a bit off topic but I seen in the new that Robert Culp, the actor that played in the TV drama years ago called "I Spy" died at 79 years of age...