Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

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bog007
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

Post by bog007 »

yup seems like used prices have gone up on all modes of transport recently :oops:
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Parkinglotracer
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

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Congrats - Greatdeal I think . I bet there is a Facebook page for those RV owners you will really like. Have a hoot!
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willthrill81
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

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Wanderingwheelz wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 1:22 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 12:52 pm
Wanderingwheelz wrote: Sat Feb 06, 2021 12:42 pm Maybe things have changed, but when I was shopping LTV were not boondocking vans. No battery power and weak solar. I could see why a less active retiree who wanted to hang out at KOAs would think they were cool, though.
The latest LTV Unity comes standard with dual AGM batteries but has the option for lithium-ion batteries, but they are really overpriced, and many say that it's much cheaper to swap them out yourself. They also have a 400 watt solar option for $3k, which is also very overpriced but definitely harder, maybe impossible, to DIY and keep the warranty intact.

However, things will likely change a lot between now and when I plan to retire in ~12 years. Right now at least, we don't like to just park in one space for days at a time, and running the chassis engine is more than adequate to charge the coach batteries. Still, one of the first projects for our Trend will be an attempt to replace the single FLA battery with two GC2 batteries; I'm just not sure if they'll fit.
I was wondering what you planned to do about the power system on the Trend since it didn’t sound sound like you were planning on hopping from 30 amp pole to 30 amp pole.
Well, I said that I wouldn't go for lithium batteries in our motor home due to the price, but now I'm eating crow! :D

During our first month long trip with a pair of brand new golf cart batteries, we had no problems with them at all. I've been diligent to keep them charged, but the batteries wouldn't hold a good charge during either of our last two trips. Despite them being recharged from a 1 gauge copper wire running straight from the chassis battery and at times for hours from our generator, which powered a 45 amp charger, the batteries consistently stayed below 12 volts. It was only after I was able to leave them connected to shore for a long time that their voltage rose to a level indicative of a full charge, 12.6-12.7. It was so bad that our refrigerator, which was running on propane the whole time, once gave me a warning for low income voltage, and our LED lights were flickering badly.

These were Duracell branded GC2 batteries that I bought from our local Batteries Plus, and when I returned them for testing, they said that they worked fine, despite the issues I had with them on two trips. I wound up recycling them at a local auto parts store for $20 (paid nearly $300 for both this spring :annoyed ). Between that and the fact that these batteries had to be installed in a tray under the floor and raised and lowered with great difficulty, I decided that I've had it with lead acid batteries and switched to lithium iron phosphate.

I got a pair of Battle Born 100 AH batteries and installed them under one of the dinette seats where we had some available space. They are rated to last for a minimum of 3,000 cycles and will likely last more like 5,000 cycles given how we'll use them, so they'll last at least as long as this motor home will. I moved these to the interior since they can't be charged in below freezing temperatures and discharge better above that temperature. I installed a Renogy 40 amp DC to DC charger that's powered by the vehicle alternator, which works beautifully. I swapped out our old Progressive Dynamics charger for one that's rated for lithium iron phosphate batteries, and it does a great job too. And I installed a Victron 500 amp Smart Shunt that tells me the voltage, exactly how many amp hours are remaining the batteries, the amps going into or coming out of the batteries, and the remaining time that the batteries can supply the existing discharge rate, along with much more. It's awesome! :D

My next and hopefully last project is to install a 3 kW Renogy pure sine wave inverter. Our Nespresso machine doesn't run well, often not at all, on the power provided by our Onan 2.8 kW generator, and it seems that this is fairly commonly reported as the power isn't very 'clean'. The total harmonic distortion on the Renogy inverter is lower than that of grid power, and everyone I've seen who has tried to power a Nespresso from one has been successful. The inverter will also power my DW's hair dryer (she only needs it for a couple of minutes each day) and curling iron, along with our microwave oven, and it will do so quietly, which is a big deal when we're staying in campgrounds without electrical hookups. We should even be able to briefly (< 1 hour) the air conditioner when we're having lunch or need a little cooling after generator hours end at a campground.

To power the RV from the inverter, I ran outdoor rated 12 gauge wire from the inverter to a new 30 amp receptacle in the same power box as the generator receptacle, and I expect that I'll normally leave the power cord plugged in to the inverter. I also ran a separate line from the inverter to the RV's converter/charger and installed a normally closed contactor that will automatically turn off the converter/charger when the inverter is turned on; this prevents the converter/charger from getting in a power losing loop as a result of being powered by the inverter and batteries.
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WhyNotUs
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

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willthrill81 wrote: Wed Sep 29, 2021 6:08 pm
I got a pair of Battle Born 100 AH batteries and installed them under one of the dinette seats where we had some available space.

My next and hopefully last project is to install a 3 kW Renogy pure sine wave inverter. Our Nespresso machine doesn't run well,

To power the RV from the inverter, I ran outdoor rated 12 gauge wire from the inverter to a new 30 amp receptacle in the same power box as the generator receptacle, and I expect that I'll normally leave the power cord plugged in to the inverter.
Welcome to the RV wormhole, hand over your wallet and no one will get hurt :D

Sounds like you are getting your rig dialed in. I have given myself an annual not to exceed for non-maintenance items to resist the urge....
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MtnBiker
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

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What model of Progressive Dynamics converter did you get? Not sure if you are aware, but it seems that some of their "lithium-ready" models are only single-stage chargers, and need to be manually turned off once the battery is charged, to avoid over-charging when the coach is continuously connected to shore power.

I asked Battle Born about this and they responded that the PD9145ALV is a fixed output charger offering 14.6 volts at all times. They suggest a manual disconnect once a full charge has been provided.

They mentioned that Progressive Dynamics is in the process of updating their lithium charge algorithm to a 2 stage charge offering a bulk of 14.6 and a float of 13.6 volts. The PD9160ALV has already been updated and the other 9100 series models will be launched with the new algorithm shortly. Don't know if that has happened yet with any of the other models.
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willthrill81
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy

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WhyNotUs wrote: Wed Sep 29, 2021 6:17 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Wed Sep 29, 2021 6:08 pm
I got a pair of Battle Born 100 AH batteries and installed them under one of the dinette seats where we had some available space.
Welcome to the RV wormhole, hand over your wallet and no one will get hurt :D

Sounds like you are getting your rig dialed in. I have given myself an annual not to exceed for non-maintenance items to resist the urge....
Haha, I know what you mean! Thankfully, I think that we're near the end of upgrades we'll do to this unit at least, and we don't have enough space to carry much more.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

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MtnBiker wrote: Wed Sep 29, 2021 6:35 pm What model of Progressive Dynamics converter did you get? Not sure if you are aware, but it seems that some of their "lithium-ready" models are only single-stage chargers, and need to be manually turned off once the battery is charged, to avoid over-charging when the coach is continuously connected to shore power.

I asked Battle Born about this and they responded that the PD9145ALV is a fixed output charger offering 14.6 volts at all times. They suggest a manual disconnect once a full charge has been provided.

They mentioned that Progressive Dynamics is in the process of updating their lithium charge algorithm to a 2 stage charge offering a bulk of 14.6 and a float of 13.6 volts. The PD9160ALV has already been updated and the other 9100 series models will be launched with the new algorithm shortly. Don't know if that has happened yet with any of the other models.
It's very odd that Battle Born would say that since they sell that exact charger on their site and say that it's fine for use with their batteries.
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MtnBiker
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

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willthrill81 wrote: Wed Sep 29, 2021 7:41 pm
It's very odd that Battle Born would say that since they sell that exact charger on their site and say that it's fine for use with their batteries.
My thought exactly. Their claim to me was that it is not exactly incompatible with their batteries, just needs more attention to avoid overcharging.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

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MtnBiker wrote: Wed Sep 29, 2021 8:43 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Wed Sep 29, 2021 7:41 pm
It's very odd that Battle Born would say that since they sell that exact charger on their site and say that it's fine for use with their batteries.
My thought exactly. Their claim to me was that it is not exactly incompatible with their batteries, just needs more attention to avoid overcharging.
I'm no lithium battery expert, but I thought that batteries were charged through amperage, not voltage.

Once the batteries reach their charged voltage of 14.6, the PD charger drops the amperage to basically zero.
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MtnBiker
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

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willthrill81 wrote: Wed Sep 29, 2021 8:45 pm
I'm no lithium battery expert, but I thought that batteries were charged through amperage, not voltage.

Once the batteries reach their charged voltage of 14.6, the PD charger drops the amperage to basically zero.
Maybe "overcharging" is a misuse of terminology. It is true that virtually no further charging occurs after reaching 14.6V. The reason for going to 14.4 - 14.6 and dwelling there for a short period of time (BB recommends about 1/2 hour per battery), is for cell rebalancing. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIYRlnikWY8

What you don't want to do is park in the driveway and plug the RV into shore power for weeks at a time with the batteries at 14.6 continuously. Apparently that's not good for the BMS. As you know, BB emphasizes not float charging the battery at any voltage above about 13.6.

For that reason I decided not to get the PD lithium charger, but just stick with the standard charger with the added $14 pendant that can be used to manually initiate a short bulk charge to 14.4 for cell rebalancing occaisionally, when needed.
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Last edited by MtnBiker on Wed Sep 29, 2021 9:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Thought about buying a small motor home, but the market is crazy; Just bought one!!

Post by willthrill81 »

MtnBiker wrote: Wed Sep 29, 2021 9:05 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Wed Sep 29, 2021 8:45 pm
I'm no lithium battery expert, but I thought that batteries were charged through amperage, not voltage.

Once the batteries reach their charged voltage of 14.6, the PD charger drops the amperage to basically zero.
Maybe "overcharging" is a misuse of terminology. It is true that virtually no further charging occurs after reaching 14.6V. The reason for going to 14.4 - 14.6 and dwelling there for a short period of time (BB recommends about 1/2 hour per battery), is for cell rebalancing. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIYRlnikWY8

What you don't want to do is park in the driveway and plug the RV into shore power for weeks at a time with the batteries at 14.6 continuously. Apparently that's not good for the BMS.

For that reason I decided not to get the PD lithium charger, but just stick with the standard charger with the added $14 pendant that can be used to manually initiate a short bulk charge to 14.4 for cell rebalancing occaisionally.
That makes sense. One of the reasons I switched to lithium batteries is so that I could charge them and then unplug the motor home from shore power at our home for however long we wanted, which I couldn't do with lead acid batteries due to their self-discharging resulting in sulfation. So the PD charger won't ever be left on for more than a day or two at the most.

The Renogy DC to DC charger that will be doing most of the charging of our batteries does reduce the voltage after reaching 14.6V.

Thanks for the tip!
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