Should I Use AGM Batteries

[LarryW]

"and make sure you top them up occasionally with distilled water - maybe once a season"

Once a season, Bob? Not me. I check weekly when camping and monthly when in storage. Rare that I don't add a little drop or two every check.

[jerichorick]

Many great posts here.


I have 6, 12V AGM's for the house in this coach. The charging characteristics for AGM's is different than that of flooded cells. The Magnum inverter this coach has is built to accommodate many battery types, including Lifeline AGM's. Mine are NAPA. These are originals. Still working great.


Flooded deep cycle batteries have a high internal resistance compared to AGM's. That means the AGM will give you a better run time before recharging is needed.



Many folks claim that 6Vx2 give you more capacity. Doing the math, and reading all of the battery experts I have, this does not seem to work out. Amp hours are amp hours. All that are available are all you will get.


Repeated deep discharging of any battery will shorten its usable life.


I think wee need to decide how we are going to be camping. If doing a lot of dry camping then a more expensive battery with better discharging characteristics and more charging cycles is a better choice than for the casual dry docker.


I think lithium batteries will be the standard in a few years. If I understand correctly, at this time the batteries are not happy in the cold. Keeping them balanced is another issue. The cells must be monitored and charged individually when out of balance in order to get the best life out of them.


My suggestion to the OP is to go for a good quality AGM and charging system to match. Even for the casual user, AGM's deliver better usable power, ah for ah, over flooded.

[Cloudrnnr]

Rick, where is the Magnum mounted in your Meridian? Just reading through the install directions for the 2800 and it tells me not to mount it in the same orientation as the current Dimensions it will replace.

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by Cloudrnnr

Rick, where is the Magnum mounted in your Meridian? Just reading through the install directions for the 2800 and it tells me not to mount it in the same orientation as the current Dimensions it will replace.

I am not certain what you mean. I just looked at the manual (64-0007-Rev-D-MS-Series_Web) and it shows it mounted in any position. Orientation is the only consideration.

Mine is on the deck in one of the bays, behind a couple of wall panels. Not easy to get to if breakers need resetting.

You will love this inverter. Mine has been extremely reliable. It is always on and runs the residential frig.

You should be able to pull the Dimension and install the MS-2800. Terminal location is the only indication I see in the manual. I guess this is to get the fan pointed in the correct direction.

Please let me know if I am missing something here.

When I changed mine out in the '05 Vectra It was a real job. Heavy sucker!

[Cloudrnnr]

Originally Posted by jerichorick

Terminal location is the only indication I see in the manual. I guess this is to get the fan pointed in the correct direction.

Please let me know if I am missing something here.

When I changed mine out in the '05 Vectra It was a real job. Heavy sucker!

Not missing a thing--that is exactly the problem. My mounting location in the 2004 Journey puts the vents on the right side of the box pointing down, with AC inputs on top and DC terminals at the bottom--the one position that Magnum says doesn't meet UL certification.

[sajohnson]

Originally Posted by Cloudrnnr

Not missing a thing--that is exactly the problem. My mounting location in the 2004 Journey puts the vents on the right side of the box pointing down, with AC inputs on top and DC terminals at the bottom--the one position that Magnum says doesn't meet UL certification.

I have the MS2000, and it has been a great inverter/charger.

It came with the same manual Jeri referred to (64-0007-Rev-D-MS-Series).

According to the manual, DC terminals at the bottom is OK.

Perhaps yours is different, being a newer model, but you might want to call Magnum and talk with a tech: (425)353-8833

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by Cloudrnnr

Not missing a thing--that is exactly the problem. My mounting location in the 2004 Journey puts the vents on the right side of the box pointing down, with AC inputs on top and DC terminals at the bottom--the one position that Magnum says doesn't meet UL certification.

I just now recall building a shelf our of steel angle iron. I braised the joints because I don't weld. That way I still had some storage space available in the cabinet.


About UL certification. What is their issue? Many companies have stopped using it. I would call the company and find out if it will void the warranty by jeopardizing the internal stability of the components or not provide adequate ventilation.

[Cloudrnnr]

Originally Posted by sajohnson

I have the MS2000, and it has been a great inverter/charger.

It came with the same manual Jeri referred to (64-0007-Rev-D-MS-Series).

According to the manual, DC terminals at the bottom is OK.

Perhaps yours is different, being a newer model, but you might want to call Magnum and talk with a tech: (425)353-8833

That is the manual I'm using. Using their terminology, my mounting position would put the DC terminals "on the right", which is not an approved position(pg. 11). Magnum would only respond with "these are the only approved positions". It appears the reason is a concern that in the case of an internal meltdown, melted or flaming bits could fall through the vents. Since my compartment is steel, I'm willing to risk it.

[sajohnson]

Originally Posted by Cloudrnnr

That is the manual I'm using. Using their terminology, my mounting position would put the DC terminals "on the right", which is not an approved position(pg. 11). Magnum would only respond with "these are the only approved positions". It appears the reason is a concern that in the case of an internal meltdown, melted or flaming bits could fall through the vents. Since my compartment is steel, I'm willing to risk it.

Sounds good Cloudrnnr!

I was confused by your previous post:

"Not missing a thing--that is exactly the problem. My mounting location in the 2004 Journey puts the vents on the right side of the box pointing down, with AC inputs on top and DC terminals at the bottom--the one position that Magnum says doesn't meet UL certification."

One of those 'picture is worth 1,000 words' situations.

In any case, as you said, your compartment is steel so you should be fine.

As you may know, these Magnum inverters require a lot of ventilation. You may want to consider adding some vents if the compartment is sealed.

We mounted ours in the large compartment under the bed with outside access (2009 View 24J) and used a couple large soffit vents for additional ventilation. Less than ideal but the MS2000 has operated just fine -- no overheating. Of course we don't use it to run heavy loads very often, and when we do it is for just a few minutes.

If overheating ever becomes a problem I'll add a computer fan to one of the vents to get forced ventilation.