Upgrade house batteries 24D

[mad2run2]

I am thinking of upgrading my factory installed house batteries with deep cell 6v batteries. Our 24d has the two Zamp solar panels. I've been researching the issue and some sites have indicated that 6v batteries use different chargers than 12v. I am technically challenged in this area. Can I replace the the two 12v house batteries with the 6v, and if so, do I need 4? Also any thoughts on AGM vs. flood type batteries? Looking at VMAX vs. Trojan. Thanks for your input and time.

[jeepster05]

You only need 2 6 volt batteries to replace what you have. You may already know but the 6 volt has to be wired in a series. I have Trojan t-106 batteries for many years and have had great service from them
They charge the same way to the positive and negative posts

[jeepster05]

T-105. (Fat fingers) lol

[al1florida]

Originally Posted by mad2run2

I am thinking of upgrading my factory installed house batteries with deep cell 6v batteries. Our 24d has the two Zamp solar panels. I've been researching the issue and some sites have indicated that 6v batteries use different chargers than 12v. I am technically challenged in this area. Can I replace the the two 12v house batteries with the 6v, and if so, do I need 4? Also any thoughts on AGM vs. flood type batteries? Looking at VMAX vs. Trojan. Thanks for your input and time.

What group size batteries do you have now? Will two golf cart batteries fit in the same space as the existing batteries? In this link: The 12volt Side of Life (Part 1) There is a chart with the dimensions of the common batteries used in a RV so you can measure your battery compartment.


Also in the link given above is how to wire the 6V batteries in series for a 12V battery pack. With the 6V batteries wired in series, you will be able to charge the batteries with your existing charger. You will need an additional large, but short battery cable to rewire your batteries to 6V in series. Find the size of the existing cables by looking for the AWG number on your cables. Then go to Amazon.com and search for that battery size. There are cables there from 6" to quite a few feet.



AGM or flooded cell? Can you without much difficulty get to the top of the battery to check the water level and add water when necessary? If so, go with a pair of golf cart batteries from Costco or Sam's Club for about $90 each. There is a core charge if you don't give back your old batteries, so just give them your old 12V batteries. AGM and Trojan batteries are much more expensive that the plain old golf cart batteries. If you plan on doing lots and lots of dry camping or boondocking, along with being extra careful to not over discharge the batteries and also being very sure to get them charged back up to 100% full at least every week it may be worth it to by the expensive batteries. You can easily ruin an expensive battery, just as easy as a cheap battery.



What wattage are your solar panels? It would be best to have 1 watt or more of solar for each AH (Amp Hour) of battery. Golf cart batteries are about 220AH. If you have 200watts of solar you are good.



If you are going to do a lot of dry camping or boondocking, you really need to have a good battery monitor, such as a Trimetric: TriMetric Model Descriptions - Bogart Engineering



Without the monitor you will not be able to know how far discharged your batteries are and just as importantly, when they are fully charged. If you only dry camp for a day or two and then have elect hookups, it is not as important. Also no need to change to 6V batteries.



Be sure to read the info in the link I gave earlier, and also go to the second link given in the website for more info.

[Kayak73]

We have the 24D as well. Before you make a decision decide how you want to camp. Is dry camp / boondock a priority or will you mostly camp in parks with shore power? For us the answer was clear - lots of dry camping in out of the way places like BLM and dispersed camping.
The answer was I needed a LOT more battery and the struggle to decide is posted on this forum I think. I followed the lead of another and decided to put two Trojan T-1275 batteries in the thing for 300AH of battery. This involved taking a Sawzall and grinder/cutter to the battery tray. In the 24D your battery tray (2018 model) is made solely for a group 24 battery. If yours is like mine you will need to chop up the tray and add a steel panel. That work is posted already by another. It was simple, took a few hours labor and those big honker batteries are working as planned. I do need another solar panel to be fair but we have camped nicely without needing the generator except on hot days for A/C. One more 100 watt panel on top and I'm happy. You will need to shut down parasitic draws etc. I keep the LP switch off unless we need to shower etc., then turn on the Truma as needed. Good luck! I am pleased with our solution but there was an 85 lb weight penalty over the OEM batteries. I have enough power to run the compressor refrigerator all night as well as my CPAP and humidifier. Right now I'm running CPAP on the inverter, not ideal but it works as long as you remove all standby AC power drags.