Best batteries for boondocking

Wow Rich-so great link!

Saving to read later.

I went ahead and tried two 6v in series. They seem to work very well even with 1 solar panel (100watts). They were around $80 ea from Costco. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to store them however.

thatguy said:

I went ahead and tried two 6v in series. They seem to work very well even with 1 solar panel (100watts). They were around $80 ea from Costco. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to store them however.

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Looks good, sir! Batteries can be stored most anywhere. If they are fully charged, they won't freeze and they can be stored on concrete floors without worry too. Just don't store them underwater.

They should work fine with your solar panel. The controller "sees" the combined voltage of 12V and will charge them correctly.

- Jack

Thanks Jack! I have a friend who insists they have to be solid mounted as it poses a hazard. I've also read that if stored in a camper/trailer that they have to be properly vented. We'll see though, as I don't mind moving them to and from when camping for now.

If you are charging them, using an ordinary charger, then they should be vented, because a higher charging rate will cause the electrolyte to "boil" and this produces gas, which is flammable. If you are using a battery maintainer such as the Battery Minder I use or the Battery Tender you can find in Home Depot and elsewhere, the charging current is so low there is no gassing.

Solidly mounted? Only if you have it on a moveable platform that could cause them to tip over, which would cause the electrolyte to leak out. It's actually pretty hard to tip a battery over as you know. Just don't put them in a spot where you could run into them with your car or possibly damage them in a similar manner.

I'd cover the posts with the plastic caps that come on new batteries to prevent an accidental short if a wrench falls on them or something similar. That could start a fire! If you don't have the caps, I'd cover the posts with electrical tape.

My batteries stay in the trailer and are hooked up to my Battery Minder.

- Jack

Makes sense Jack, you are one smart dude! I took your advise on your prior solar setup thread and go a decent controller so now I'm going to start thinking about mounting inside the camper. I think they might fit under the sofa. And yes, must be very very careful re shorting out. I learned the hard way when I was in high school and hooked up a subwoofer.

I'll use heavy gauge wire and put one on each box on the side compartments. I plan to keep the existing battery in place as dedicate it for the hydro pump, while the other two are for the coach.
For "solidly mounted" the reason to mount is to keep batteries from bouncing. Bolt them down like they are in your car. Bumps can cause batteries to leave the floor and when they come back down the jarring causes damages to the plates. Bolted down ones still go up and down with the vehicle, but the vehicle is on springs that do not jar quite as bad as free falling onto a hard surface.
If you keep a charge maintainer on them then no reason to remove in off-season for storage, the maintainer should keep them from freezing.
I recommend 200 watts for that above system with 2 six-volt batteries if you plan to have normal electrical use in the camper.

i use 8 aaa 1.5 volt every readys! lithium ions are the way to go if you can afford them and you also need a lith ion charger not a regular charger