Yahoo Message Number: 66155 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/66155)
Well last night was the first campout with the new residential samsung, (4) 8D AMG batteries and a new pure sine wave computer. I installed the inverter along with the remote, external shunt to measure the amp draw and a automatic generator start module two nights ago.
Headed for pullman WA to the Apple Cup football game and went to bed at 1 am in the morning after hanging out with the masses of tailgating motorhome fans in the frozen snowed in parking lot.
Learned something along the way that I wished I had read about on this forum before I found it out the hard way:
Don't put your awnings over the slideouts to bed wet and then try to pull them out when they are frozen with the outside temp at 22 degress. What a disaster. I bent the living daylights out of two of them. I figured something was wrong when the main slide went up insted of out and down. One word, "ugly". Did not break the slide. Had a ladder along so I disconnected the awning arms and the slide went out. Will need to replace both arms on both of the drivers side slideouts. stupid, stupid.
That is all for the lessons.
With the new magnum inverter I am able to monitor instantaneous and cumulative amp hour draws so I now know that the residential Samsung 17.9 cu foot french door refrig draws about 13 to 16 amp hours, about 20 minutes each hour. One word "Excellent". Far below the 44 amps I assumed.
The hydro hot kept the plumbing bays at 56 degrees (more than adequate). I will adjust that down a bit. The Batteries were still above 12 volts 10 hours later after running the hydro hot (30 minutes and hour) to keep the room temp at 68 degrees and the refrigerator and freezer at 38 and -2 degrees.
It is well below freezing outside, sunny, and and the coach is very warm and no risk of freezing pipes. Very happy with the new inverter. Lots of information on that new inverter remote. The micro wave is keeping perfect time.
Should be a good game between WSU and UW. The frat boys in the motorhome next door are totally wasted and using the dumpster for God knows what. I remember those days sort of, but did not have a rich dad's motorhome to partake in what ever they find amusing. So nice to go to a warm bed very sober and wake up with no hang over and enjoy life sober.
Life is good.
Dallas intrigue ovation '42, C12, 11688
Yahoo Message Number: 66157 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/66157)
Be careful. 12 volts can be the same as a dead deep cycle. If you can, you need to check with a hydrometer to see where your batteries really are on charge. A 12 volt battery can take days to bring back up.
Good luck with the new learning curve.
Leonard Kerns
97' Magna 5418
Yahoo Message Number: 66160 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/66160)
AGM batteries can NOT be opened or checked with an hydrometer.
You could disconnect each battery and check it with a volt meter with no load on it.
The Magnum panel provides the voltage with what ever load is present, so it is going to be lower then an at rest battery. 12 volts is about 50% discharge under load.
Bob Wexler
SOB
Yahoo Message Number: 66161 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/66161)
Yell, that's a downside for some with an AGM. Can't really tell what is going on in the cells. If it is 12 volts at rest, it would worry me, when my Trojans are in the low 12 range, the hydrometer has gone from green through white and is showing very high in the red. A near dead battery. AGM is suppose to charge quicker. So, it is all in learning your system. Be cautions, huge investment in those batteries.
Leonard
Yahoo Message Number: 66168 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/66168)
Takes a real amn to admit when the stupies hit. Join the club.
Slides are wonderful but seem to invite new forms off disaster.
Bob (rthandren@...)
'05 Inspire 51178
Yahoo Message Number: 66170 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/66170)
It's really all about cycles with the AGM's and how long your batteries will last if maintained properly. I have used 12.2 as the magic discharge number (50%) for years with good success.
With Lifeline, at 12.2 (50%) you can expect 1000 charge cycles. At 60% discharge your down to 800 charge cycles and so on. There's a really good graph on page 35 of the Lifeline Technical site that shows the performance. http://www.lifelinebatteries.com/manual.pdf (http://www.lifelinebatteries.com/manual.pdf)
Tom
Trans-Specialists/Lifline Batteries
01 Magna 5999
Yahoo Message Number: 66175 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/66175)
Dallas:
Would you tell us a little more about this install. What was involved with the auto gen start? Where was it installed? Do you have any photos? Sounds like you did the install yourself?
O! I learned that when the slides are out and it snows overnight, don't bring the slides in until you have moved the snow from the awning covering the slide. I didn't break anything, but came close.
Gil Bourdon
'05 Inspire
51322
Yahoo Message Number: 66183 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Country-Coach-Owners/conversations/messages/66183)
Gil,
This is a work in progress since this is my first install... and hopefully the last. I am booked for about 10 deep tissue message sessions to help my back. :)
Back to your questions. I installed it myself, the instructions as pretty straight forward. The only problem is that my coach was not designed with (4)8D batteries for house use so I had to make that happen first and also make room for the inverted in the same compartment. Helps to have a plasma cutter and mig welder for that portion of the project to make additional shelves.
I choose to go pure sine wave since that seems to be the best option for most household appliances. I had read in a number of posts that the Magnum was a preferred inverter with good quality. The only drawback I have found is that you have to buy all the extra items to use all the options that can be used on the remote. There is not built in shunt to measure amp draw or auto generator start like the original Xantrex MSW inverter.
That adds a few hours of time to wire those items in but they do link together with simple plug-in wires that resemble cat5 cable and RJ45 (phone) jacks.
It is pretty kewl to see all the information that the remote gives you and it is very easy to program.
I will post more pictures in the photo area in a week or so.
Dallas 2004 intrigue ovation 11688
Yahoo Message Number: 116594 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/country-coach-owners/conversations/messages/116594)
Tom, I am in need of buying two new a AGM batteries #GPL-31T for replacements on my
Boat in Fort Myers FL. I have purchased from you before I have a delivery address. Are they
Available in Florida? My cell 612 802 0472
Yahoo Message Number: 116595 (http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/country-coach-owners/conversations/messages/116595)
Tom may not be on the board as much as he used to, having jumped to one of them there Prevost's:)!
He was very good at getting back to me via Email. Tell him Smitty says "Hi!"...
Good luck to you,
Smitty
04 Allure 31017