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Nasty batteries

Yahoo Message Number: 90831
Two years ago I went to an RV shop in Yuma to have my 7 year old batteries replaced. The coach came with AGM's that worked well for many years.
Unfortunately, the Yuma shop strongly recommended that I replace the AGM's with wet cell Trojan bats (6 of them to replace the AGM's)
What a tragic mistake! This has been a nasty disaster for 2 years, putting so much crap in the battery compartment, ruining wiring, ruining the concrete floor in my garage, and making such a mess that I have never seen in 30 years of owning RV's.
I need to get rid of these nasty things but don't remember what size AGM's came in the 04 Intrigue.

Any input would be appreciated.

gracias,

Ricardo

04 Intrigue #11830

Re: Nasty batteries

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 90834
If your 04 intrigue is like mine you should three 8D batteries. Two for the house and one for the

chassis. Don't you have a drip or catch tray under your batteries. Is the temp sensor installed to

prevent you from over charging your batteries? And is the controller set for the amp hours of your

batteries? TWI 2004 intrigue 11731

Original email:
-----------------

From: countrycoachbrad bradleybaja@... Date: Fri, 23 Aug 2013 05:13:30 -0000 To: Country-Coach-Owners@yahoogroups.com Subject: [Country-Coach-Owners] Nasty batteries

Two years ago I went to an RV shop in Yuma to have my 7 year old batteries replaced. The coach came

with AGM's that worked well for many years.
Unfortunately, the Yuma shop strongly recommended that I replace the AGM's with wet cell Trojan bats

(6 of them to replace the AGM's)

What a tragic mistake! This has been a nasty disaster for 2 years, putting so much crap in the battery

compartment, ruining wiring, ruining the concrete floor in my garage, and making such a mess that I

have never seen in 30 years of owning RV's.
I need to get rid of these nasty things but don't remember what size AGM's came in the 04 Intrigue.

Any input would be appreciated.

gracias,

Ricardo

04 Intrigue #11830

mail2web LIVE ? Free email based on Microsoft® Exchange technology - http://link.mail2web.com/LIVE

Re: Nasty batteries

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 90836
Ricardo, that's a shame, something is wrong. I don't overfill my batteries and our charging system never boils out any electrolyte....Skip, 2002 Intrigue #11329

Re: Nasty batteries

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 90839
I agree with Skip, we've used 6V golf cart batteries since replacing the original 8D's, on our 3rd set, 2 sets of Trojens and the present set of "Sam's Club", NO problems.

Judy n Joe

98 Intrigue 10578

Re: Nasty batteries

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 90842
You have something wrong. I have used 6-volt Trojan batteries for years, and they work great. You have either overfilled them or are overcharging them, or both.

Al Colby

2000 Intrigue 10979

Re: Nasty batteries

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 90845
I agree, something is wrong. Trojan, probably T105's, should serve you well. Yes, they will sometimes 'gas', and about once a year a good cleaning is advised. You probably have a Xantrex, with the panel inside up front that says RC7 AGS. If the settings were not changed to match your the wet cells, you are probably cooking them.
That being said, your coach probably had 2 X 8D's for house, and 1 for chassis.
If the Trojans are not shot, try a good cleaning with a mix of baking soda and water, dry, clean the concats on your cables and pistes and ground. You can add some mineral oil to top of your cell water, to cut way back on the gasses. Get your book out, and validate your charging settings are correct for you Trojans size and wet cells, especially the Float.

Best of luck,
Smitty

04 Allure 31017
04 Allure Sold to a nice new owner! Now enjoying a 07 Magna Rembrandt 45' ISX600 #6775
"We're ONDROAD for THEJRNY!" (Toad and Coach license plates, say Hi if you see us!)

Re: Nasty batteries

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 90847
I agree with Smitty. AGM's can take a more aggressive charge rate and if the Zantrex was set to charge at the higher rate the Trojan's probably were getting overcharged. Trojan's are good batteries but I have AGM's now.

John

08 Intrigue
10 Ford Escape

Re: Nasty batteries

Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 90850
I appreciate all of the input from everyone. After digesting this information, I suspect that the Xantrex was never changed by the RV shop in Yuma that changed the batteries, and I know that I didn't change it.
Also, on further review of the battery bay I found that the massive amounts of gas debris had eaten through and disconnected a wire that has a plastic box on the end that says Xantrex battery temp Sensor.
I have thoroughly cleaned the batteries and the entire compartment twice each year since installing the Trojan T105's, with the last cleaning on May 1 before we headed north. It is so nasty now that I can barely see the battery terminals or the rack that they sit on.
I need some help with all of this, but we are in Bellingham, WA for 2 more months before we head south (thru Oregon). Don't think there is anyone here that does this stuff.

Ricardo

04 Intrigue #11830

Re: Nasty batteries

Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 90853
Ricardo,

I personally like the AGM's better due to the issues you're going thru. I also understand that lead/acid batteries are much more wallet friendly at time of purchase. But AGM's don't make messes and cause other issues, and don't require maintenance other then checking tightness of cabling. Now you could have other issues such as the batteries are bad and no matter how well you keep the water level maintained, and with the correct charge settings from the inverter/charger it'll continue to boil and gas out.
It does sound like the shop didn't check the settings or change them, and along with losing the temp sensor doesn't help matters. For right now I'd unplug the sensor at the inverter, it's a phone plug labeled sensor on the inverter/charger. Then I'd get the batteries & wiring taken care of, cleaned up, tested, replace batteries if needed and move on with life.
Since you're in my area I'd recommend giving us a call or shoot me an e-mail, and my shop can take care of your needs.

Jim Lewis

Infinity Coach
(253) 891-0879

From:countrycoachbrad
Sent: Friday, August 23, 2013 8:25 AM To:Country-Coach-Owners@yahoogroups.com Subject: [Country-Coach-Owners] Re: Nasty batteries

I appreciate all of the input from everyone. After digesting this information, I suspect that the Xantrex was never changed by the RV shop in Yuma that changed the batteries, and I know that I didn't change it.
Also, on further review of the battery bay I found that the massive amounts of gas debris had eaten through and disconnected a wire that has a plastic box on the end that says Xantrex battery temp Sensor.
I have thoroughly cleaned the batteries and the entire compartment twice each year since installing the Trojan T105's, with the last cleaning on May 1 before we headed north. It is so nasty now that I can barely see the battery terminals or the rack that they sit on.
I need some help with all of this, but we are in Bellingham, WA for 2 more months before we head south (thru Oregon). Don't think there is anyone here that does this stuff.

Ricardo

04 Intrigue #11830

Quote from: "GSmith77_7"
I agree, something is
wrong. Trojan, probably T105's, should serve you well. Yes, they will sometimes 'gas', and about once a year a good cleaning is advised. You probably have a Xantrex, with the panel inside up front that says RC7 AGS. If the settings were not changed to match your the wet cells, you are probably cooking them.

Quote
>

That being said, your coach probably had 2 X 8D's for house, and 1 for
chassis.

Quote
>

If the Trojans are not shot, try a good cleaning with
a mix of baking soda and water, dry, clean the concats on your cables and pistes and ground. You can add some mineral oil to top of your cell water, to cut way back on the gasses. Get your book out, and validate your charging settings are correct for you Trojans size and wet cells, especially the Float.

Quote
>

Best of luck,
Smitty

04 Allure 31017
Quote from: "corralitos95076"

>

> You have
something wrong. I have used 6-volt Trojan batteries for years, and they work great. You have either overfilled them or are overcharging them, or both.

Quote

> Al Colby

> 2000 Intrigue 10979
 >

> --- In
href="mailto:Country-Coach-Owners%40yahoogroups.com">mailto:Country-Coach-Owners%40yahoogroups.com, "countrycoachbrad" wrote:

Quote
>

> > Two years ago I went to an RV shop in Yuma to have my 7 year old batteries
replaced. The coach came with AGM's that worked well for many years.

Quote
>

> > Unfortunately, the Yuma shop strongly recommended
that I replace the AGM's with wet cell Trojan bats (6 of them to replace the AGM's)

Quote
>

> > What a tragic mistake! This has been
a nasty disaster for 2 years, putting so much crap in the battery compartment, ruining wiring, ruining the concrete floor in my garage, and making such a mess that I have never seen in 30 years of owning RV's.

Quote
>

> > I need to get rid of these nasty things but don't remember what size
AGM's came in the 04 Intrigue.

Quote
>

> > Any input

would be appreciated.

Quote
>
> > gracias,
> >

> > Ricardo

> > 04 Intrigue #11830
 > >
>

Re: Nasty batteries

Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 90854
ricardo

A mobile RV Tech should be able to do this job. Perhaps you have neighbors that would know of one. Two years on T145s, so far so good.
Gil B 05 Inspire 51322

Re: Nasty batteries

Reply #10 –
Yahoo Message Number: 90857
Hi Ricardo

We own a 1999 Allure, No. 30288. The coach was delivered to the original owner in August of 1998. We purchased the coach January 2000 with 5,600 miles on it. We now have over 100,000 miles on it. When we bought the coach the batteries were shot because the owner immediately had health problems, parked the coach in his new barn, left it on charge and never checked the water level for year and a half. We immediately installed new batteries and just installed the 3rd set of 8D flood batteries. I changed them out again simply because they were getting close to 7 years of age as the last ones had reached. Our battery compartment, cables and tray has always looked like new, especially after I blow out the roaddust.
I suggest you have a water level problem. Many years ago at a CC rally in Junction City, Paul of Les Schwab/Dickman talked about overfilling batteries and the resulting problems you have described. They said that they had found the main cause was the short spout length on the Plew Battery Fillers many of us were using. It was to short thus overfilling the batteries. They gave everyone who wanted one a 1 1/4" length of 1/2" clear plastic hose that fit tightly over the spout and made it 1" longer. Since using the extension, we have never had a drop of water/acid come out of a flood battery.
Spend all the money you want on AGM's, but floods work just fine when properly maintained.

Tom & Joyce Newman

Re: Nasty batteries

Reply #11 –
Yahoo Message Number: 90858
More good input. I fill the batteries 2-4 times per year since they spew so much gas. I use a high quality spout battery filler that supposedly shuts off the flow when they are full (without overfilling them).
I am beginning to think that the problem(s) with these batteries have been that the Xantrex still thinks they are AGM's and that the Xantrex temp sensor cord was eaten up by all of the many, many inches of corrosive junk that accumulates in my battery compartment in about 2 months of use.
Got a note from Fred K advising me to change the Xantrex setting but we left the manuals in AZ and I find no setting changes possible on the Xantrex control panel over the entry door. Any ideas?

Ricardo

04 Intrigue #11830

Re: Nasty batteries

Reply #12 –
Yahoo Message Number: 90859
Hi Jim,

Great write-up. Ditto on changing out the chassis battery to the AGM based on the reasons you stated below if cost is not an issue.
As an FYI, I still have the original AGM house batteries on my coach and they are almost 10 years old. As far I know they are still going strong but I am going to have them checked when I am at Carrier & Sons in 2 weeks.

Rick,

2004 Allure, 31018

Re: Nasty batteries

Reply #14 –
Yahoo Message Number: 90868
I wouldn't be so eager to blame the Trojan T105s. I had a rack of 8 of them in my previous SOB coach for over 8 years until I sold it and I've had 8 Trojan T105's in my Intrigue for another 8 years after that. I just changed them out for new T105s in January and look forward to another 8 carefree years. I've had no corrosion, hose out the battery bay when it gets dirty and dusty, top off the battery water about twice a year, and equalize them about twice a year. We're full-timers and do a lot of boondocking (we also have solar). It sounds like your problem is more an inverter issue doing nasty things to your batteries rather than the batteries causing the problem ... IMHO.

Steve 2002 Intrigue #11382

Re: Nasty batteries

Reply #15 –
Yahoo Message Number: 90869
The older xantrex did not have a setting for agm batteries, 06 or so before agm came into play, the flooded setting wad used. I recectly changed out the xantrex 3000psw, went with magnum, it does have an agm setting. Call lifeline, you may be able to purchase directly, save a few bucks, don't know where you are located? I have a good remote panel that works on a 2000 or 30000psw.
Marvin, 07 allure, 470, 31459
?

Re: Nasty batteries

Reply #16 –
Yahoo Message Number: 90870
If anyone has a Xantrex RS3000 PSW It does have an AGM setting and an amp-hour setting 8 years on 4 lifeline batteries still solid but will change this year Bob 06 intrigue 12047

Re: Nasty batteries

Reply #17 –
Yahoo Message Number: 90871
The older xantrex did not have a setting for agm batteries, 06 or so before agm came into play, the flooded setting wad used. I recectly changed out the xantrex 3000psw, went with magnum, it does have an agm setting. Call lifeline, you may be able to purchase directly, save a few bucks, don't know where you are located? I have a good remote panel that works on a 2000 or 30000psw.
Marvin, 07 allure, 470, 31459
?
 

Re: Nasty batteries

Reply #18 –
Yahoo Message Number: 90885
You're off a couple of years Marvin. My '04 Allure had a Xantrex RC7GS which had an AGM setting. My '03 Magna has a Xantrex Prosine Inverter/Charger Control without AGM setting.

George in Birmingham(still in Santa Fe) '03 Magna 6298
George in Birmingham
2003 Magna 6298