Anbody with experience using Nife Batteries - Nickel Iron Battery

[Dreamscape]

A board member recently purchased an Eagle that had sat since '99. The PO had installed Nife Batteries prior to that date. When they went to start the coach for the first time in many years, it fired right up.

http://www.nickel-iron-battery.com/

http://www.beutilityfree.com/Electric/Ni-Fe

http://ironcorebatteries.com.au/page1.php

Does anyone else have any first hand knowledge using these for house batteries?

Thanks,

Paul

[luvrbus]

Paul while I never owned any fwiw just about every backup generator I ever installed over the years had those batteries I am not talking about 12kw but real generators lol the only bus I ever saw the batteries installed in was a Eagle in Oregon or Washington and he a bought his from a telephone co auction sale told me he paid 10 bucks each as he was going to make lead weights for fishing the Columbia 

good luck

[Gold Talon]

Gentlemen, I am the new owner of the Eagle Dreamscape is speaking about. These battries were purchased from MCI, the communications company, I do not know anything more other than what I read in the manual that came with the bus and what I have found on line. All you read about these things sounds good but only time will tell. I have only been out one weekend in the bus and was plugged into shore power. This bus did come from Oregon near Portland, but the battries are not being used for fish weights,yet!
Any information would be good!
Tom

[luvrbus]

let me rephrase the weights it was the reason he purchased the batteries then found out what he had ok

[Ed Hackenbruch]

About 4 winters ago there was a Canadian couple that were in Yuma with a 5, and i think that these were what he had in the bus for house batteries. He said that he found them in a scrap yard and had them in the bus for 20 years. I think they were from either BC or Alberta, don't remember their last name, but their first names were Chuck and Elsie. Maybe somebody here on the board knows them?

[luvrbus]

I know they last forever it seems all I ever heard bad about the battery is they need to be on a charger all the time they won't hold a charge as long as other types true or not that is what I was told those batteries are pricey

good luck

[Ed Hackenbruch]

The guy told me that he looked into buying them new and they were over $350 for each cell. He was at a cafe having breakfast with a friend when a guy came in that the friend knew. Turns out he owned a scrap yard and had just won an auction of surplus telephone company stuff and mentioned that there were 3-4 pallets of some weird looking batteries. Chuck asked if he could look at them, saw what they were, and asked what the guy wanted for some of them.  He said $12 each and Chuck said he would take 10 or 12 of them and the guy said in that case he could have them for $10 each. He did say that once a year he had to drain them and i think flush them with something and then refill them. Said that when you drained them you had only 20 minutes to flush them and refill?  I asked him why he did not buy them all at that price and he said he would have but at the time he did not have a place to store them. Probably could have even gotten them for a lot less if he had bought them all.

[Gold Talon]

Gentlemen I plan to contact the manufacture and ask some questions about maintenance on these things. I have read some about them but nothing that makes me feel confident about maintenance/the proper charging and water / minerial oil. I hear they have minerial oil on top of the water to reduce evaporation of the water. Will pass on what I find! Thanks keep the information coming.
Tom