Help with House Batteries

[gus]

Dave, 

Mine is analog. Actually it doesn't even have numbers, just a stepped green dial marking. I hate those things.

Digital is the best and I'm going to replace my dash analog VM with a digital like the digital coolant temp gage I now have thanks to a posting here a couple of months back. I also plan to replace my oil press and trans temp gages with gages from the same company.

[DMoedave]

exploded batteries happens all the time on boats left at the dock on the charger 24/7. I would find 2 or 3 every spring at recomissioning. I agree with the acid free batteries and the proper charger. Our batteries are charged by our invertor and i can glance at the panel and tell if i have 110 input, what the battery voltage is and how many amps are being used. Thats a Heart Freedom unit we have.

[Dave Siegel]

First I would like to say thanks to everyone that has added a comment here in trying to help me with the house batteries. But I think I really have to explain my situation a little better.

I had two Group 31 house batteries.And also a Group 24 generator start battery. There was a smart charger plugged in to the house batteries 24/7. I only use the house batteries for very little 12 volt lighting, everything else is 120 volt either off the generator or plugged into a wall. The charger that was hooked to the house batteries would charge from an outlet in the battery bay when ever there was current flowing.

It's been recommended that I use an inverter (have no idea what they do.) (Probably have no need for one either.) We do not dry camp in the boon docks. We like our creature comforts and that means TV an air conditioning so we plug into electrical power always. (Did I mention that our stove is electric also?)

Should I maybe just add one more battery to my gen set start side and also use those two batteries for some house power? I could use that small charger and charge the two batteries if needed, but only by switch and my selected time.

Does that make sense? Am I heading in a correct direction?

Thanks again,

Dave Siegel

[Lin]

Dave, it seems to me to be a matter of choice.  Our generator starts off the house batteries.  We have had that set up on 3 different rigs.  I have thought of separating them but, since it has worked, I have not been that motivated to do so.  Our first motorhome had one house battery and a converter, no inverter.  That battery worked for the small DC loads and could even run the furnace all night if needed.  I do not think that it was really optimal though.  We now have three large house batteries and an inverter, and they work fine even when dry camping (though it is really getting to be time to replace them), but we are not taxing them much.  There has always been plenty of power left in the morning to start the generator.

It all comes down to your use and how much of a safety factor you want.  Of course, make sure that you have good battery chargers that do not damage the batteries and test things periodically.  We once ruined a bank of 4 AGM batteries with a charger that, although I thought functioned well, did not.

[gus]

Lin,

Depends on your gen. I had an old Onan that had a built in alt in the flywheel to charge a sep batt.

When it was hooked to the bus batts it drove the VR crazy. Finally just attached a small separate batt to it with a switch to bus batts because it was the easy way out.

[Fred Mc]

"Digital is the best and I'm going to replace my dash analog VM with a digital like the digital coolant temp gage I now have thanks to a posting here a couple of months back."

Gus, can you tell me where you got your gauges.

Thanks

Fred

[gus]

Fred,

Got it on the bay. Below is the address. I noticed the price has gone up $2 since I got mine but it is still a good buy.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Digital-Water-Temperature-Meter-Blue-LED-Display-Smoke-Lens-104-280-F-/170942121106?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item27ccf1c492

He has all kinds of gages, I'm thinking of getting one of his VMs also since my analog one  is hard to read exactly.