Looking at getting this for my coach. Has anyone put this on their coach?Flow Rite

I don't have that, but I do have their diesel spark plug and carburetor kit.

Frankly, while it's a semi-clever idea, it ignores two fundamental elements of battery care:

1. As batteries discharge, the electrolyte level will rise; this system could allow overfill.

2. A clue that a battery is failing is different levels in the cells; this requires visual inspection.

Not to mention, major surgery on the holddown might be required due to system height.

I check electrolyte levels on my batteries and top off with distilled water as needed. Not every essential maintenance check can be made easier. A mechanic's mirror makes my checks a snap.

I am totally with Rusty on this.

My batteries are filled manually, as that allows me to check SG and level often. Even the act of sliding my battery drawer in and out provides the agitation that forces bubbles to rise (I can hear it) to minimize stratification. This allows me a more accurate SG reading. Destratification also allows less frequent equalization. My conductance tester tells me that equalization shortens battery life.

One last shot........In general, batteries should not need a lot of water. This is subject to depth of discharge, temp, etc, so there are no hard and fast rules on this. But, generally, the higher the charging and float voltages, the more water is used. And the higher the water level, the more will be lost from the turbulence of gassing. I wish I had clearance for those super-duper caps that minimize loss of water.

quote:

Originally posted by bill h:
In general, batteries should not need a lot of water.

I think you need to check your charger. and/or alternator, for an overcharge condition.

I have the filling system in my Breakaway for the golf cart batteries. I use a LOT of battery power as I run the entire coach while doing the race timing. I often run the batteries down to 11.9 or a bit less when I am not thinking about them before I start the generator.

I also use a lot of water as the main inverter charger has a high charge rate, (yes I can set it lower) and the main alternator is 200 amps with a 3 stage regulator attached.

Had this system now for 6 years and still is doing well although, I am starting to notice voltage decline faster over night than before. can't say this is due to filling system or just general battery wear and tear.

The main reason I went this way is it is very difficult to get to the batteries to service, If I had a battery pull out system I wouldn't have the filling system installed.

quote:

Originally posted by MWrench:
I often run the batteries down to 11.9 or a bit less when I am not thinking about them before I start the generator.



Had this system now for 6 years and still is doing well although, I am starting to notice voltage decline faster over night than before. can't say this is due to filling system or just general battery wear and tear.

With that hard use, it sounds like your batteries are doing as well as can be expected.

According to a paper i have, 12.60 is 100% charged. 12.35 is 75%, 12.15 is 50% and they recommend not going below this. 11.95 is 25%, and below 11.85 is less than 25% which they say is very hard on batteries. I used to run one set down at 11.90 or less before i got this paper and the set did not last as long,( a little over 3 years), as i thought they should. With this set i don't let them get below 12.2 and they are going strong into their 5th year so far.

If you don't work with this on a regular basis, It would be hard to believe... but 6 volts is not considered a half discharged/charged battery.

Here is the actual "State Of Charge" for batteries from Interstate.

12.15 volts is just a little more than a 50% State of Charge - Anything less than 11.8 volts is considered a fully discharged battery.

Percentage of Charge Corrected to
80o F Open-Circuit Voltage

100% 12.73V
90% 12.62
80% 12.50
70% 12.37
60% 12.24
50% 12.10
40% 11.96
30% 11.81
20% 11.66
10% 11.51

It is important to note that these voltage/SOC values are for use after the batteries have sat disconnected for 6-24 hours.

http://www.trojanbattery.com/B...tenance/Testing.aspx

Few of us do this, though. I have developed a shortcut. I disconnect the batteries on awakening, walk the dog for an hour, and then take a reading. Testing has shown that if I add a tenth of a volt to that reading, it will be the same as waiting 6 hours. I can apply my corrected reading on the Trojan chart. This also corresponds with my TriMetric meter.

Your results may vary, as your overnight usage is different and your battery bank is different size and age, but once you do your own test, reading the voltage one hour and 6 hours after disconnect, you will know how much to add after one hour. You only have to do the 6-hour test once, and the rest of the time the one-hour dog walk disconnect test is all you need.

Another technique is to observe your voltage under a fairly typical load for you. That will be too low to be useful on the chart, but disconnecting for 6 hours will tell you the SOC, and you will then know how to convert normal load voltage to SOC on the chart. This is useful to know when to fire up the generator.

Some folks are pretty good at observing how much the water pump dims the lights at night as an indicator of the need to charge.

Or use a TriMetric. A TriMetric will pay for itself by helping you optimize your battery management, and will alert you to an impending failure. This will avoid having to buy a battery you don't really like at a price you don't really like at a location than might not be convenient. The TriMetric is also useful for Susan to watch to know when to fire up the genset if I am gone all day hunting or fishing or something.

Or, wear old clothes, splash goggles, agitate the batteries to destratify, and use a hydrometer.

Anyway, charging your batteries when they get down to around 50% SOC is a good way to get decent life. My old pair of T125s were still pretty strong at 9 years when they were replaced. Every year, I thought would be their last, but they just kept soldiering along. I think they might have gone several more years.

quote:

TriMetric

So, I'm reading this and thoroughly overwhelmed by the realization of things I need to learn about. At least I did buy a general knowledge RV book, but many thanks for bringing up things that I can take to the book and explore with more relevancy. I have to look into the TriMetric as a way of helping.