pianotuna
Regina, SK, Canada
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Joined: 12/18/2004
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Best practice is to have a battery.
Regards, Don
My ride is a 28 foot Class C, 256 watts solar, 556 amp-hours of Telcom jars, 3000 watt Magnum hybrid inverter, Sola Basic Autoformer, Microair Easy Start.
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ScottG
Bothell Wa.
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Joined: 02/25/2005
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If your RV is sitting on a seasonal lot and never moves, you're fine without a battery. Having one will not change or improve anything. If you're towing or have slides that have to be moved in and out, you may need the battery for extra capacity but you don't need it to make the converter create clean power - at least not a converter from 2007.
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144Grayling
Lopez Island, WA
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Joined: 03/21/2022
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No surprise the battery is no good. Wouldn’t hold a charge. Still unknown whether a bad controller overcharged it and killed it or I killed it by leaving it uncharged all winter and the controller just boiled it trying to charge it. For right now I’ll be running on shore power with no battery. Just for the next few days then shut the whole thing down for winter. Saw no point in buying a battery at this point. Thanks again for all the help.
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ken56
Tennessee
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Joined: 01/12/2013
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Lead acid wet batteries get sulfated when left uncharged. The sulfur in the acid sticks to the lead plates and hardens on the plates if not knocked back off by charging...so yes, you killed the battery by leaving it in an uncharged state.
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ktmrfs
Portland, Oregon
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Joined: 06/22/2005
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144Grayling wrote:Thanks for all the information. The battery is a 12 volt lead acid RV deep cycle battery from Les Schwab. No reason to think it’s not what it says it is. As far as I know the only 12v functions in the trailer are lights, bathroom exhaust fan, radio and propane alarm. All those are fine on what’s coming out of the converter now: 12.9v No slide out, no hitch jack. Checking the panel it also has a few other 12v circuits that we don’t use ( dont need the water pump since we’re hooked up permanently, and the furnace, since we use electric heat instead of propane.) And it says the hood fan is 12v which I didn’t know. So everything we need is working fine off the converter and shore power. I don’t know why the converter was overcharging the battery to the point of boiling, but if it can go without a battery I really don’t need to care about it. I suspect that I killed the battery by leaving it outside uncharged over a couple of winters and that’s my bad. But, again, if I don’t need a battery in the system I’m ok. Still getting mixed opinions on that.
12V is needed for a propane/electric fridge (even on shore power) water heater (even on electric) usually for propane and sometimes CO detector
2011 Keystone Outback 295RE
2004 14' bikehauler with full living quarters
2015.5 Denali 4x4 CC/SB Duramax/Allison
2004.5 Silverado 4x4 CC/SB Duramax/Allison passed on to our Son!
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ScottG
Bothell Wa.
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Joined: 02/25/2005
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144Grayling wrote:Thanks for all the information. The battery is a 12 volt lead acid RV deep cycle battery from Les Schwab. No reason to think it’s not what it says it is. As far as I know the only 12v functions in the trailer are lights, bathroom exhaust fan, radio and propane alarm. All those are fine on what’s coming out of the converter now: 12.9v No slide out, no hitch jack. Checking the panel it also has a few other 12v circuits that we don’t use ( dont need the water pump since we’re hooked up permanently, and the furnace, since we use electric heat instead of propane.) And it says the hood fan is 12v which I didn’t know. So everything we need is working fine off the converter and shore power. I don’t know why the converter was overcharging the battery to the point of boiling, but if it can go without a battery I really don’t need to care about it. I suspect that I killed the battery by leaving it outside uncharged over a couple of winters and that’s my bad. But, again, if I don’t need a battery in the system I’m ok. Still getting mixed opinions on that.
With that information, you don't need a battery. Your WFCO converter will take care of everything you describe.
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wa8yxm
Davison Michigan (East of Flint)
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ScottG wrote: but you don't need it to make the converter create clean power - at least not a converter from 2007.
Good that you added "From 2007" as some of the older (Magnetek) you did need a battery or what they called a "Battery simulator" (Hardening capacitor is another name for it.. ONE HIGH CAPACITY Condenser like a farad or two) to clean things up.
Home was where I park it. but alas the.
2005 Damon Intruder 377 Alas declared a total loss
after a semi "nicked" it. Still have the radios
Kenwood TS-2000, ICOM ID-5100, ID-51A+2, ID-880 REF030C most times
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StirCrazy
Kamloops, BC, Canada
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Joined: 07/16/2003
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144Grayling wrote:The 12.9 was with the battery disconnected. (In fact the battery was at the NAPA shop miles away??) Looks like one vote for “it’s ok to run without a battery” and one vote for “you should put in a battery” Anyone else wanna break the tie?
And if I really do need a battery to protect the system should it be a deep cycle RV battery or a plain old car battery, knowing it will never be without shore power.
looks like your converter is fried. should be 13.6 to 13.7 with no battery hooked up. so, you likely need a new converter and a new battery
2014 F350 6.7 Platinum
2016 Cougar 330RBK
1991 Slumberqueen WS100
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144Grayling
Lopez Island, WA
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That may very well be true. But for now it serves our needs. This trailer is parked on our property to stay in during visits while we work on a permanent house here on the island. It’s a “bridge strategy” ( altho that bridge has gotten longer than hoped.) So as long as everything is working on 12.9 v (and it is) the motivation to put more money into it is pretty much zero. When we are done with it we’ll probably just give it away and the new owners can decide what to do.
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pianotuna
Regina, SK, Canada
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Joined: 12/18/2004
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Get a tiny cheap battery. For example:
https://www.costco.com/interstate-u1-law........26-garden-battery.product.100476412.html
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