Dual GC Battery setup is Awesome :)

PSBreen

First I wanted to say thanks to JKJENN for posting the info and NORMFUN for answering questions on the DUAL GC BATTERY SETUP. We did a basic dual GC battery setup with Interstate 208aH batteries on our 2014 T@B-CS, just batteries no cut-off switch or solar panel yet. We spent 7 nights running off just the batteries and were pretty impressed. Our battery voltage the first night was 12.75 volts and it was still at 12.34 volts at the end of the trip. We camped in a home-built teardrop for a few years so we are pretty miserly with power, your results may vary. After this little test I think it's safe to say we will have no trouble camping on battery power alone for a 3-4 day trip. We're still looking at buying a small 100+ watt solar panel in the future. Here's a better idea of how I tested and while not very scientific, it may give you some ideas.

1. I left ALL the fuses installed so we had the parisitic drain going on the whole time.

2. We didn't use the fridge as it's a power hog on battery. It was set to 0. 

3. We used the reading lights for 1-2 hours per night to change clothes and read

4. We'd run the fan on low for 1-2 hours to cool the trailer down at night.

5. Adle heat set to midway between 2 & 3 on propane.

6. We did not use the TV or Entertainment System at all this trip as we spent most of our time enjoying the outdoors or visiting friends.

ericnliz

Good info, thanks PSBreen!

Nomad

Any estimate on the cost to do this setup?

PSBreen

It cost me about $315 but you can save a bit if you shop around.  Do an internet search for "Solar for Long Term Boondocking". JKJenn wrote it and it has a link to her dual battery setup with part numbers and sources in the "show more" section . I went basic with just batteries, box, cable and angle iron. I used Interstate GC batteries available at Costco instead of the Trojans. Hope this helps.

Nomad

Ya, I followed Jenn's but never added it up.

PSBreen

The Trojan T-105's are said to be great batteries. You can add another $100-S120 for the Trojan's . For me the cost wasn't worth the extra 17 aH.

Mr_Mrs_Gnome

Our Trojan T105s were $121.00 each with cores or $151.00 each without cores. The battery box was another $69.00 off eBay. We were able to shift all the wiring from the OB tub and Zamp port to the battery except for a splice in the + Zamp cable to extend it a few inches.

    

Ratkity

Very nice setup, Gnomies!! That Outback shelving must be able to handle quite a bit of poundage. Looks good!

Mr_Mrs_Gnome

@Ratkity, We've never seen a weight limit listed anywhere. Has anyone ever seen hard data on this? If it can hold Mr. Gnome (he has to stand on it to reach the window), it can hold a couple of batteries.

Ratkity

Nope Gnomies, never seen a weight limit listed for the shelves. I'd call the factory and ask. My sis' Outback ones seem very tough.

hymie

Another dual battery install on a T@b Outback. 220 glorious amp hours!!! Ready to look at solar now.

Box is a NOCO (426) brand purchased at a local marine outfitter for ~$75 Canadian.

Attached to the platform using the existing platform holes and a few homemade "washers".






Wiring is very straight forward. T@b power is orange loom and Zamp is the black loom.



The only drawback to the NOCO 426 box is that the batteries can shift around slightly. To prevent this, I added high density foam blocks on all sides (hidden in pic) and made two top blocks that wedge in the top. No more problem...



Thanks again to all that have gone before and published their work for the rest of us to learn from!

Cheers - James

ericnliz

Nice job!

wizard1880

Welcome to the dual GC battery club!

Now you just need to find ways of actually draining them more than 10% each day to prove the investment's worth!  I've gone 2 nights with the CS's 12v fridge running and can't seem to get them to drop below 60%, and that's watching 2 movies and charging our phones, running all lights, fan, etc.  If you have a propane fridge you'll last a week!!

dmerzbac

@PSBreen I would also like to do this mod in the future when I'm ready for boondocking. Did you use the standard tub for your batteries or use an outside container like the others. What mods did you have to make to get the GC batteries to fit? I do have the outside platform, so I could use that if necessary, but it would be nice to use the tub if I could get everything to fit.

Runtarooti

I would LOVE to join the dual GC battery club. Could someone who installed in a standard tub please share how you did it? 

Verna

@Runtarooti, seriously, there are many write-ups and photos of our golf cart battery installations already on the forum. Do a search for golf cart and you'll get a list of the threads. By reading the threads you'll find lots of info and yes, some have used the existing tub and most have included photos. 

Runtarooti

Thank you Verna! I did my best to search and found  @cbarnhill setup which is fabulous, but the picture doesn't show what was modified beneath to the support frame. Because I don't weld, I was hoping to get a diagram from someone so I could show it to a local welder. I know from reading the threads this mod is easy peasy on an Outback tub, but I think and would like to confirm the support frame needs to be modded on the standard tub. 

jkjenn

Another great install @hymie !

Verna

@Runtarooti, I believe CBarnill ( Cindy) doesn't exactly know what was modified as she wasn't there for the mod. I know that if you put the batteries as hers are, there will need to be some extra support installed. I had a local welder make mods to my diamond plate tub, but PitPat and Michigan_Mike didn't make mods to their tubs. So, if you can get an opinion from a local welder, they should be able to weld exactly what you need. (Get the opinion and price, buy the batteries, so the welder can make sure the batteries fit as he/she expects.)

hymie

@wizard1880 This is most likely to be the best use of money and time that I will ever spend on the t@b. We do have a propane fridge. The limiting factor for us now will be grey/black water. This is great as we plan on boondocking frequently. Also have solar in mind for later this year.