Inside Batteries on 2017 S model

dsatwork

Has anyone added more than one AGM battery inside their passenger side wheel well compartment? I think the 2016 and 2017 have the same layout inside driver side wheel well, that doesn't allow room for a battery on that side to even the weight out. This pic is from the driver side wheel well box on a 2017 Max S. We have ordered a 2017 Basic S, but expect this area to look the same minus a couple wires. I have searched the forum extensively and found marked favorites on all the examples I could where inside batteries have been used. 

Ratkity

I think someone did, but not sure how they squeezed them in there. I think one was in each wheel well.

wizard1880

The CS model allows installation of two golf cart sized batteries behind the passenger side wheel well, with room to spare.

Homebodyatheart

What would be the advantage of storing them inside vs in the tongue box?

Ratkity

Adding another propane tank? A place for the stinky slinkies?

jcfaber1

We have a 2007 tab.  Ours did not have any meaningful water system.  It came with a portable 5 gallon jug and a water pump that spits it out literally.  There was no hot water.  I went on a quest to fix that.  I have added a 10 gallon tank underneath, city water, outdoor shower and a inexpensive tankless water heater up front outside the tab area.  I did not want to have the batteries in the same area as a water heater so I moved ours inside.  We have 2 6V AGM batteries in a vented box.  The vent is a 1" copper pipe with a 1/2" pipe in the center going to the bottom of the battery box to have air flow inside. The area with the converter is a busy area and is not suitable for other storage.  I also have added our MPPT solar charger in the wheel well.  Here is the photo.

dsatwork

@Homebodyatheart tongue weight is my incentive. @jcfaber1 the beauty of your setup and I do mean it's beautiful... is that you got to choose where everything goes... I just don't think I can move enough stuff there to make it all work

dsatwork

@jcfaber1 did you do anything to balance the weight? I could do the same thing on the passenger side wheel well.

jcfaber1

No, I did not do anything to balance the weight.  The batteries are very close to the axel so any balance issue would be between the left or right side.  The box was made by a local plastic company.  The only AGM batteries I could find at the time that would fit the space are the VM Charge Tanks.  That made the decision easy.  After 8K miles or more we've not had a single problem.  I am really happy with how it has worked.  They have 225 AH.  My word of caution is to not use flooded batteries.  I spoke with engineers from 3 different battery manufacturers.  All of them said to vent even AGM batteries.  That is why you see m venting.  Thanks for your comments.  I find that space up front and elsewhere very precious.
John

jcfaber1

Also note my quick disconnect for both positive and negative inside the yellow circle.  The bottom right hand side is the solar MPPT controller.

dsatwork

I'm surprised they suggested venting agm.... the LG 5W is designed with agm under the galley. I swapped out the 35 ah for a 100 ah and added a 2000 watt inverter. No venting at all. Never had any problems. Is there something different with the 6 volt batteries?

jcfaber1

No, nothing different.  In normal circumstances when AGM batteries are charging the internal valves recycle the hydrogen gas.  The only way they will discharge hydrogen gas is if something goes wrong while charging and the gas builds up sufficient pressure to blow past the valves.  At least that was my understanding.
I think they were erring on the side of caution. 
John

Sharon_is_SAM

Homebodyatheart:  another reason to place batteries inside beside reducing tongue weight is to prevent theft of expensive AGMs and as Ratkitty stated, it frees up space for more stuff in your propane tub.  I also wonder if the speed to battery charge is reduced since it is closer to the converter.  Guess it depends on what you are using to charge your batteries, too.  For those people who need to store their T@B and batteries remotely due to storage challenges or battery weight, the AGMs discharge at only 2 - 3% a month, so can be left solo for a much longer time than regular flooded lead acid batteries.  They are the only batteries that can be placed inside as regular flooded need more venting than the AGMs.

Sharon

Homebodyatheart

Thanks Sharon! This is all new to me and I'm trying to figure it out. It is murky especially since we don't have a T@B yet to play with, but soon! What T@B did you get, and when do you think it will arrive?

Sharon_is_SAM

We ordered a CSS Basic with a lot of customizations.  It is scheduled for production in March and we plan to receive it in April.  

danp212

I've been considering installing a Lithium (LiFePO4) battery inside my 2017 S Max, there seems to be ample room in the drivers side wheel well compartment. I would have to move the floor-mounted electrical wiring bundles a bit, and relocate the 110v outlet (which I never use). Initial measurement showed that it will fit in the floor space right up to where the red hot water line runs (this photo shows them overlapping but they would be about 1/2" from touching.



Biggest part of this project would be re-wiring the electrical. I would still like to use the external SAE plug for solar, and with the desire to install a battery monitor & internal battery cutoff switch, it would be getting into some serious splicing and re-wiring work, though reasonably straightforward with a new breakout box & shunt for the battery monitor. 

I really like the idea of having more storage room in the propane tub, and possibly even upgrading to a larger truck storage box at some point. I have the spare tire mounted on the tongue jack so i'm not really worried about tongue weight when removing the current battery. The lithium weighs a whopping 29lbs :-)

Anyone have feedback or experience re-wiring their electrical system for an inside mounted battery?

Verna

@danp212, I don’t Have time to search the forum for you right now, but if you search on “ lithium”, you’ll find a couple of discussions from those who have researched lithium batteries. As I recall, the WFCO Converter is not able to recharge lithium batteries. Be sure to do research concerning that. 

Also so the electrical outlet you want to remove is the first GFCI outlet and you would have to change the next outlet in line to be a GFCI outlet. 

MuttonChops

Verna said:

. . .  search on “ lithium”, you’ll find a couple of discussions from those who have researched lithium batteries.

As I recall, the WFCO Converter is not able to ( * * Fully * * ) recharge lithium batteries. Be sure to do research concerning that. 

Our WFCO Converters are compatible with lithium batteries but do not have a high enough output voltage to fully charge - - top off - - a lithium battery.  An additional charging source, solar or stand alone 120VAC sourced charger is needed to bring a lithium battery to 100% SOC.

danp212

thanks for the feeback, @Verna. As I understand it the WFCO converter is in fact able to charge the lithium battery, to a certain point. The WFCO will not fully charge to 100% as the lithium battery needs a bulk charge rate of between 14.2-14.6v, I believe the WFCO outputs around 13.9v (still need to confirm this). After doing a fair bit of research on Lithium batteries it seems there are ways to make them work in the T@B. My solar charge controller is capable of outputting the necessary 14.6v bulk charge rate, and I would likely use a lithium specific charger to charge the battery at home between trips. 

I was more looking for feedback regarding experiences splicing and re-wiring the electrical setup for an internal battery, as oppose to the stock battery wiring into the front storage tub. This seems to be the tricky part of the equation. 

Oneota

Anyone install a ReLion LiFePO4 battery?  Looks like a 100 AH low temp one could fit between the WFCO and the wheel well on the diver's side (2019 TAB Boondock Lite); even two in parallel under the seat.

Sharon_is_SAM

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/search?adv=&search=Lithium+batteries&title=&author=&cat=all&tags=&discussion_d=1&discussion_poll=1&comment_c=1&within=1+day&date=