Hi all,
New to rv ownership. Just bought a used 2021 Kodiak cub 175bh
It has 2, new 12v size 24 batteries but they’re the cheap car type.
Does anyone have a recommendation for replacements?
The trailer also has 2, 100 watt solar panels.
Most of our trips will be dry camping.
I know this question has probably been asked a million times so I apologize in advance
Thanks
Rob W
You can of course use the group 24 batteries as long as they provide the power you want.
200 watts of solar panels may provide a peak charging capacity of 15 amps at mid day on a clear summer day. A rule of thumb is you get an estimated 6 hours of charging per full sun day. So, 15 a X 6 hrs = 90 amp hours of battery charge. The two group 24 batteries may hold a maximum of 140 amp hours.
When you decide to replace them, choose
AGM deep draw batteries. They are more expensive to install than flooded cell deep draw gulf cart batteries, but they are clean and tolerate deep draw (dry camping) situations better. The chances are your WFCO converter/charger will work fine and not need any changes for charging.
I used 200 amp hours of marine AGM batteries for 5 years. I got 5 days dry camping in summer and 3 days while running furnace in winter.
Recently one of them developed an internal short. I replaced it with two more similar batteries. So, I now have 300 amp hours. We use the extra 100 amp hours to charge my wife's mobility scooter.
An alternative is to use 200 amp hours of
lithium batteries. If you shop around, you may be able to get them for a little more than the AGM batteries. They will work better and last longer.
The WFCO may or may not do a good job of charging them. If your model WFCO has the switch for lithium it will probably be good. The new "-AD" models have had software problems that may or may not be solved by a software upgrade. You would probably need a WFCO with higher than 50 amp charging capability for a 200 amp hour lithium battery bank.
The older model WFCO without the switch and not "-AD" model would be marginal. You would need more than 50 amp charging capability to fully charge and balance quickly. A few people have reported the old models work OK for them.
Your solar charge controller may or may not charge the lithium well. Charging capacity is low. If it has a lithium mode, it may do OK.
Otherwise, a new high capacity lithium capable converter/charger and a new lithium capable charge controller will be required.
A pair of 100 amp hour lithium batteries can probably use 100 amps of charging for optimum results.
