I put a lithium ion battery in the overland trailer I built. Ampere Time is the brand. 100Ah was around $550 I think. I also put a Renogy DC to DC charger in. I ran a set of wires from the Jeep battery to the charger. It also had MPPT solar input. So far it's working well. I have ordered an AC charger and will install it shortly. Thanks for the info Randi.
I recently replaced my 12v 75ah battery with two 6v 220ah AGM batteries. So far I’ve been really pleased with how well they work. I guess my learning was to be aware of the amp hours your battery is rated and what your needs are in any given trailer. More amp hours equals longer lasting when boondocking. Thanks for your videos!
A lot of good tips Randy one other thing along with running all of your inside camper things your battery also works for your electric brakes so it’s very important that you keep it up-to-date and working good
I think I am going to get an AGM for my new camper whenever I get it. This just popped up on my feed and I guess I never commented on it a while back. I have three Lithium in the large 5th Wheel and I love it. I can stay out a week and not worry about running out of power. I can replenish with the solar I just can't run the AC for too long. For that I need the generator or a full hook up. But I think the AGM batteries are a great alternative to the wet or the acid batteries. Great Video Randi!!! Pat
I want to someday upgrade to lithium batteries but they aren’t good in cold weather. 😳 Using AGM batteries are a great wet battery alternative because you don’t have regular maintenance! Easy is always better, right?
@@RandisAdventures I can't recommend the Lithium batteries for what you do. You don't want to use them in the extremely cold weather. That's why I think I will be getting AGMs on the new trailer I'm getting. I want to be able to go out in cold weather.
Hi Mary! 💜 I never thought I’d learn so much about RV batteries. Flooded? AGM? When our second Flooded battery lost its charge so quickly I knew it was time to get to the bottom of the problem. Turns out, our human error contributed to the problem! 🤭
NOTE: Do not regularly discharge greater than 50%, BUT once a month, run to 1/4 25% to get BOTTOM CHEMISTRY equalized...most battery owner operators, just charge then discharge, not aware they are killing, also batteries are happy between 68-72 degrees otherwise they will shrink, or thermo expand, and cheat you out of power. Great vids sis. Keep posting.
@@RandisAdventures once in a while to do battery equalizer, but never should be a reminder so you don't discharge that low often...i worked with 2 or tree batteries on this big black thing that goes underwater
if you are charging your house battery from your tow vehicle's alternator you could end up damaging your agm battery because alternators are designed to charge starting batteries only. that is the main reason why rv manufacturers build them with flooded rv/marine 12 volt batteries which are not really a deep-cycle design but a modified starting battery design, and it is normal in the rv and boating industry to have to replace these batteries often.
Great video, I do believe you would have been better off with lithium batteries because you are boonedocking more now. You can get around the heating them in the winter by putting them inside like I did mine. Lithium batteries last 10 times longer and can go down to zero percent (but most keep them at 20%). And lithium batteries (good ones) have a built in battery monitoring system (BMS) so you can't over charge or charge them when to cold out.
I really struggled between an AGM and Lithium battery Todd because of the things you mentioned. But it got down to cost, cold temps and the Zamp controller I have does not have a setting for lithium so I would have had to upgrade that also.
@@RandisAdventures I understand the cost thing, but if you look at it for the long term it is actually cheaper. The zamp controller does have a lithium setting on it its called LiFePO4. And like I mentioned before if they were inside temp would not be an issue.
@@gregj9391 the trailers charger cannot be changed and will only charge a lithium battery to around 80%, so the zamp controller will have to make up the difference or you will have to change out the trailers charger.
Buying your batteries at Costco is a good choice. If used in a recreational vehicle, the limited warranty is reduced to a free-replacement period of six months and a pro-rata limited warranty period of one-half the indicated life for that battery.
Great info as we recently replaced the AGM battery in my LGMM with another AGM. But how do you monitor the battery’s charge? Is there something you recommend hooking up to the battery to test it periodically? Other than the solar panel control, I don’t know anything about how much the battery is charged …. like percentage and such.
Hi Allison! I monitor the battery charge through the Zamp solar control panel. I know there are battery state of charge monitors but I have not used one to make a suggestion for you.
Nice job Randi! Just curious... your solar charger is compatible with AGM batteries, but is the trailer’s converter compatible? Had read that most converters aren’t designed to charge AGM’s and wondering if damage would occur if plugged into shore power. I recently upgraded to two DC31’s and so far so good!
Hey Mike! I double checked with Xtreme Outdoors and they verified an AGM battery is compatible with the trailers converter. 😁 Thanks for the great question!
Camping for our 2nd day. Recovering from heat exhaustion. Only to feel better and unpacking a new fishing pole cut my hand. But that's not the worst the Florida Midges are biblical. At least they don't bite.
I'm curious how long these will last? I have a 100 ah version, also renogy lead acid. Haven't run into anyone that can tell me how many years theirs is lasted or lasting up to yet.
Hey Sabina! That is a GREAT question! I monitor my batteries state of charge with my Zamp controller which is what came with my Little Guy Max. If you don’t have a controller system that shows this you can buy a battery monitor. It’s important to have some way to monitor your battery so it never goes below 50%.
My last wet battery lasted 8 years but I was careful to keep the water up and charge above 50%. Also my fridge doesn't have a fan, we don't have a TV and all lights are LED.
Randi another tidbit of information that is wonderful to know. Thank you very much. We made our maiden voyage with our brand new little guy max last weekend 2 weeks after my back surgery and it went well until we went to open our sewer line holder and found out we didn’t have a hose. Lol. Oh well, we went down the road a bit and found one and were back in business. It was great to get away and had a wonderful time in our trailer. When we have our trailer home we keep it plugged in and this keeps the battery charged. I guess if you’re fortunate enough to do so this can save your battery. Thank you again, you Rock
Wooooo Hooooo Bill… that’s exciting you got your Little Guy trailer and had a successful maiden voyage! 😁 And I am glad you found a hose. 😂 That’s great you have electricity where you store your trailer, this will help you maintain your battery.
I put a lithium ion battery in the overland trailer I built. Ampere Time is the brand. 100Ah was around $550 I think. I also put a Renogy DC to DC charger in. I ran a set of wires from the Jeep battery to the charger. It also had MPPT solar input. So far it's working well. I have ordered an AC charger and will install it shortly.
Thanks for the info Randi.
WOW! You are very handy. Have I seen your overland trailer on Instagram?
@@RandisAdventures There's a few photos on there.
@@bah5310 impressive! I like the setup.
and obviously well off financially...@@RandisAdventures
In a wet cell 12 volt battery, never use regular "TAP" Water to refill Battery cell reservoirs....! "ALWAYS" use "DISTILLED" WATER....!!!!!
Good tip! This was something I wasn't aware of at first so thanks for bringing this to our attention!
I recently replaced my 12v 75ah battery with two 6v 220ah AGM batteries. So far I’ve been really pleased with how well they work. I guess my learning was to be aware of the amp hours your battery is rated and what your needs are in any given trailer. More amp hours equals longer lasting when boondocking.
Thanks for your videos!
Hi Rocky! Great point… battery amp hours is a big consideration and the more amp hours the more time we can boondock. 😁
Excellent -
Smart think and Perfect setup..
That the way to do it -
Two Sixers
A lot of good tips Randy one other thing along with running all of your inside camper things your battery also works for your electric brakes so it’s very important that you keep it up-to-date and working good
Great point Robert! I had not thought of that so thanks for sharing.
I think I am going to get an AGM for my new camper whenever I get it. This just popped up on my feed and I guess I never commented on it a while back. I have three Lithium in the large 5th Wheel and I love it. I can stay out a week and not worry about running out of power. I can replenish with the solar I just can't run the AC for too long. For that I need the generator or a full hook up. But I think the AGM batteries are a great alternative to the wet or the acid batteries. Great Video Randi!!!
Pat
I want to someday upgrade to lithium batteries but they aren’t good in cold weather. 😳 Using AGM batteries are a great wet battery alternative because you don’t have regular maintenance! Easy is always better, right?
@@RandisAdventures I can't recommend the Lithium batteries for what you do. You don't want to use them in the extremely cold weather. That's why I think I will be getting AGMs on the new trailer I'm getting. I want to be able to go out in cold weather.
Great information, Randi. I’m sure Arnie knows all that information, but now I do as well. Great to hear from a seasoned RV owner,
Hi Mary! 💜 I never thought I’d learn so much about RV batteries. Flooded? AGM? When our second Flooded battery lost its charge so quickly I knew it was time to get to the bottom of the problem. Turns out, our human error contributed to the problem! 🤭
NOTE: Do not regularly discharge greater than 50%, BUT once a month, run to 1/4 25% to get BOTTOM CHEMISTRY equalized...most battery owner operators, just charge then discharge, not aware they are killing, also batteries are happy between 68-72 degrees otherwise they will shrink, or thermo expand, and cheat you out of power. Great vids sis. Keep posting.
I have not heard of going below 50% to get battery chemistry equalized? Everything I researched told me never to let a lead acid battery go below 50%.
@@RandisAdventures once in a while to do battery equalizer, but never should be a reminder so you don't discharge that low often...i worked with 2 or tree batteries on this big black thing that goes underwater
@@RandisAdventuresequalization refers to a controlled overcharge. Undercharging never is done for equalization.
💯 Thank you for the great video...we love watching! Happy trails! ⭐️⛺️
I appreciate you watching and glad you found this video helpful!
Wow! I learn something from you every video. Thank you for sharing and be safe.
I never thought I’d learn so much about RV batteries! 😂
Excellent video I appreciate your information. Getting ready to upgrade my RV battery.
Good luck with your battery upgrade!
Excellent Randi! Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us!
Thanks Rick!
if you are charging your house battery from your tow vehicle's alternator you could end up damaging your agm battery because alternators are designed to charge starting batteries only. that is the main reason why rv manufacturers build them with flooded rv/marine 12 volt batteries which are not really a deep-cycle design but a modified starting battery design, and it is normal in the rv and boating industry to have to replace these batteries often.
Because of your info I contacted Xtreme Outdoors tech support and they said I should not have a problem. Thanks for your info and comment!
Great video, I do believe you would have been better off with lithium batteries because you are boonedocking more now. You can get around the heating them in the winter by putting them inside like I did mine. Lithium batteries last 10 times longer and can go down to zero percent (but most keep them at 20%). And lithium batteries (good ones) have a built in battery monitoring system (BMS) so you can't over charge or charge them when to cold out.
I really struggled between an AGM and Lithium battery Todd because of the things you mentioned. But it got down to cost, cold temps and the Zamp controller I have does not have a setting for lithium so I would have had to upgrade that also.
@@RandisAdventures I understand the cost thing, but if you look at it for the long term it is actually cheaper. The zamp controller does have a lithium setting on it its called LiFePO4. And like I mentioned before if they were inside temp would not be an issue.
@@ToddStoddard The Zamp controller may work for solar charging. The trailers charger must be changed, it's not set up for lithium.
@@gregj9391 the trailers charger cannot be changed and will only charge a lithium battery to around 80%, so the zamp controller will have to make up the difference or you will have to change out the trailers charger.
How often do you charge an AGM battery after sitting for a while like sitting for 2 months from the last time used?
Excellent video - extremely helpful and easy to understandm
I am glad this was helpful for you! 😊
Buying your batteries at Costco is a good choice. If used in a recreational vehicle, the limited warranty is reduced to a free-replacement period of six months and a pro-rata limited warranty period of one-half the indicated life for that battery.
Thanks for your feedback Bob!
Great info as we recently replaced the AGM battery in my LGMM with another AGM. But how do you monitor the battery’s charge? Is there something you recommend hooking up to the battery to test it periodically? Other than the solar panel control, I don’t know anything about how much the battery is charged …. like percentage and such.
I would recommend a victron bluetooth battery monitor.
www.amazon.com/dp/B0856PHNLX/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_JHYYF2X8N5CXCXKP8109
Hi Allison! I monitor the battery charge through the Zamp solar control panel. I know there are battery state of charge monitors but I have not used one to make a suggestion for you.
Nice job Randi! Just curious... your solar charger is compatible with AGM batteries, but is the trailer’s converter compatible? Had read that most converters aren’t designed to charge AGM’s and wondering if damage would occur if plugged into shore power. I recently upgraded to two DC31’s and so far so good!
Hey Mike! I double checked with Xtreme Outdoors and they verified an AGM battery is compatible with the trailers converter. 😁 Thanks for the great question!
Randi's Adventures Good to hear! Now you will be good to go!!
Camping for our 2nd day. Recovering from heat exhaustion. Only to feel better and unpacking a new fishing pole cut my hand. But that's not the worst the Florida Midges are biblical. At least they don't bite.
Oh no Michael! I hope your hand is better. I had not heard of Florida Midges so I Googled it and they look like mosquitoes.
@@RandisAdventures 2 types no see ums bite the blind mosquitos don't. We had the blind mosquitos.
Lithium iron-phosphate is the best choice, unless charging during freezing temps is a concern. For all other situations, LFP is better, by far.
I have wanted to get a lithium battery but I live in Minnesota and like to winter camp.
Great video. Very useful!
Thanks! 😊
Really nice video! I enjoyed this!
I am glad to hear you enjoyed the video! Thank you.
Great job on this video...thank you
Your so welcome!
Great presentation. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful! 😊
My RV has a lot more cables going to and from the battery and that little Renogy wouldn't accommodate them all!
I'm curious how long these will last? I have a 100 ah version, also renogy lead acid. Haven't run into anyone that can tell me how many years theirs is lasted or lasting up to yet.
I too would love to have someone chime in on this! Great question!
Dumb question here. How do you know if it’s discharged below 50%?
Hey Sabina! That is a GREAT question! I monitor my batteries state of charge with my Zamp controller which is what came with my Little Guy Max. If you don’t have a controller system that shows this you can buy a battery monitor. It’s important to have some way to monitor your battery so it never goes below 50%.
Does the water need to be distilled water
Yes it does Barbara. ✅
I WANT TO KNOW... How long has your RV battery lasted? Please let me know...THANK YOU! 💙💛💜
My last wet battery lasted 8 years but I was careful to keep the water up and charge above 50%. Also my fridge doesn't have a fan, we don't have a TV and all lights are LED.
@@williamkoch9977 8 years... that’s fantastic William. You are much better at maintaining a battery than I am! 😁
You say that taking out the battery was really easy. Of course it was easy. You had someone else do it for you. :P
LOL! That's true!
Lithium for the win.
You can't just put a lithium battery in your RV the older units won't charge those batteries properly
Check your charger specs BEFORE going AGM.
Thanks for the awesome tip!
Randi another tidbit of information that is wonderful to know. Thank you very much. We made our maiden voyage with our brand new little guy max last weekend 2 weeks after my back surgery and it went well until we went to open our sewer line holder and found out we didn’t have a hose. Lol. Oh well, we went down the road a bit and found one and were back in business. It was great to get away and had a wonderful time in our trailer. When we have our trailer home we keep it plugged in and this keeps the battery charged. I guess if you’re fortunate enough to do so this can save your battery. Thank you again, you Rock
Wooooo Hooooo Bill… that’s exciting you got your Little Guy trailer and had a successful maiden voyage! 😁 And I am glad you found a hose. 😂 That’s great you have electricity where you store your trailer, this will help you maintain your battery.