So happy to see this video and hoping this is the cure. We are literally watching this from our Coachmen Nova at a lovely campground in Iowa and we are the only B here among the giant Class As. Keeping fingers crossed that you two will be back out adventuring soon! Today marks 32 days on the road for us!
I like how honest you are about your ongoing struggles with van life and vans in general. Most people only show the good but imagine if all that you have gone through happened and you actually didn't have a home to do repairs on your van or weren't handy? It could rapidly become nightmarish. Thanks for sharing the realities of van life.
It is evidence of how sad my life is how eagerly I have been waiting for this video. Really well done. Worth waiting for. So cool they gave you those batteries. And I could feel your pain in installing them. What a terrible enginnering job by Thor. Those things should not be hanging down like that and should be much easier to replace. What were they thinking?? Oh wait it's Thor... I admire you so much for not complaing about how ridiculous the design is and just plowing through the job. I hope there is not some other root cause of the failure of the old batteries. Seems very weird they would both fail like that.
Bob, you may want to reprogram the Balmar MC-618 Alternator Regulator (blue thing near your invertor) to the new battery specs. This will keep the batteries operating within their specified voltage/temp ratings when charging off the alternator, versus the default values. Its kind of technical due to all the abbreviated settings, but there are UA-cam videos which can help. Thanks for the video guys, I definitely like the size and price of those batteries.
Hello Bob ..Hillary😊 Great to see you received batteries to test out!!! We hope.. they work out for you guys!!! Thank you.. for your video's were learning alot from you guys !!! Good night 🙏❤️🌻
In this video I noticed that it looked like a string hanging from your screen door. Is it broken? There is a guy who has instructions and parts for that screen. Also is the finish on the wood trim to the left of the slider peeling off? Hate to notice things, but if broken would love seeing and hearing repairs.
I would change the place those batteries are mounted, for sure...The most important thing with batteries is making sure that those leads are connected to the battery properly, a loose connection could kill the battery or worse start a fire, easily...I would make a closet or spot on the inside, but, to each his own..
Bob and Hillary, we LOVE your videos and you! You two are so cute! We have a Ram Promaster 3500, custom build and we are constantly fixing things! I tell my wife all the time, "Bob would do this, Bob would do that", lol. Keep up the great work and videos! Did these batteries work?
Thanks for sharing, hopefully this was the problem. It will be interesting to see how you like the new batteries and also if Lamesa backs the old ones to your satisfaction
Good job. I thought it would take about two hours to install the batteries and get everything up to speed. Hopefully you guys will be back in the road in no time.
I know I’m a little late for this comment but always attach the red one first. If your wrench hits the body metal there’s no ground at that point. Bob’s careful so all is well. Hopefully it’s back on the road again. I look forward to Wednesday so I can see your latest escapades.
Good job Bob but as a safety rule of thumb, next time install the positive terminal first. Even though it would make for some great footage, I’d hate to see you get shocked or see sparks flying if you accidentally grounded the screwdriver. lol
I hope this resolves your issue and your back on the road ASAP. I’m currently at a campground in Oregon now having rewiring done on the wire from the inverter to the Lithium batteries. Looks like the proper wire wasn’t used which is why my house battery kept draining and this last time not only did it drain the house battery it also drained the Chassis battery and I was forced to get a jump. Also removing my Lithium BIM Isolator and replacing with DC to DC Charger.
"Don't listen to Bob" 🤣Love the new batteries are lighter and should be more capacity! Do you think that temperature (low or high) had anything to do with the prior battery failure? (Especially since they are mounted on the bottom of the van?)
We had same issue with Our 2021 Thor sequence. I tried all the fuses and breaker switches in the breaker box , everything was fine, but house batteries were not charging with solar or 12 volt. Took it to an rv repair shop. Turns out a breaker had tripped that was behind the solar charge indicator panel. Had to take off that panel and flip the breaker.
The soc will require some usage cycles to make a good estimate. I have the same setup. Similar problems. Will be interested to see how these work. I researched trying to find batteries that would fit in that battery box but has more power. No luck so far
Great job So you have a extended warranty with la Mesa - would you recommend purchasing the extended warranty to other's buying a new van? Any recommendations on options?
Read your extended warranty paperwork. Sometimes you can cancel it. They prorate and refund the difference based on the time left. I did that with my car.
I suspect, from the original video, that the original batteries were damaged from the over-tightening of the battery hold down bracket deforming the case, which likely damaged either some of the cells or warped/damaged the batteries’ internal BMS.
We will eventually replace the AGM batteries with LiFePO4 when they start to wear down. Until then how do you change the inverter to charge lithium vs AGM. They have different charge parameters and something must be adjusted or changed.
Those batteries are stored outside. If those batteries are charged below freezing temperatures, they will be ruined. This could explain why the old batteries are bad if they do not have built in heat pads or low temp cut off. The Power Queen Batteries do not have either.
The old batteries are the LT version from Relion which have internal heaters. They can change below freezing. The new batteries should have temperature protection built-in, but won't charge below freezing. My theory is that the old batteries were clamped down so hard that the casing failed at the seam and water has gotten into the BMS. I'll be interested to find out.
@@tavonjohnston If that is the case, then absolutely be careful, because that could be a problem. Depending on the type of your charger, you may be able to implement low-temp cutoff yourself. For example, the Victron chargers have an adjustable temperature cut-off setting and they also support remote temperature sensors that you can place outside the vehicle with your battery.
Here’s the battery info!
Website: ipowerqueen.com
Canada Website: ca.ipowerqueen.com/
3% off Discount code: VC3
So happy to see this video and hoping this is the cure. We are literally watching this from our Coachmen Nova at a lovely campground in Iowa and we are the only B here among the giant Class As. Keeping fingers crossed that you two will be back out adventuring soon! Today marks 32 days on the road for us!
Thanks Steve! We do too! That’s awesome! 32 days on the road! So great!
I like how honest you are about your ongoing struggles with van life and vans in general. Most people only show the good but imagine if all that you have gone through happened and you actually didn't have a home to do repairs on your van or weren't handy? It could rapidly become nightmarish. Thanks for sharing the realities of van life.
It is evidence of how sad my life is how eagerly I have been waiting for this video.
Really well done. Worth waiting for.
So cool they gave you those batteries. And I could feel your pain in installing them.
What a terrible enginnering job by Thor.
Those things should not be hanging down like that and should be much easier to replace. What were they thinking?? Oh wait it's Thor...
I admire you so much for not complaing about how ridiculous the design is and just plowing through the job.
I hope there is not some other root cause of the failure of the old batteries. Seems very weird they would both fail like that.
You made our night Mark! Thanks for sharing this!
You made our night Mark! Thanks for sharing this!
Bob, you may want to reprogram the Balmar MC-618 Alternator Regulator (blue thing near your invertor) to the new battery specs. This will keep the batteries operating within their specified voltage/temp ratings when charging off the alternator, versus the default values. Its kind of technical due to all the abbreviated settings, but there are UA-cam videos which can help. Thanks for the video guys, I definitely like the size and price of those batteries.
Great progress!! Hope it all syncs up and you can get back out there!🤞👍 Strong work, perseverance and attitude guys!❤
Thanks Joe!
Hello Bob ..Hillary😊
Great to see you received batteries to test out!!!
We hope.. they work out for you guys!!! Thank you.. for your video's were learning alot from you guys !!!
Good night 🙏❤️🌻
Hi Diane 👋 thanks! ❤️
You two are killing me, I was holding my breath when you were connecting the battery. And now I have to wait to see if it worked. 😂
Hahaha!!!! I’ll let you know…it did work! 🥳
@@Vancaskeys sooo glad for you both! I have a Coachmen Nova and just love touring around in it.
Thank you for your heartfelt recommendation. I have the smae one and it works super well!
You cant rush perfection Hillary. 😁
Parts and approval from Thor has La Mesa all kinds of backed up! LOVE THE NAME!
Yep! Thanks!
I am so happy for you, waiting to get in to LaMesa ourselves.
Thank you! Ugh! Hope you get in soon! Worst part of owning a van.
In this video I noticed that it looked like a string hanging from your screen door. Is it broken? There is a guy who has instructions and parts for that screen. Also is the finish on the wood trim to the left of the slider peeling off? Hate to notice things, but if broken would love seeing and hearing repairs.
I would change the place those batteries are mounted, for sure...The most important thing with batteries is making sure that those leads are connected to the battery properly, a loose connection could kill the battery or worse start a fire, easily...I would make a closet or spot on the inside, but, to each his own..
We have through about doing that too
Bob and Hillary, we LOVE your videos and you! You two are so cute! We have a Ram Promaster 3500, custom build and we are constantly fixing things! I tell my wife all the time, "Bob would do this, Bob would do that", lol. Keep up the great work and videos! Did these batteries work?
Awww thank you! You made our day! Yes! The batteries work! We are so happy!
Thanks for sharing, hopefully this was the problem. It will be interesting to see how you like the new batteries and also if Lamesa backs the old ones to your satisfaction
Good job. I thought it would take about two hours to install the batteries and get everything up to speed. Hopefully you guys will be back in the road in no time.
Yep! It took around 2 hours.
"PowerQueen"... nuff said! Good job!
Thanks!
I know I’m a little late for this comment but always attach the red one first. If your wrench hits the body metal there’s no ground at that point. Bob’s careful so all is well.
Hopefully it’s back on the road again. I look forward to Wednesday so I can see your latest escapades.
Thanks Dan. Good to know! Can’t wait to get back on the road!
i enjoy your viedos. i lived in kalamazoo for awhile.
Very cool! Thanks!
Good job Bob but as a safety rule of thumb, next time install the positive terminal first. Even though it would make for some great footage, I’d hate to see you get shocked or see sparks flying if you accidentally grounded the screwdriver. lol
Thanks! Agree LOL
Pretty sure I heard Willie Nelson singing On the Road Again in the background.
😂😂😂 yes! Love it!
I hope this resolves your issue and your back on the road ASAP. I’m currently at a campground in Oregon now having rewiring done on the wire from the inverter to the Lithium batteries. Looks like the proper wire wasn’t used which is why my house battery kept draining and this last time not only did it drain the house battery it also drained the Chassis battery and I was forced to get a jump. Also removing my Lithium BIM Isolator and replacing with DC to DC Charger.
"Don't listen to Bob" 🤣Love the new batteries are lighter and should be more capacity! Do you think that temperature (low or high) had anything to do with the prior battery failure? (Especially since they are mounted on the bottom of the van?)
We had same issue with Our 2021 Thor sequence. I tried all the fuses and breaker switches in the breaker box , everything was fine, but house batteries were not charging with solar or 12 volt. Took it to an rv repair shop. Turns out a breaker had tripped that was behind the solar charge indicator panel. Had to take off that panel and flip the breaker.
We Believe In BOB! Did you solve the state of charge reading thing? Was it that one cable?
Is there a follow-up to the battery installation? I cannot not find the video following this video. Thanks
PowerQueen's LiFePO4 battery is compatible with most standard RV charging systems, so you can easily integrate it into your existing setup.
👏👏👏
The soc will require some usage cycles to make a good estimate.
I have the same setup. Similar problems. Will be interested to see how these work.
I researched trying to find batteries that would fit in that battery box but has more power. No luck so far
Bobs just like me and most men, 10 min probably 1.5 hours 🤣 great video
Haha! Yep!
Great job
So you have a extended warranty with la Mesa - would you recommend purchasing the extended warranty to other's buying a new van? Any recommendations on options?
Thanks Paul! From our experience the warranty that comes with it probably is enough. We did buy the extended but wouldn’t do that again.
Read your extended warranty paperwork. Sometimes you can cancel it. They prorate and refund the difference based on the time left. I did that with my car.
I suspect, from the original video, that the original batteries were damaged from the over-tightening of the battery hold down bracket deforming the case, which likely damaged either some of the cells or warped/damaged the batteries’ internal BMS.
We named our 18m "IRV" Inferior Recreational Vehicle
Love this!
We will eventually replace the AGM batteries with LiFePO4 when they start to wear down. Until then how do you change the inverter to charge lithium vs AGM. They have different charge parameters and something must be adjusted or changed.
Hi from British Columbia Canada
👋 that’s awesome!
Those batteries will get you by for now. But they have no cold weather protection, just change them out before it gets cold. On to the next adventure!
That’s true. We with do that. And yes on to the next adventure!
@@Vancaskeys keep them and maybe make a home power station out of them.
Power Queen does make them with internal heaters. "Power Queen 12.8V 100Ah Self-Heating LiFePO4 Battery, Built-in 100A BMS." Price isn't bad either.
how did the new batteries go last night
Great! I think our problem is solved.
So why are they 12.8 ? Is there a new and different metallic element.? I thought all lithiums rested at 13.6v
The nominal voltage of 4S LiFePO4 is 12.8v.
I never heard of a OEM not honoring a battery warranty from the original Rv purchaser.
That’s crazy.
Hi
👋
Negative off first and on last...no sparky sparky.
👍👌❤️🇨🇦
❤❤❤
Those batteries are stored outside. If those batteries are charged below freezing temperatures, they will be ruined. This could explain why the old batteries are bad if they do not have built in heat pads or low temp cut off. The Power Queen Batteries do not have either.
Very true. We have to be very aware of this for sure.
The old batteries are the LT version from Relion which have internal heaters. They can change below freezing. The new batteries should have temperature protection built-in, but won't charge below freezing.
My theory is that the old batteries were clamped down so hard that the casing failed at the seam and water has gotten into the BMS. I'll be interested to find out.
@@chadseld Specs on the Powerqueen batteries don't mention low temp cutoff... Charging Temperature
0℃-50℃ 32F - 122F
@@tavonjohnston If that is the case, then absolutely be careful, because that could be a problem. Depending on the type of your charger, you may be able to implement low-temp cutoff yourself. For example, the Victron chargers have an adjustable temperature cut-off setting and they also support remote temperature sensors that you can place outside the vehicle with your battery.
Power Queen does make them with internal heaters. "Power Queen 12.8V 100Ah Self-Heating LiFePO4 Battery, Built-in 100A BMS." Price isn't bad either.
🤦♀️
😬