Deep cycle battery for house/RV

[Docsgsxr]

For anyone interested, batteries plus has a duracell deep cycle battery that is rated at 105 Ah for 119.99 with a mail in rebate of $10. If you order online you can get an additional 10% off.

http://www.batteriesplus.com/battery...p-31m/sli31mdc


I ordered 5. Only catch is you have to pick them up in store. So some of you may have a bit of a drive.

-Doc

[porkchopsandwiches]

I have been running 4 of these in my bus. They work good for the price. They do have trouble starting the fridge once they are below 12.7 volts but thats more the fault of my wiring length and battery placement I think.

[ii_amnt]

Good deal, in stock in my town, too. Now, if I can only find an equally economic solution for a good Honda suitcase gen.

[Azuleslight]

Originally Posted by ii_amnt

Good deal, in stock in my town, too. Now, if I can only find an equally economic solution for a good Honda suitcase gen.

i have been looking at this issue myself. It seems you have two main options the red(honda) or blue(yamaha) pill. If you are looking for pure sine wave portable generators. It seems there are a few Yamaha knockoffs on the market for about $700. However the quality control is an issue for the knockoffs, either they work incredibly or leak like a sieve.

im considering the "Smarter Tools 2000W Parallel Capable Inverter Generator with Yamaha Engine". it is has pure sine wave tech. But from what i am seeing it has issues sustaining more than 1300 watts continuously. 1500-1600 watts continuous initially I believe 15-20 minutes. And as for heavy power tools its a non starter. But if you need something to charge your battery bank and in emergency situations it seems a fairly decent choice.

As for the Honda that seems to be a favored unit, it seems to have similar issues as the off brand genny. Where specs are lab specs are not real world operational. also it seems that all the gennys have issues with fuel additives and need different oil than what is provided initially. They all seem to need regular cleaning to remove soot and other gunk that will gum up the generators. Make sure you account for this when you are looking. The last thing that seems to be an issue is that the manufactures will 10/10 tell you get it repaired versus replace it, and store like cost co are alot easier to work with in that regard.

So much fricken research, and i feel like i only scratched the surface...i am oddly enjoying the pain lol

[leadsled01]

I bought a Hyundai 2000 watt generator several years ago for $530 shipped to me from ebay. Damn nice generator for the money. Only irritation is that you have to pump the primer bulb 10 times to do a cold start. Its fairly quite but not as quite as the Honda or Yamaha. Good clean sinewave power. Eco low power idle down feature. I'm working on an extended run fuel tank so I don't have to get up in middle of the night to refuel. After I bought it , I saw a blog that the generator has little zip ties that holds the coils in place and they broke and ruined the generator. I took mine apart to check and it had heavy duty zip ties so I added some more just to be sure.

Originally Posted by ii_amnt

Good deal, in stock in my town, too. Now, if I can only find an equally economic solution for a good Honda suitcase gen.

[slaughridge85]

I personally like the Honda EU2000i. I used one at work to power a gigantic 1200watt hitachi 1 3/4" hammer drills when there wasn't power at a job site. Great little quite generator with ample power output.

[Tango]

I LOVE my little Honda eu3000i. Amazingly quiet and runs my 8000 BTU window unit on Economy Mode at idle.

[Docsgsxr]

Originally Posted by leadsled01

I bought a Hyundai 2000 watt generator several years ago for $530 shipped to me from ebay.

I bought the same one from Amazon after reading a few reviews from people who already owned it, including an electrician who did a lengthy technical review on it. It won't run my 8 gal husky air compressor, but it will run just about anything else.

[cadillackid]

where do you guys physically locate a generator on a school bus?
-Christopher

[gbstewart]

I built a generator box right beside my battery box, it holds my 3000w generator, I have command start, works great, I just had to replace my inverter\generator, it stopped making power this spring, I will fix it later this year, in the mean time Canadian tire had one on sale with remote start so I bought it and but it in my gen bay it works good, but a bit louder then my P3 inverter/gen was, I hope to be able to fix it, it has 120 hours on it but hanging under the bus for 5 years may not be the best for them.
gbstewart

[cadillackid]

does it drastically reduce the ground clearance on your bus to hang a genny underneath?
-Christopher

[gbstewart]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

does it drastically reduce the ground clearance on your bus to hang a genny underneath?
-Christopher

not really, there's lots of room from the floor to the bottom of the skirting, mine just a few inch's below the battery box, maybe if you mount one at the back past the rear wheels ,may hit in a slope drive way etc, like I hit my hitch if I go straight out my driveway
gbstewart

[Docsgsxr]

I don't have one mounted. The Hyundai is similar to the Honda, it has a plastic housing and has a handle. I just pull it out of the storage bay when I need it.

[FlyboyHPD]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

where do you guys physically locate a generator on a school bus?
-Christopher

I'm walling off the very back 2.5 feet of my bus and will use it to store the generator, batteries, and inverter. Basically all my electric a/c & d/c will be housed in the very back. Luckily since I have an FE bus I have full rear door access to the back.

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by FlyboyHPD

I'm walling off the very back 2.5 feet of my bus and will use it to store the generator, batteries, and inverter. Basically all my electric a/c & d/c will be housed in the very back. Luckily since I have an FE bus I have full rear door access to the back.

so you only use your generator when parked? what do you do for A/C and high voltage when moving, or are you planning on spending more time parked than moving where theres no need to run a generator on the road?

[turf]

i have a "factory" generator.... the box that holds it still has about 10" of ground clearance.

[Robin97396]

That would break in my driveway.

[FlyboyHPD]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

so you only use your generator when parked? what do you do for A/C and high voltage when moving, or are you planning on spending more time parked than moving where theres no need to run a generator on the road?

Well, to be totally honest it is all hypothetical on my part at this point because I'm not on the road yet and will be a full year till my bus is completed.

Yep, no need to run a generator on the road. In my mind when traveling I'll use the 4-6 deep cycle batteries to power the inverter which will drive my only high power need being the fridge. I plan to follow the weather and always be in 60-80 degree temps so when traveling I'll put all the windows down and will not need A/C. If it's raining when traveling I'll have two vent fans that will help to move the air Maxxair - MAXXFAN Deluxe All-In-One RV Vent, Shield & Fan | Airxcel

And as you stated I plan to be parked the vast majority of the time boondocking and only traveling 1 day a week to replensih my water tank and
enjoy a full hookup facility for one night. Last but not least I don't mind the heat at all. I handle it much better than I do the cold

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by FlyboyHPD

Well, to be totally honest it is all hypothetical on my part at this point because I'm not on the road yet and will be a full year till my bus is completed.

Yep, no need to run a generator on the road. In my mind when traveling I'll use the 4-6 deep cycle batteries to power the inverter which will drive my only high power need being the fridge. I plan to follow the weather and always be in 60-80 degree temps so when traveling I'll put all the windows down and will not need A/C. If it's raining when traveling I'll have two vent fans that will help to move the air Maxxair - MAXXFAN Deluxe All-In-One RV Vent, Shield & Fan | Airxcel

And as you stated I plan to be parked the vast majority of the time boondocking and only traveling 1 day a week to replensih my water tank and
enjoy a full hookup facility for one night. Last but not least I don't mind the heat at all. I handle it much better than I do the cold

I like the heat better than the cold..(im the guy that has sometimes set the house at 75+ on cold ohio winter days..)

I just know from experience that the driver compartment of a Dognose Bus gets blasted hot without A/C// but you are an RE correct? which would make it pretty nice.. open the windows and turn on the windshield fans and you'll be set..

my bus will be on the road more than parked(thus why im installing dashboard A/C) but i'd still like to have a Genny and maybe a camper A/C.. I want something where I can run it if I choose while going down the road.. so I dont burden the alternator with my Geek-Lab gear
-Christopher

[gbstewart]

I run my generator when driving, it runs my front portable a/c. gets way to hot inside , having windows open makes more noise then cooling off. having just the roof hatch opens helps, and we have fans, they help to, but again make noise, I like listening to music , and enjoying the ride, so I do my best to get cab noise down.
gbstewart