Hokieman

No concerns. Oliver does not connect the 7-pin charge wire on Lithium/Solar upgrades. You can re-connect it, but you will have consider whether your TV has a built in relay, or you could install something like a battery isolator or DC-DC converter. See BattleBorn video on the subject. Charging Lithium Batteries with TV Alternator

Regarding the 270A BB battery, according to Frank C. it won’t fit in the battery tray (see post link below). You might want to measure your tray to see if it’s the same. This post also gives opinions on capacitiy recommendations. It seems many folks, including me, have found that 2 BB GC3 100’s is plenty. I now have 3, which in our case, is overkill. But, we don’t have an inverter, microwave, toaster oven, hair dryer, etc, and have not used more than 50A/day. We have the standard 340W Zamp panels and the standard Zamp 30A controller, all works fine. Your power requirements requirements may be significantly different. The advantage of starting off with one or two GC3’s, is that you can easily add a 3rd if needed, unless of course you want to operate your AC off battery power. There are many posts on that topic also. Replacing the Powertron Lead Acid Wet Cell Batteries

Thanks for this informative post. Please tell us about cabin venting at those temps. Which windows or vent fans do you typically open and how much, especially while sleeping? You mentioned MaxAir vent was covered, not used except for cooking. We have camped into the high 20’s, and have been experimenting with cabin venting balance to minimize condensation. We are hoping to improve the cold weather capabilities so these mods and ideas are very beneficial.

Another option is to disconnect the solar panel current and turn off your batteries. LiFePOH batteries can be stored for relatively long periods if put to sleep. Consult your battery manufacturer to confirm reasonable time periods and temperature extremes. I believe most if not all later trailer models have a solar cutoff switch installed, and Lithionics batteries can be turned off. I’m not sure about LifeBlue batteries. Many of us who have upgraded to Battleborn batteries have installed battery disconnect switches. I stored mine for 4 months last winter with temps dipping into mid 20’s, with no significant battery SOC loss. I discussed with Battleborn Tech Support and they advised this was no problem. The following snip is from current Battleborn owners manual… ”How to Properly Store Batteries We recommend bringing the Battle Born batteries to a 100% state of charge. Then, disconnect the battery from any loads by removing the negative cable from one battery. On average, the batteries lose approximately 2-3% capacity per month. This is subject to increasing if stored in extreme environmental conditions.”

Thanks, just edited it out.

I just submitted a Service Ticket requesting a newer decal with 55 psi tire pressure recommendation. I also recommended all previous owners be sent a decal, and a tech services bulletin to explain why. Others might wish to do the same, perhaps OTT will respond to our request. For an informal test, I watched my tire pressures and temps carefully on a recent 10 hour trip, measuring with TPMS, IR gun, and pressure gauge. Mostly 65-70 mph Interstate, fully loaded, but no water in fresh or gray tank. Stopped a few times for gas, lunch & rest stop. Cold tire pressure at start was 45 psi, 65F ambient and tire temp. Sunny day in Georgia and Florida, ambient temps increased to 92F. Tire temps reached 98F max, and tire pressures increased to 51psi max. I’m confident in my family safety running my tires at 45 psi, use your own judgement.

Pardon the minor thread drift, but if you go poking around in the bowels of your trailer, you’ll find lots of sharp things that can get you. For example, I discovered a large tear in my furnace heat supply hose, when I was reaching in to open the the water tank drain valve. I noticed sharp screw heads on the backside of the furnace intake vent and access port, which caused the tears in the hose. I used my Dremel to grind off the sharp screw points and applied RTV sealant. Small tasks that don’t take long to complete, normal trailer fixit stuff.

I have a MacBook also, it’s not a problem. See the text in red on your screen. You need to enable cookies.

If necessary, I suggest you re-purpose the concave washers from old shocks as described in this older thread to add additional support and extend life of rubber bushings. Shock Absorber Bushing Support

Airstream uses same tires on current models.

Oliver sells them for $3.15 each. I’ve lost 2 total in a year and a half. I ordered 6 spares last week.

I was just passing along BattleBorns Marketing info, I’m not an electrical expert and cannot vouch for their data. Apologies if this was taken otherwise. Perhaps I don’t understand, but I think your comment above is valid if you interpret their performance claim as the rate of charge. I interpret the performance claim of 5x faster refers to the charge efficiency, ie the time to bring a discharged battery up to a full charge. From what I’ve read, for any charge current (amps), a LiFePOH battery can fully charge up to 4x faster time than a comparable capacity AGM. That depends on many factors of course. Is this incorrect? If so, please explain. This detail is a huge benefit to those of us who dry camp and rely on our solar panels to recharge.

I received a nice little graphic in an email from BB this week that can help with a cost/benefit analysis. Battle Born's reliable, safe, and non-toxic LiFePO4 batteries last 10x longer than lead acid. They are 1/5th the weight for the same amount of usable power, charge 5x faster, require zero maintenance, and are backed by an industry-leading 10 year warranty.

According to Battleborn, you won’t harm the batteries, the BMS will cut it off. The problem is the voltage will drop below “usable” for some circuits. According to their manual, there is a curve showing the voltage of 12V at 9%, so the 10% rule of thumb mentioned by Steph & Dud B is acceptable. BB 100AH Manual BB has a YouTube video explaining this subject. BB Discharging Batteries to 100%

I’m interested in Frank C.’s comparison test from a performance & economic value perspective. I have a similar truck, but haven’t tried E85.

Following is from Lithionics FAQ that Seadawg sent yesterday. It confirms her statements above. “-Explanation: *every two weeks, a full charge cycle in which the battery reaches 14.4 volts is required to trigger a recalibration of the internal Hall Effect Sensor shunt. When the battery exceeds 14.2 volts during charging, the SoC re-sets to 100%. (In order to fully charge a lithium ion battery, the DC loads may need to be reduced so the charge current exceeds the discharge current to allow a full battery charge.)”

Oliver has a few videos on this topic including caulk recommendations in the Knowledge Base. Check to be sure the problem is not just clogged window tracks.

Nite Ize Cam Straps

@Katjo, I assume your question concerns longer term storage. I recall your trailer has Lithionics batteries. LiFePOH do not need to be kept charged up like AGM’s. From what I’ve read on this forum, Lithionics batteries have a switch that can be turned OFF, therefore no parasitic draws to deplete your batteries. Consult your manual for details.

Welcome! See this post from earlier today with specific weights. Truck Tow Rating Explained

Good question Mike, I have not heard of any problems related to keeping the charge wire connected. I called Battleborn during my install and asked that question. They said they had not heard of any problems either. I disconnected mine as a precaution, pending more information. There is a motto amongst some Engineers “In God We Trust, all others bring data” 😀 Attached are some quick notes I made for myself, as I quickly forget my own research. Disclaimer to All: I am NOT an electrical expert, so please forgive any technical errors. If you are a legitimate electrical expert, please enlighten us all with details.

Yes I did, I capped and sealed it. On hull #797, it was a resettable breaker just like on @John Davies. I sent Jason Essary an email, because I wasn’t sure where the wire was located. See the following….. Q: Is the 7 Pin tow connector plug charge wire connected to the batteries? If so, where exactly is that connection made? I've been advised that OTT disconnects the charge wire on the lithium solar options, but don't know that is a fact, or if it is also not connected on the standard solar packages. A: If you ordered the camper with AGM batteries then the charge wire is connected to the auto resettable breaker under the street side bed access panel. It is the breaker to the right of the Optifuse and has a red rubber cap. One connection should be a pink wire for the safety breakaway and the black wire should be the 7-pin charge wire. If you are installing lithium then we do recommend to disconnect the charge wire but they may be dependent on the lithium batteries you get. I have had one lithium battery manufacturer tell me that they were okay leaving it connected. In the photo attached, the breaker and terminal are shown as it came from the factory. The breaker you are looking for is the lower one in the photo. The upper one is the auto-reset breaker from the Zamp solar controller, which you won’t have. FWIW I have on my future mod list the Redarc DC-DC converter that JD reported on. So far I haven’t needed it, but I may some day.

I originally installed 2 Battleborn 100’s, which worked great. Two or three of these 100’s fit nicely in the tray. Last year someone posted about a blemish sale on the 100’s for $699, with full 10 year warranty. I called Battleborn to ask about it, and the guy said “Nobody ever complains to us about having too much power”. Good sales pitch, I bought it. That blemished battery sale came to me in perfect condition, no blemishes. So far 300 Ah has been overkill for our needs, we were doing just fine on 200Ah. We have solar, but no inverter, microwave, cell or WiFi boosters. I haven’t really measured it, but my guess is we use less than 50 Ah/day. If I were to do it over again, I’d probably go with the 270 Gamechanger. That would be more than enough power for us, maybe ~5 days with no sun. If you carry a generator, you can always charge up. The terminals use 5/16” SS bolts, fewer cables and connectors, a clean install. I like Battleborn because they are US made, excellent reputation, a good value, and 10 year warranty. If you ever need tech or customer service, they are a pleasure to deal with.

A review of the online Standard Features manuals shows they switched from a PD4000 series to a PD9200 series converter/charger in 2020 models. For trailers with solar options, they include a Xantrex PRO 2000 or 3000 depending on the option. My 2021 EII has the Solar Basic option ( no longer available) with no inverter. My converter/charger is a PD 9260C, which is a 60A charger. It is a separate unit, the 12V fuses & 120V breakers are in a separate PD panel, not all-in-one like the older PD4000. It is lithium capable with the purchase of a $20 plug-in pendant, which I have but rarely use. Progressive Dynamics offers model 9160AVL, which is a 60A lithium charger, sells for around $300.

Your plan is excellent, go camping, but stay in the area a few days just in case you need a part, or, go back to the factory if necessary. When I picked up, they had no factory campground, so I booked 3 nights at David Crockett, Oliver paid for the 1st night. I was traveling solo, because my wife couldn’t get off work, so I spent 2 days checking everything, everywhere I could crawl, or climb. All was working well, so I got bored and headed home early, dry camping a few nights at Harvest Hosts.