Wheelhouse Batteries

[EJ]

What batteries have you had the best success with running your wheelhouse with a forced area furnace? Does anyone use the dry cell type batteries?

Thanks,

EJ

[arbuck]

I wish I could help you but I just bought a new wheel house w/forced air furnace so I don't have any experiance. The guy I bought mine from said that the best choice would be one of the gell cells like an Optima. He wasn't able to tell me how long I can expect a normal deep cell battery to last with a forced air furnace so I will be conducting some experiments in my driveway before I hit the ice.

Anyone offer some input??

[Ears]

I too just bought a new wheelhouse with a forced air furnace. I bought 2 large batteries from walmart, so if anybody knows how long they should last.

[fishinalot]

I had a 14' with a 16,000 btu atwood. One battery would last from 1-2 days depending on the temps and how often the door was opening.

I think stowaways from NAPA are a good battery for the money.

[mustangt69]

i have 2 walmart dep cycles in my wheelhouse and they power my 3.4 amp furnace, lights, occasional tv and radio for 24- 36 hours without running them dead. if the batteries are cold they wont last as long either i dont believe. wife likes the house at 65 or higher.

[Surface Tension]

Batteries are the life blood of a wheelhouse with a forced air furnace. When they get drawn down, your weekend will be over.

Get deep cycles with a large storage capacity. Personally I'd have 3 of them, if I never needed that third battery I'd feel that as comforting. Keep them warm but remember they give off gases as the charge and discharge.

[Walterwontfalter]

I use the same deep cycle and starting battery from my boat with the addition of another starting battery and older deep cycle. I run the lights on one of the starting batteries (only run them sparingly using a lantern most of the time when awake) The first deep cycle lasts about 14 to 16 hours depending on temps outside and how well I bank the house with snow. Then the second one will get me through most of the next day and night with the second starting battery finishing the night and morning off. If they drain any faster than that i'll run the truck and jumper cables to charge one of the starting batteries first then a deep cycle if need be.

The most important thing is when I get home I immediately start charging all four batteries on 2 amp slow charge until full. never leave them sit dead during the winter.

The batteries from my boat are Orbital brand and the other two are Interstate. (the ones my buddy replaced in his boat because they didn't work...until they were run through a couple cycles on recondition mode on my charger.

If you want to run a generator you can charge your batteries while you run your lights etc off of the generator. Don't let anyone tell you that the generator will scare off fish. On URL with the generator running all night long over 10 feet of water we caught more fish than when the generator wasn't running. Both Crappie and Walleye.

I've considered getting one of the "charge as you drive" setups that charge your boat batteries while you drive from lake to lake through your tail light pigtail and replacing the four batteries I have someday with four deep cycles hooked together parallel or series, whichever gives you the combined life of the four batteries.

[minndonn]

You want to connect them in Parrallel. If you connect in series you will get 48 volts and may fry anything you hook up to it.

[Mainehazmt]

Batteries are always an issue but think I have solved it for me when I can drive on the lake... I have a boss plow and that takes juice from battery to run it. That drags all the lights down and can kill the truck This week Im having a second battery installed for the plow set up this will be a deep cycle with a solinoid attached. dedicated to the plow when in use. for ice season Im rerouting the wire that carries power to my seven way plug to charge the camper battery while attached to the new set up With a adapter I will have 12 volt from the rear of the truck to what ever I plug it into thus power to the shack it gets low start the truck instant recharge due to the isolator main battery still at 100%

[waterwolff]

EJ I'm in Shakopee and if you wan't to drive over I have a couple gel cell ups batteries you can have

[The_King48]

Hey waterwolff.... If EJ doesn't want them gels, I will take them off your hands for you. I will be on here from time to time tonight...(wishing I was fishing). I could pick-me up tomorrow. Let me know thanks.

[waterwolff]

Sounds good give me a call 651-755-0646 I'll be around most of the day .They are good batteries CD Technology UPS 12-270 .The plant replaces them every two years, I have a couple in my house and they easily power it up for a weekend.

[Dogzlife000]

I have a 16000 btu Atwood that I power with 2 group 24 Walmart batteries. Nothing else in my house draws on these batteries. Everything else is powered with two group 27 batteries (a bit larger that the 24's). On a very cold day, the furnace batteries will discharge down to about 50%. You really do not what to go lower that this - deep discharges on batteries will shorten their overall life. That is unless you get a couple 6v Trojan golf cart batteries. These are the staple for RV'er due to the thick plates that they are manufactured with. They can take repetive deep discharges without significant degradation. Not cheap though - last I checked they were about $100 each.

[backlash 1]

When we just used the forced air furnace, we could just make it through the weekend with 2 batteries in parallel.

After having a problem with the furnace one night, about 20 below outside, I (with the help of my wife ) QUICKLY came up with an emergency plan. I fired up one of my buddy heaters that I use in my portable.

To make a long story short, the buddy did such a good job heating the house (17') we use it all the time now, usually only on low setting also, and I sleep much better at night not having to listen to that furnace kicking on and off.

I did cut in two 3" fresh air vents even though there really is no smell from the buddy heater.

So now the forced air furnace is only used to get the house up to temp and basically as a backup after that.

[Walterwontfalter]

Quote:

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You want to connect them in Parrallel. If you connect in series you will get 48 volts and may fry anything you hook up to it.

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Thanks, I knew what I wanted to do but not the correct terminology.