Magneshades and AGM batteries

We are trying to make some final decisions before ordering our PC. Several have posted how much they like the Magneshades .  Where are the magnets attached to the side windows so there is no interference when the windows are rolled up and down? 
Also see where several have opted for AGM house batteries. Since there are lead acid in the engine is there a problem when you have two types since I think they are connected somehow for charging.
Really appreciate seeing the posts what others have done when building their PC and what works and doesn't. Thanks
Patty from Texas.

We are trying to make some final decisions before ordering our PC. Several have posted how much they like the Magneshades .  Where are the magnets attached to the side windows so there is no interference when the windows are rolled up and down

The side shades have magnets in the shade that attach to the outside metal door frame. You can roll the windows up and down. They are one of the better options to get.

We have the magna shades on our unit and like them.  They aren't really as necessary in the fall, we only used them for one 3 day stay on a 6 week trip we just returned from, but they do help reduce the sun coming in the unit.  We had a stone crack the windshield and just had it replaced, we salvaged the magnets from the window and will be placing them on the new windshield.  The glass guys were amazed at the strength of the magnets.  They put them in 4 separate boxes for me to take home, as they thought I would never get them apart if they stuck together!!!  So there is no doubt they are strong enough to hold the shades in place.

Since there are lead acid in the engine is there a problem when you have two types since I think they are connected somehow for charging.

No problem connecting the two.

But AGM's are more expensive and harder to find especially if you have a problem on the road, like in Mexico.
Two good 6v batteries, like Trojan T105, will last a long time. The water must be checked at least every two months but mounted in the nice roll out tray, they are easy to check & fill.

Hi pguill Patty,

Regarding batteries, here is my experience with our 2007 PC during the past 9.5 years.  Keep in-mind that we typically rely heavily on battery power with our camping style because we almost never have shore power in the places we camp at.  Given this was our first real motor home with all the ammenities, I did not know what to expect from the house batteries.

Phoenix included two 12V lead acid batteries and a whole-house inverter in every PC starting mid-year in 2006.  This picture of our 2007 2350 was taken when it was a year or two old, immediately after I installed a battery compartment tire-splash shield.


The batteries pictured above were the originals which started to fade badly during year #3 because one battery fell ill.  I replaced both after year #4.  Needless to say the last big seasonal trip with them had serious power issues.  Back then, I wondered if the ill battery was faulty from the start, causing over-charging followed by the acid boil-overs.

Because I thought we had a bad battery from the start, I replaced them both with the same 12V wet acid technology from Walmart at $96 per battery.  I selected ones with identical production dates, tested and charged them independently before installing them to assure they were truly good from the start.

A surprise to me, the exact same issues occurred at about the same time which was very frustrating, one of the two batteries quickly falling ill.  It didn't matter that I was very good on battery maintenance along with storing them under ideal conditions.

So for battery set #3 it was time to try something different which was at the time when Phoenix started installing 6V batteries.  Being a retro-fit condition for our PC, in order to get the extra height to accommodate the taller 6V batteries, I had to sacrifice the battery tray.  Given the tray was gone, it became critical to have maintenance-free sealed batteries, so I thought why not try AGMs?  So I shopped around and found Sam's Club selling 6V Duracell AGMs for around $180 per battery.  The picture below shows them installed in our 2007 PC.  Note the battery tray is now gone and a steel floor and sides added into the framing to support & cradle the batteries.  I also had to change the setting on my inverter for AGM batteries which was detailed in the inverter owner's manual.


The 6V AGM batteries are currently 2.5 years old.  The first year with them, we took a 4 week trip with no hook-ups ever which went perfectly.  This past fall, we went on a 3 week trip but we did use shore power often, so it really didn't test them much.  Still, all went well.  With the new volt meter I installed, I watch power drains closely.  All I can say is "So Far VERY Good".  Preliminary conclusions are......I endorse them.

I am no expert on this stuff so don't consider me so.  But it seems two 6V batteries hooked up in series (like batteries stacked in a flashlight), they share the load equally, and drain at the same rate.  With two 12V batteries hooked up the other way in parallel, one drains so much faster than the other causing all sorts of problems.

I hope spending nearly twice as much for the AGM 6V batteries will perform better throughout their life, and maybe even live longer.  But I won't have the results until it's time to replace them which I hope won't be for another 6 years.  

Ron

Also see where several have opted for AGM house batteries. Since there are lead acid in the engine is there a problem when you have two types since I think they are connected somehow for charging.

I do not believe there should be any issue as the truck battery is charged only by the truck alternator.  The house batteries can be charged by the alternator, the house battery charger from shore power, the generator and the solar controller if solar is on board.  Lead Acid and AGM do have different charging profiles but not dramatically so.  From what I read charging an AGM with a lead acid profile will not harm it but might not charge it fully.  In this case that is OK as you have multiple chargers working on the house batteries.  The reverse might not be true though, charging a flooded lead acid on an AGM profile might charge the battery faster than it can accept and cause damage.

The important thing is to have a good intelligent charger that does not boil your batteries and that the house charger be set up for the batteries actually installed.

If your lead acid batteries are being boiled then you either have the profile wrong or have an older dumb charger that does not know when to quit.  Modern chargers include profiles for many different battery types and manufacturers and also temperature sensors attached to the batteries to help taper off the charge before boiling the batteries.

Also, "lead acid" is not different in principle from AGM.  They are both "lead acid", one is "flooded" and needs to have the water levels checked the other is not.  AGM means absorbed glass mat and has fiberglass mats sandwiched between the lead plates.  Otherwise the chemistry is the same.  Also, just because a battery says AGM does not mean it is a deep cycle battery appropriate for RV house use.  AGM just is a method of construction, the battery still needs to be designed for the purpose.  A starting battery is very different from a marine battery or from a real "deep cycle" battery used in golf carts, forklifts and hopefully in RV house systems.

https://www.solar-electric.com/agm-battery-technology.html

Another battery item you may want to evaluate is the type of converter provided.  I elected to have Phoenix install a Progressive Dynamics 9260 converter in lieu of their standard Parallax model.  My previous camper had the Parallax unit which provided 13.7 volts all the time.  This is typically too low to bring batteries up to full charge in a timely manner and once charged the voltage is higher than what most battery manufacturers recommend for long term storage.  The Progressive model is a "smart charger" which provides 14.4 volts to quickly provide full charge.  The voltage drops then drops to 13.6 volts.  The charger then drops to 13.2 volts (trickle charger) to reduce the chance of boiling the batteries during long term storage.  This strategy provides quicker charge when needed and longer battery life.  You may want to find out the charging strategy of Phoenix's "standard" converter.  I have the standard 6 volt deep cycle wet cell batteries which have performed well.  As mentioned AGM batteries have somewhat different charging requirements than wet cell models. 

I belonged to an owner's forum for the manufacturer of my previous camper.  Many owners reported they changed out their Parallax converters to the Progressive Dynamics model.  Some were changing because of Parallax failure while others changed to get the improved charging ability.  I never did change but planned to if I had a failure.

We spent two months on the road this summer with most of it "off the grid".  We have two 160 watt solar panels and found the batteries and charging system worked well.

You may want to find out the charging strategy of Phoenix's "standard" converter.

This is a very good point and something all owners should know about their batteries and charging systems. 
One other thing that bothered me a little bit was that with the Xantrex inverter you get a battery charger that has configurable battery charging profiles but instead of using it they use the Parallax charger built into the power panel.  I suppose that makes sense from a standardization view as all PC coaches will have the power panel and converter but not all will have the inverter.  Asking PC some additional questions about the battery charger sounds like a good idea.

With the addition of a solar controller you get yet another charging system.  So making all these parts work together and fully charge the batteries without boiling them is a little more complicated than just plugging into shore power.

We bought our PC2350 second hand, but the first hand had it only ten months.  Last spring I replaced the coach batteries because we were going to be boondocking for a month or so total in the summer months.  

I went to Sams Club and bought two six volt golf cart batteries.  I have always just bought my batteries from Sams or Walmart for years and had great luck with them.   I don't buy AGM but just the regular, old fashioned batteries and I check the water levels every time we take a trip.  It doesn't take two minutes and it is good insurance to get years of service.  I bought our previous rig new and kept the original golf cart batteries six years with no problems.  Candidly, for what we spend on these rigs to buy, maintain and store them a couple hundred bucks for two batteries every few years is not that bad a deal.   I have experience with AGM batteries and they are great.  BUT, I don't want to pay the extra dough and I don't mind maintenance on the batteries.  

By the way, not discharging batteries beyond some voltage (some say 11.9v, others have different numbers) is the most important part of the equation IMO.  Lots of information on line about managing batteries in RVs and it worth spending some time learning the basics.

Also, I use a very expensive (eight bucks) battery disconnect switch and disconnect every time I put the rig in the storage building.  Parasitic power drains are eliminated and a good set of batteries won't lose a tenth of a volt in a month under most conditions if they are in good shape.  

The previous owner had purchased the shades and I really like them.  My only caution is to be careful putting the windshield shade on the vehicle and don't let it slip onto the painted surface of the hood because it can scratch it in my experience.  I usually have my wife assist me in slapping them up there to avoid the problem.  They are great in the summer to crack the side windows and let in air in the cab area.  Blocking the sun from the windshield is also a big deal in keeping the rig cool.  They work very well in my experience. 

Paul