Lifeline Battery Charging

Good Morning, I have a 2017 2552 Cruiser and planning on installing 2 Lifeline GPL 4CT 6Volt batteries.  I read the forum on installation but I did not see anybody talk about being able to change the Xantrex Pro XM 1800 inverter charging to AGM settings.  Currently, I have liquid batteries and all is set at the factory to Liquid Battery settings.  Some of you installed 6CT large size batteries which is my preference but not being able to see the way they positioned the 6CTs hard to visualize, if you have pictures I'll appreciate that also. 

Thanks for your input in advance.

Mui Erkun

The Xantrex Pro xm1800 is not a charger, only an inverter.

Thanks Don, so is the Parrallax the charger?  Basically, do I need to make any adjustments to anything when I move over to AGM batteries from wet batteries?  Thanks

I would call/email Lifeline with your charger info and ask them if changes are needed. 

Also, jam4travel had posted a picture of his 6CT installation.  They have to be mounted on their side. Not sure if battery tray needs modification.  PM jam4travel and ask him your questions.  He is a very knowledgeable PC owner.

Ron S

Thanks Don, so is the Parrallax the charger?  Basically, do I need to make any adjustments to anything when I move over to AGM batteries from wet batteries?  Thanks

Yes, the Parallex is the charger. On my 2015 model 2551,i didn't make any changes to the charger when I changed out to the 4CT Lifelines.  When parked and plugged in, according to the voltage listed on the inverter panel rises to 13.9v and stays there.  While driving (coach battery charge comes from engine alternator) it will rise to 14.2 volts.

I can't detect any change in how long I can run off the batteries either way.

Don

Owner's manual with all that info is available on Lifeline's website.  It's too large to post here.

Ron and Don thank you for all your feedback, I will search for the 6CT photos.  My next project is solar panels hopefully will extend our boondocking experience.  When I had my Class A, I had installed Lifeline and solar panels and they worked out pretty well.

Mui

Section 5.4 provides the recommended charging protocol for the Lifeline AGM batteries.  http://lifelinebatteries.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/6-0101-Rev-E-Lifeline-Technical-Manual.pdf


I would suggest calling a converter/charger distributor such as BestConverter. http://www.bestconverter.com/


They sell various types of converters and should be able to provide you solid recommendations.  We have a Progressive Dynamics converter and it has served us well.  We are going on year five of the original 6 Volt wet cell batteries.  I haven’t noticed any deterioration in performance (knock on wood).


I don’t have any experience with AGM batteries but I am convinced that charging protocol has a huge impact on life and capacity of wet cell batteries.  I would expect AGM are similarly affected.

Thank you FANDJ for your response.

My comment here is exclusively for people owning older PCs with the Tripp-Lite inverter/converter combination unit.  If changing from conventional batteries to AGM batteries, whether 6V in series or 12V in parallel, you need to set the inverter to the AGM setting.  The process is described in your owners manual.  It takes a little time to figure out what to do, but is extremely easy to actually do it.

Thanks Ron.  Appreciate the input.

I found an email from lifeline on its AGM battery.  It appears below FYI.


Subject:
Life Line GPL-6ct. or GPL-4ct Compatibility with Xantrex Converter /Charger
Replacing my coach flooded (2-12v) batteries with either GPL-6ct or GPL-4ct.

1) Is my Xantrex 60 amp converter adequate to charge the 6ct or 4ct batteries?
Here is charging cycle per manual.

DC Output
Nominal output voltage
13.5 Vdc (float charge)
14.2 Vdc (bulk/absorption charge)
Min. output voltage 0V
Load regulationa 1.5% at terminals of XADC
Line regulationb 1.5%
No load voltage accuracy 0.1 Vdc!
Efficiency at nominal output ≥ 85%
Battery draw when turned off < 2 mA
a.Load regulation is the converter's ability to maintain a constant output voltage as the load current changes.
b. Line regulation is the converter's ability to maintain a constant output voltage as the line (input) voltage changes.

Here is a link to the manual.
http://www.bestconverter.com/assets/images/Xantrex/xadc/XADCmanual.pdf

2] The 6ct has to be installed on its side to fit. Is that a problem? Picture below shows potential install.


CT can be mounted on it’s side but must be securely fastened so it can not move up or down or slide from side to side. This can put pressure on the side of the battery and cause it to possible break on the cover to container seal.
 
That converter will work just fine. It is best if the float voltage was lower, around 13.2-13.3 volts but 13.5 isn’t terrible, just slightly on the high side.
 
 
Justin Godber
Lifeline Batteries
292 E. Arrow Hwy
San Dimas, CA 91773
Phone – 909-599-7816
Fax – 909-599-0596
Email – justin@lifelinebatteries.com
Web – www.lifelinebatteries.com
 

Ron S

2] The 6ct has to be installed on its side to fit. Is that a problem? Picture below shows potential install.


CT can be mounted on it’s side but must be securely fastened so it can not move up or down or slide from side to side. This can put pressure on the side of the battery and cause it to possible break on the cover to container seal.

Ron S

Hi merkum and Hi Ron S.
I understand that the 2 AGM batteries I installed could have been placed on their side, but like the tech mentioned, I was concerned about unique stresses placed on the battery cases with all the bumpy-driven miles.

The two 6V AGM batteries I bought were too tall for the PC-provided 12V battery tray.  Since they are maintenance-free batteries, the tray is not really needed except for initial hook-up.  I removed the battery tray and fabricated a plate for the battery compartment frame.  The height I gained was enough.  Initial hook-up was cumbersome, but I have not had a need to touch it again.  That was 5 years ago.  I arranged the batteries so their hefty terminals are easily accessed for external battery charging or for jump-starting.

Click on the link below to get the details of the project which includes pictures.
http://forum.phoenixusarv.com/index.php/topic,2092.0.html

Ron S and Ron D, thank for all your input.  I will be ordering the 4CT Lifeline batteries and installing Solar panels to charge them while boondocking and while the unit is in storage. 

Please share your solar setup.  I would not mind having one for storage charging. I am also considering a portable arrangement.

Thanks

Ron S

Hi Ron, I will be adding 4 100 solar panels on the roof and will bring the charge line through the microwave oven vent into the kitchen area and mount the charge controller on the side entry panel below the kitchen extension and take the lines down to the batteries for charging.  If you have any questions please let me know.  I've done this in my former class A and it worked pretty well for boondocking and storage.

Mui