[Ron]

Did not get a manual with My batteries. And I was referencing information directly from Lifeline’e website concerning equalization of AGM batteries. Which I posted above. Very contradicting to say the very least.

Done with that !

[Ron]

Jon says “THis thread has gone to hell”

So do you think Cruise air will cool it down, Or do you think CA and dash air, or do you think we better get the OTR going?

Ron

[Ron]

That may have been the point Prevost had just switched to LED lights. I just suggested that b/c before I had started my sealing project I called Prevost and ordered more marker lights. I asked about LED ones and the gal said the ones I already have are LED. She was right.

[Ron]

Like

[Ron]

Volta is for sure doing it right as a total package and can be found in new Liberty’s.

[Ron]

Our coach may be a little different in that it only sleeps two people and a dog that thinks he is a people very well. When driving I am in the drivers seat and the wife is in the passenger seat with the people dog close by. Our dash air and the front cruise air keeps us very comfortable. If we need more we turn on a second mid cruise air on the opposite leg of the front cruise air. We have no need or care about having the bedroom or bath maintained at 68 degrees while going down the road.

Typically if it is hot out I will turn off the second mid air about an hour before we are going to stop and turn the bedroom cruise air on. If I feel I need more air I turn the generator on and turn all 4 cruise airs on.

We are reverse snowbirds spending our summers on the California coast. This means we drive through the hottest areas in the country going and coming back from Florida. Never once have we been uncomfortable inside the coach while traveling.

What I really like is the extra space in the bay gained from not having over the road air. I utilized this space with a built in grille which I enjoy much more than the over the road air I had on several previous coaches.

For me losing bay space with over the road air would be a deal killer. Everyone has an opinion on this based on their own personal experience

[Ron]

Jon,

This is for You as promised. Looks like some pretty intelligent folks studied these for over 2 years. They have been on the market for 10 years. And seem to have very good feedback. Lots more very interesting reading on their site. Their products saved Our military over 7 Million dollars in batteries.

Pulsetech.net

Bsafe,

Rocky

****************************************************************************************************************************

Test Data

Micrograph of a battery plate covered in heavy sulfation buildup (lead sulfate crystals).

Studies by major universities were conducted in response to a request from the military, scientific and engineering communities for scientific validation of claims that Pulse Technology actually improves battery efficiency and lengthens battery life. PulseTech contracted with Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan and Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio to conduct separate evaluations of the technology. These extensive evaluations began in the summer of 1998 and concluded in the fall of 2000.

During these studies, these crystalline buildups (sulfation) were regularly investigated by X-ray diffraction methods. The X-ray diffraction data confirmed the positive effects of the application of this patented Pulse Technology on the battery plate morphology. It shows a more even distribution of lead sulfate crystals over the surface area of the battery plates. It also revealed a significant reduction in the size of the lead-sulfate crystals. These microscopic changes, kind of an electro-mechanical “stirring” or “cleaning” action on the plate surface, greatly improve a battery’s ability to accept and store more energy.

During the Oakland University study, testing was also done on stored batteries to determine how this patented Pulse Technology would affect military vehicles that sit unused for long periods of time. The batteries were stored at a constant temperature of 25°C (77°F) for 14 weeks.

The final report lists the following results: “There is a distinctive difference in the charge capacity between these two batteries. A battery stored under the influence of pulsation (Pulse Technology) retained its original capacity while the capacity of the battery stored without pulsation lost a considerable amount of charge. The decrease of charge capacity of batteries stored without pulsation decreased linearly with time. After 14 weeks the decrease of charge capacity accounted for about 25% of the battery’s original capacity. In this same period of time, the charge of the battery attached to (a product using pulse technology) slightly increased. This is probably due to a reconditioning (reforming) process of the battery plates by continuous pulsation” or the application of Pulse Technology.

[Ron]

Doug,

Pulling the fuse keeps the steering wheel from locking, so there is no need to have the ignition in accessory position. Our friends haven’t towed the Tahoe much yet, but we did try it out, and it works well. will report back when we have more experience.

[Ron]

Bill

100000 miles. That’s getting it done. 49 states. I hope to be hitting it like that in 1year and 9 month. Thanks for sharing about your ac. Glad you are staying cool (cold) without OTR. I am looking for something in the mid to late 90’s so I do not know if the tech was as good back then as what it is with what you have.

Be safe out there

Ron

[Ron]

On one side we have Glens thumping his chest and stating he ain’t going to Canada because he cannot bring his guns and on the other hand we have people trying to figure out how to circumvent their laws.

Why not leave the guns at home and go to enjoy Canada and all it has to offer. Which is a lot.

Besides, you do not need guns in Canada. It is a hell of a lot more safe than the US of A.

I do have family in Canada and so I am going there frequently. I have never, ever had a problem at the border crossing into Canada.

I do shut off the engine, I do answer their questions, I do not comment nor argue, and on my way I am.

Try that.

Cheers,

Ronald

[Ron]

If you have either a 6 pin or 9 pin diagnostic port, you should be able to have at least limited info available to the unit. Look at your connector (if you have one) and check out the link & FAQ’s.

https://www.scangauge.com/products/scangauge-d/

[Ron]

Putting Li aside, if staying cool is important you are either going to limit your options, or you are going to modify the coach you select.

Let’s start by recognizing a coach that does not have Prevost OTR has some inherent issues with cooling because in hot ambient temps there is no substitute for a large BTU output A/C system. Everybody has their own interpretation of what is comfortable but what requires no translation is output. With the least effective Prevost OTR system rated at 80,000 BTU and later model systems up to 109,000 BTU that will keep you comfortable even as hot exterior temps are being absorbed through the windows and skin of the coach. Our coaches have a lot of mass inside and what has to be recognized is that on hot days, if the interior or even parts of the interior are allowed to get warm the house A/Cs are working overtime to try to pull the temps down so you want a coach that can be completely cooled and that cool temp maintained.

After a day of driving in the heat imagine how hot that bedroom will be if it has not been cooled all day, and then not only does the contents of the room need cooling, the system is fighting with an engine that is sitting beneath the bedroom adding heat.

The solution is if no OTR you need a coach with sufficient house A/C units that will cool the coach and unless highly equipped with ample inverters and alternator you need to plan on using the generator full time.

Cruisairs get a black eye because while they are excellent for keeping a parked coach comfortable the basement mounted condensing units cannot handle the heat radiating from the highway in the hot sun so when you need them most it is not uncommon for them to shut down. Before taking that as an endorsement for roof air units they can face the same issue if the ambient temp is high enough because they are picking up air for condensing that is radiating from the hot roof of the bus and on another site there was a lengthy thread about issues of that nature this past summer. But they are better for use while driving for sure.

Since everything about our coaches is a compromise keep in mind no matter what direction you opt to go you are still going to give up something. OTR will cost you the equivalent of about 1/2 bay of storage and if it is an old system that is all original you need to be prepared for needed maintenance or rebuilding. If you have Cruisairs you need to understand if the OTR goes out during a trip, your Cruisairs may not work for cooling if the ambient temps or road surfaces are hot. If you instead have roof airs with OTR they will likely work as backup to the OTR, but most owners report unacceptable noise levels due to the roof mounted units. Those noise levels tend to be tolerable because if a roof air fails they are relatively cheap to replace so some shortcomings can be acceptable.

At the very least a 40 foot coach needs 3 house units, and a 45 needs 4 if you are dealing with high outside temps and if you want some cooling if one of the units fails to work.

Getting back to Li…………Your promise of cost effectiveness over the long term has not been met with the current real world experiences. At some point as the industry settles on standards and volume production numbers reduces the costs it will most assuredly make economic sense. Some Li installations have had failures and the promise of rebuilding or repairing the batteries has proven to be untrue. So those early batteries do not have drop in replacements or a means of rebuilding them and the cost to repair a battery failure in a coach far less than 10 years old has been to replace the entire set for about $15,000 and what makes it worse is there is no good other option. When the industry has standards such as the lead acid batteries of today that problem goes away but right now there are none. Batteries from one manufacturer are not compatible with another manufacturer because of the need for devices to manage the entire system and balance all the cells.

Additionally Li does not have what we would consider a suitable “drop in” that I am aware of. There are claims to that effect but if I want to replace my 4 8D batteries I have to have additional devices to pull both 12 and 24 volts, maintain the balance, and possibly deal with auto-start issues on a battery that does not lose voltage, but instead just shuts down at some point.

I think we are getting closer on Li, but remember, our coaches are “recreational” vehicles and unless you would enjoy the role of test pilot and don’t mind sorting out issues that arise as you use your coach I have some reservations regarding if the time is right for Li.

[Ron]

Don

Thanks for the imput. I thank you.

Ron

[Ron]

Jerry and Gayle

I think your perspective is correct. I have been in bus that had OTR air and they cool amazingly well. Those without do cool, but not as well. (I am looking at older models) I am sure the new ones do a much better job with roof air.

Ron

[Ron]

Patrick

Thanks for your thoughts. I like your thinking.

Ron