1999 Roadtrek 190 Popular battery location

copemanphoto · 02-01-2020, 04:10 PM

Hi all, I am going to see a used 1999 Roadtrek 190 in a couple of days and before I go I have been searching for info on coach battery(s) location. I can not find any info on line so I was wondering if anyone here could shed some light as to the location and if there are 1 or 2 batteries. Thanks. Cheers, Mike.

rowiebowie · 02-01-2020, 10:25 PM

Mike, just giving your thread a bump since I do not have your model. However, several forum members have your model (or an essentially similar one) and I'm sure they will be along shortly to assist.

Best of luck.

peppster66 · 02-02-2020, 04:11 PM

Hi, we have a 97 Roadtrek popular, and there is a single coach battery , which is located in the very rear corner on the drivers side, they made a metal box to place it in, and a wooden top thjat has 2 screws holding it on, when you open up the rear door, lift the carpet in the storage area, and you should find it there, hope this helps, if you have any other questions , pleas let me know,,,take care,,,,,,

copemanphoto · 02-02-2020, 11:50 PM

Thanks "peppster66" I appreciate your help. Now does anyone have any idea how to modify the box to allow a Group 31 AGM to fit?
Thanks again folks.

hbn7hj · 02-03-2020, 06:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by copemanphoto

Now does anyone have any idea how to modify the box to allow a Group 31 AGM to fit?

Just an opinion but don’t bother. What is important is making sure the battery you have is charged by the end of every day. Put your efforts there.

It is more important to use the battery you have properly. The first step to doing that is installing a battery monitor. Bogart or Victron are the ones I know about. You will then be able to know the approximate percentage of charge at anytime during the charge or discharge cycle.

The second step is to install a charger that will charge it properly. I think the monitor is first.

copemanphoto · 02-04-2020, 11:10 PM

Thank you everyone for your help and advice. We pulled the trigger today and we are now proud owners of our very first Roadtrek 190 and can hardly wait for early spring when we can hit the road. We will have to list our Triple E Embassy and hope to sell it quickly.

NAZCamperVan · 02-04-2020, 11:18 PM

Copeman, Yeah for Triple E Embassy. I own a Leisure Travel Van Free Spirit Class B, part of the Triple E RV legacy. Best wishes on your Roadtrek.

peppster66 · 02-05-2020, 12:44 AM

Congratulations, if you need any help or have any questions ,,please let me know, take care,,,,,

GallenH · 02-05-2020, 01:10 AM

Since I have a 97 PW it might not apply but I do have a battery box in a similar location that was designed to hold one battery. What I found is that a larger battery can fit without modification to the box. In my case it did require modification to the battery. You can usually find battery specs on some batteries on line. The reason that a larger battery wouldn't fit into my battery box had to do with the ears on the battery that hold the lift strap for the battery. I cut them off. I'm sure there's a void of the warrantee somewhere in my actions but I'm glad that I did. It allowed me to fit a battery a size larger into the box.

That said, hbn7hj's comments are worth noting. Going from an 80AH battery to a 100AH or 105AH really doesn't give you that much especially if you're following the rule of not letting your levels get below 50%. It does give you a bit of an extra margin, though.

rowiebowie · 02-05-2020, 04:22 PM

Congrats copeman!

Bobow · 02-09-2020, 04:06 PM

I have a 98' RT Popular and the battery location is as described by "Peppster66". Post a photo of your new to you 1999 RT Popular. Love the almost classic lines of the older Roadtreks. See my photo. Bob

sshouse · 02-09-2020, 06:04 PM

Location of the battery has been accurately described. You will find that accessing the battery is much easier from inside the RT than from the rear. Removing a few screws from the bed platform on the drivers side give access from above. If you find a battery that fits the box but is taller you can build a shallow box to cover the extra height. You lose a little rear storage but the AH increase might be worth it. It was for me.

SQUASHMIRE · 02-09-2020, 09:35 PM

I have a 1999 Dodge 190 Versatile. Previous owner solved the problem of rusted out battery box by moving the battery inside the van above the old battery compartment. I upgraded that battery to Group 31, used AGM, and put it in a plastic battery box, and vented that box through the floor. You could put two new batteries in parallel either both under the bed or continue to use the battery box for one.

copemanphoto · 02-09-2020, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SQUASHMIRE

I have a 1999 Dodge 190 Versatile. Previous owner solved the problem of rusted out battery box by moving the battery inside the van above the old battery compartment. I upgraded that battery to Group 31, used AGM, and put it in a plastic battery box, and vented that box through the floor. You could put two new batteries in parallel either both under the bed or continue to use the battery box for one.

Thanks, "SQUASHMIRE"!

How many days can you run before you have to recharge the group 31battery?

Cheers, Mike.

SQUASHMIRE · 02-10-2020, 02:38 PM

It will get you through the night with the heater running or vent fan. Based on battery voltage, I assume it is getting close enough to 50% and time to recharge. I suggest you get your battery fully charged and actually determine the amps you want it to handle and then apply that load while at home and measure the voltage drop every hour or so. When voltage gets to be between 12 or 12.1 under load, you are probably close to 50%. Remove load and wait perhaps 4 hours and get the resting voltage. you can compare resting voltage to a chart obtained from the manufacturer that shows resting voltage and percent charged. At least that is what I've done. Others have various battery monitors that provide such info i think. But you don't want to routinely go below 50% charge.

booster · 02-10-2020, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SQUASHMIRE

It will get you through the night with the heater running or vent fan. Based on battery voltage, I assume it is getting close enough to 50% and time to recharge. I suggest you get your battery fully charged and actually determine the amps you want it to handle and then apply that load while at home and measure the voltage drop every hour or so. When voltage gets to be between 12 or 12.1 under load, you are probably close to 50%. Remove load and wait perhaps 4 hours and get the resting voltage. you can compare resting voltage to a chart obtained from the manufacturer that shows resting voltage and percent charged. At least that is what I've done. Others have various battery monitors that provide such info i think. But you don't want to routinely go below 50% charge.

This forum is probably one of the only places on the internet that has questioned the "50%" rule that we hear so often about, and lots has been documented here about what we found. It is quite surprising to many people who look at the data.

Bottom line is that the charts that show double the life at 50% DOD vs 80% DOD are measuring how many times you can recharge from that DOD before end of life. They ignore the fact that you get 60% more energy returned when you go to 80% and would need to recharge less often. They also ignore that the discharges essentially average over time, so going to 80% DOD 20% of the time doesn't cut the life in half or end it completely as some supporters of the 50% rule would lead us to believe.

What we found is that you do lose some life, when measured by lifetime amp hours in vs amp hours out, when you go to 80% DOD, but the loss is in the 15-20% range. If you only need that capacity 1/5 or the time the loss is under 5%. If using deeper discharges allows you to not need to increase battery capacity with all the downsides it entails concerning cost and space, it may be a good idea to consider just using more of the capacity you have rather than adding more.

Definitely a need to look closely at it all before deciding, but at least you get another option based on how you need to use the batteries.

As others have said, a battery monitor is the way to go so you know the SOC all the time and also can use it to see where your power is going in real time. Changes to LED lights and an efficient TV/DVD can save a large amount of power. We see numerous statements about those with gas frigs being under 20AH per day of use.

SteveJ · 02-11-2020, 02:02 PM

I'm one of those 20 AH guys. I can go up to three overnights on a group 29 battery, two when I had a group 24.

I use a pair of these:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I needed a pair as they only measure in one one direction, wiring directions for doing this were included. $30 all in. Not an elegant solution but it provides all of the data needed, for several $$$ less.

A battery monitor is extremely helpful for extended boondocking, battery health and diagnoses, and solar management.

A temperature compensated battery chart:

SteveJ · 02-11-2020, 02:06 PM

I'm one of those 20 AH guys. I can go up to three overnights on a group 29 battery, two when I had a group 24.

I use a pair of these:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I needed a pair as they only measure in one one direction, wiring directions for doing this were included. $30 all in. Not an elegant solution but it provides all of the data needed, for several $$$ less.

A battery monitor is extremely helpful for extended boondocking, battery health and diagnoses, and solar management.

A temperature compensated battery chart for L/A batteries:

As you can see, temperature has a substantial effect on voltage readings.

Have fun and drive focused.

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