This is Eric Stark with The Smart RVer Podcast, Delivering the smarts you need to enjoy the freedom of the RV Lifestyle without the fear of breaking down! Let's Talk Everything RV!

Eric

Lithium batteries are the current trend. But who really needs lithium batteries in their RV? We will explore that subject today, among other things, such as enjoying the RV life. Today, we will talk about “Does RV maintenance seem overwhelming?" Well, let me help ease the fear. If it is, then our Next Stop is Mystic, Connecticut.

Eric

There's a great pizza place there. Then, in ‘RV Envy,’ we will talk about RV converters and Power Max lithium batteries. This is Eric Stark with TheSmartRVer Podcast, delivering the smarts you need to enjoy the freedom of the RV lifestyle without the fear of breaking down, so let's talk everything RV! Today is episode 148. Let's get into it.

Eric

Welcome to the show today, Alexis.

Alexis

Thank you, Eric. I am happy to be here.

Eric

Well, we're glad you're here to see you. Ready to go?

Alexis

I am ready. Let's do this. Sure thing. This is advice for the intelligent readers out there. I had, like, five cappuccinos, so I'm ready. Right on. Yep. She acts like a two sometimes.

Eric

Good. All right, technical questions here. Yeah, we're good. All right, so we are here, ready to go now. I have one little rant I'm going to make. It's not a rant. It's just something that came up. Oh, boy. I came across this YouTube video about RVs; imagine that. I don't look at YouTube videos for RV videos because I have my direction.

Eric

I like to stay focused on what I'm doing. So I came across one video from an RV dealership with, what is it, Alexis? They have 20 locations, right?

Alexis

Yeah, a lot.

Eric

They did this short video and have yet to mention the company's name because we are making a video that will include their short.

Eric

So you can see a side-by-side comparison. It won't be, but it'll be out when it comes out. You'll be notified about this podcast if you subscribe to our channel. The video will be there later, but it probably won't. So just watch for it. Subscribe to our YouTube channel, TheSmartRVer on YouTube.

Eric

So anyways, in this video, the person in there who works for this company is going on about how poor the manufacturers are and providing them with parts for repairs, whether it's warranty or just regular maintenance service work. And it’s just a rant for 60 seconds about how it’s everybody else's fault, and there might be some truth in that.

Eric

There is a lot of truth to that. But dealerships suck, to begin with. But they're saying it's so bad that they're making the point for everybody who thinks you shouldn't buy a new RV. They are just solidifying the point. It's exciting and comical because they don't know they're doing that.

Eric

They think they're just making themselves look better and the manufacturers look worse. But watch out for this video on our YouTube channel. Like I said, subscribe to it. You'll get a notification when it comes out. So we're just going to explain. We won’t be mean to ask you like that or just have some fun with it.

Eric

Okay. So anyway, speaking of YouTube, show us some love. Go to our YouTube channel, watch some videos, like them, share them, subscribe to the channel, and remember that sharing videos or these podcasts with others helps them become smarter readers and experts like you're becoming or you already are. So share the love and show us some love. Yeah, it's a day of love and at night.

Eric

All right, let's get to enjoying the RV life. Our title of Enjoying the RV Life is “Does RV Maintenance Seem Overwhelming”? Let me help ease the fear. Yeah. This subject has come up because so many people are getting into RVs. They're either fixing up a van or buying a Class B and taking that, turning these things into full-time vehicles.

Eric

We have a friend of the show, Stuart Takara, who is doing a podcast but is off for about seven months. Something came up, but he was into the van life, the Class B full-time RV thing. He got me thinking about how people sometimes think that just maintaining or caring for your RV can be overwhelming and complex.

Eric

Mm hmm. In a class B motor home or a van conversion, everything's right there, in front of you. It's like a shoebox, with all your systems visible. Yeah. You walk five feet. You can work on that another five feet. This makes it easier to understand the RV.

Eric

But the importance of being able to fix things on your own is if you're traveling alone or out somewhere and there's no one to fix it. You may have only some of the needed parts, or it is beyond your skill set, but at least you can get the process going. Maybe it's just a few—some of the very simple.

Eric

Or it could be something more complex, where you need a part and don't have a spare part with you. Carrying spare parts in a class B van can be more difficult because you need more space. But having some things, especially water fittings, fuzes, and a little bit of wires from electrical connectors, is essential.

Eric

Anyway, don't panic about RV repairs. And if you have to Google it or go to YouTube, just be cautious. What you're looking at. Many of the videos out there could be better, and they lead you down a road. This or a path needs to be corrected. It might be a person doing a video solving the problem in his RV, but it's different from your situation.

Eric

You might waste time diagnosing something by looking at some of these, reading some of the forums, or whatever. So, just be cautious. I'm not saying it's all bad; just be mindful. But don't let this maintenance overwhelm you, even if you're a seasoned RV leader. You may have always had stuff done by someone else.

Eric

Think about taking care of this. That's the point of the show or one of the significant points of the show, is do-it-yourself maintenance. So just take it step by step and look at it. And if you're in an RV park, someone can always help you. Yep. You know, so you can find help, even some partizan accessories stores will still help you.

Eric

There's still customer service somewhere. So anyway, just don't panic. Don't fear doing anything. Don't let it overwhelm you and ruin the trip or the experience. Mm. All right. So now you can go to our website, TheSmartRVer.com, where everything we talk about is broken down into the same categories on the show, and join the RV life while staying on the road.

Eric

Next stop: an RV and the RV and the RV. We don't have anything on there. Yeah, not too much else. We cover it in so many different ways. Yeah. And there's our YouTube channel for RV, and the stuff ends up Right. Alexis, Go on YouTube, guys. Check it out. All right. So now that brings us to staying on the road.

Eric

We will discuss lithium batteries because they are trending and are a top-rated product. But who really needs lithium batteries? You know, everybody's asking about us, asking us about them. Do we need them? So what should I do? So, let's get into this now. Nothing is worse than having your RV's deep-cycle batteries fail when camping.

Eric

But it happens. So sometimes, when it does, the kneejerk reaction might be to spend a lot of money, and it will be on lithium batteries. You're going to, in your thinking, solve this problem once and for all. It will never happen again. And that's it. You'll spend a couple of thousands giving them all the batteries and putting in some lithium, which may work.

Eric

It could solve the problem. But were the batteries bad, or was there a problem with the battery? Why did the batteries die beyond being bad? Was the converter working, you know, before you left to go on this trip where you're relying on your batteries? So, are the batteries fully charged while you're off the grid? Was there a problem with the 12-volt system?

Eric

That's why I'm asking: Did the lithium battery solve the problem permanently or just solve the problem for a moment or two, you know, because something killed the batteries? It could do the same thing to the lithium, or it might not solve the issue if they're not getting charged. So we don't want to act with knee-jerk reactions.

Eric

I bring that up because that's what I do sometimes. I'll show you this car, get rid of it, and buy a new one because the wipers are bad, right? You just get frustrated, so putting new batteries in might not solve your problem. In the moment, it did. Even if you're out camping and don't go lithium, you just replace your batteries because they went dead, but you're off the grid and need to find out why.

Eric

They may need replacing, but you have to think about that.

Eric

So we need not overreact. We need to think about it and analyze it. What do I need to do? And even thinking, though, I just need to get lithium; that'll solve my problem. That's not the case. Lithium only solves a few battery issues for our readers. Lithium batteries are very unique. Or our viewers will jump on board with the lithium batteries, wondering if they need them.

Eric

They might not be the scenario I was talking about where it's a knee-jerk reaction, or the batteries went dead, and you're just set on having them. It could be a scenario where I need lithium batteries. You may need to replace your batteries. You know, they're not lasting like they used to.

Eric

So you're thinking about it—your partner, which is good. So you have to determine that before going out and buying them. Now, lithium batteries are very cool. Don't get me wrong, some of this might sound like I'm anti-lithium, but when I'm not, lithium batteries are, you know, this new technology, and they're lighter. They don't have any fumes like a lead acid battery, so the fumes, the act is not going to ruin anything.

Eric

Some of them just look cool to some of these batteries. Yeah, they do, But that's billions are green and black. And, you know, these little parts and pieces connecting them. It looks sweet. You see, it cleans up your battery installation. You'll want to show everybody yet. But we have to look beyond that. Right? We like what we do and the work we do to look good.

Eric

So people see you; they all do this excellent work, and we certainly like that. And you might love the technology. You might want to experience it because you like technology. And hey, I got to try and see how it is. We buy a lot of stuff here to try things out. And so I was good, so I was terrible.

Eric

Even some of the ads on YouTube—and I say that because I listen to music on YouTube a lot—cycle through. Let's say four Dakota lithium batteries once you get stuck in that algorithm. Every ad between every video is going to be about Dakota lithium batteries. And here you sit there, watch him, and he's like, Man, I got to have all these batteries.

Eric

Yeah, look at that fisherman. His fishing boat is so cool because it has Dakota lithium batteries. He's catching those fish because he's got Dakota lithium batteries. So I want to buy these batteries and have everything he has. Yeah, that's not the case, is it?

Eric

It just doesn't work that way. They paint this picture where you are. You can't survive without them. But you can survive. Many people have done very well through life without lithium batteries long before they existed. People survived. I've never heard of anybody camping in their RV where they're going out for a week, and they were going to be off the grid, so they didn't make it.

Eric

They died because their batteries failed them. Their batteries went dead after four days. Well, they do anything about it. They just perished with their RV. That doesn't happen right now. So we don't have to have lithium batteries. Again, don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-lithium. I'm anti-wasting your money on something you might not.

Eric

Exactly. Money is getting scarce these days. You have to watch it, right? Yes, sir. So, who should use lithium in there? These are comprehensive questions that could be answered in many ways. Depending on the circumstances of each RV year, they could take many different paths. But, the RVer who usually needs lithium batteries is invested in solar energy.

Eric

Let me rephrase: that is usually a full-time RV here or someone who's invested in solar and possibly an inverter, which is off the grid quite a bit. So, in full-time RV years, the person is off the grid. They're camping for days or weeks and depend on their batteries to keep everything going. They might have a couple of 110-volt things, such as a refrigerator, and they need that constant power.

Eric

That's where solar comes in as well. But solar and lithium don't have to go together. One thing often thought about lithium is that you have to have solar, and that's not necessarily the case. Someone could also look at the cost savings with lithium versus other battery options, whether it's an AGM battery, a flooded battery, a lead-acid battery, or a lithium battery.

Eric

Companies are going to push this narrative that the savings are enormous. You'll save so much money by not constantly replacing your batteries. It's just going to be astronomical how much money you'll save. You'll pay for these lithium batteries in no time. You know, I disagree with that fact.

Eric

I disagree with it because the real benefit of lithium batteries is the weight; they're lighter and more efficient. But at the end of the day, if a lithium battery has a ten-year warranty, many factors are involved if you can get to ten years on that battery.

Eric

No kidding. And past it. And how far past will you go? A ten-year warranty, so a 15-year battery, probably not. And how many batteries would you have to buy before you have to replace the, you know, the equal cost of the lithium? You know, it might not be as many as you think when you pencil it out, especially if you have had your RV for a while or have been an RV for a long time; then you know how many batteries you go every three years or five years or seven years, depending what you have?

Eric

Golf car batteries might last five years—GM's last seven. There you go. You know, I mean, you never know. Do the math unless you need lithium. So, an RV might need more battery storage. The only place to add more storage is inside the RV—maybe in a kitchen, under a bed, or elsewhere.

Eric

It would be better to have an acid-base battery. So lithium works excellently for that. There's no acid or fumes, and they are nice and clean. You know, the cases don't have acid on them. You can touch them, and touching something else is not going to ruin it makes sense. Or the existing batteries are just in a horrible place to get to.

Eric

So you want to relocate them. Many motorhomes have batteries with bad spots or are hard to access and maintain. Even cleaning the cables can be a real workout. Yeah, relocating the batteries and using lithium would work great. Even sealed AGM batteries might be less appealing, but they'll work in many cases now. Sometimes, you must mount them inside an RV because of their weight. On the floor of an RV, you have to mount them well.

Eric

Put something underneath it, some extra wood, a piece of plywood to distribute the weight more. They might be better. And that's where lithium batteries come in. Some people think lithium battery prices are dropping, but they're not. The quality of lithium batteries is dropping. So lithium prices are falling, but they're not.

Eric

On their prices, some brands like Ballymore and XP have stayed steady, and the battled battle board has decreased slightly, but not much. They became more extensive and could reduce production costs on the back side. Their prices dropped a little bit, but not all that much. Lithium prices will increase and not decrease because lithium is a sought-after product or a commodity today.

Eric

There will be a shortage of it sooner or later, so we must keep that in mind. Some of these cheaper or less expensive lithium batteries are priced similarly to an AGM battery. So, an AGM battery is the next best thing to a lithium battery.

Eric

So you have to compare. If you're looking at a $500 lithium battery, will you get five years out of it? Are you going to get seven years out of it? You're going to get beyond that. Some of them have a pro-rated five-year warranty, so that's worse than an AGM battery with a two—or three-year warranty.

Eric

The warranty is shorter than long, but AGM batteries usually last 5 to 7 years. So, AGM is an excellent alternative. Now, if you can get a lithium battery for three or 400 bucks with a good warranty and the company's reputation, you have to consider whether the company rep is usable. It plays into this so that you might go with a cheaper battery, but be cautious because the market's just becoming flooded with them, and poor customer service means they'll want to dodge a warranty claim at any cost.

Eric

Yeah. Recently, I was told of a company that does well with batteries. They're inexpensive, and the batteries are one of those companies where everything's always on sale. It makes you wonder, with always on sale but contacting them, there's always a two to one to two-day turnaround time in emails.

Eric

You can't call, text, or chat with them. It's email only. So, if you're experiencing a problem, you don't want to wait a day or two. Yikes. Yeah. Unless you get on at night, you can respond to them quicker because they're in another country, another land, and many different time zones.

Eric

So you want to avoid being on that 24-hour or 48-hour cycle of emails. They answer your question incorrectly because they need help understanding your language, which is English. Not to knock them, but their mother tongue is not English. And then they're going to come back with an answer. This is incorrect, and you'll have to respond again.

Eric

So, days can go by. You know, there are legitimate reasons to have lithium batteries, but there are many things to explore before you buy them. And you have to be cautious there. Now. There's a reason not to have one, too. And that's really to the point here. That's what we're the title of this was about. Do you need a lithium battery, a mini RV, or is used?

Eric

Their RV is just barely enough even to need a battery, period. I only go out two or three times a year for just a few trips. They don't have solar panels on their RV, so there's not much of a need for them. Mini RV or just go for a camp or go out for a weekend.

Eric

They have deep cycle batteries, and there's no solar, which works for them. Some people might have solar panels, and they're out for two or three days, and maybe because of how they use their power, that second night is getting rough. Having some solar would help. But also, I will. Lithium would be good because you can take those batteries down much lower, depending on the brand.

Eric

Some say 100%, some say 10%. 10% is more accurate. You know, sometimes when you take batteries down to nothing, they're hard to charge again. There's a trick to it. We'll save that for another subject. Mm. Yeah. You have to be cautious about this. Do I need lithium? You know, if you're some of the RVs or, as I just mentioned, you're hard to use in your RV, you're always on shore power.

Eric

Your deep-cycle batteries, you know, get you through the times when you are off the grid. Then you don't have to worry about it. You do not have to upgrade it, so remember to go to lithium. Depending on the year of your RV, you might have to change your converter or the main.

Ericboard in it.

Eric

So it's a lithium-friendly charger you like: Wolff, CO, WFC. Oh, all their new inverters are auto-detectors, so they detect whether you have flooded batteries, AGM batteries, or lithium. It's nice and charges them accordingly, which is pretty cool. MM But if you don't have that, you'd have to upgrade it, and you've got to charge them correctly.

Eric

That must happen. Yep. No. As I said a moment ago, lithium-containing solar panels are not required. You can have lithium batteries without solar; they don't have to go hand in hand. So, if you buy solar, you don't have to get lithium. Lithium just gives you a little more storage, which is nice. But if you have solar, depending on what you're doing, it might not even matter.

Eric

So you have to weigh the odds, or, you know, regular deep cycle batteries, which you can take down to about 60%, 50%. So there's a 30% gap between lithium, 30, or 40, depending on the brand. You have. So it's not a huge thing. Even six is enough for all batteries. You can take it down to 80% or 90%, 80% for sure.

Eric

Manufacturers say different things, which gives you that because you're pretty close to lithium. The depth of device discharge will vary by the battery brand and model. So, there are pros and cons to lithium. Each RV needs to decide if lithium is for him. You know, do the research.

And as tempting as it is, as I've said before, you know, he used YouTube as your guide. But be cautious. Be very cautious. Very cautious. So, the videos are only accurate. But go to the manufacturer's website. That's where you find the warranties. Hearing what people say in the RV community or wherever you use these batteries, maybe use them on a shed or a house, too.

Eric

But see what people are saying. Real people not doing YouTube videos who are getting paid to do them, you know, are getting some compensation for it. You know, talk to people who are just bought the batteries, paid for out of their pocket, and if they suck, well, they're out the money, and that's that, you know, and try calling the company, make sure they're there, make sure they answer the phones, see how long it does take to email them, put them through the test before you ever buy the battery.

Eric

If you get them on the line and ask them many questions, ask them about tech support or ask them to transfer to tech support and see if you get some help. Those are important things because when you have a problem, you want to deal with it immediately, not down the road.

Eric

Eric

Oh, no. Yeah. So now you've got an older battery that won't work with the newer battery. It's the same company. Keep that in mind. That's happening. And now you're almost forced to buy two new batteries or have two batteries. It really won't work that well together. It could be a real problem. Was that done on purpose? If you bought a battery and want to add more, it might not happen.

Eric

Also, if you're going to buy two batteries, buy them right away at the same time—the same age. You should try to buy everything for the same time or three unless you know the company is trustworthy and they won't do that to you. So, I point out some of these negatives because customer service is being flushed down the drain.

Eric

Yeah, yeah. Many companies just flat out don't care about you or your RV, so you must be diligent and make sure you deal with the company that does care. So that's why I do what I can to help every RV or be that smart RV here and enjoy their RV. Exactly. All right. So now, if that enables you to share this with a friend, let them know you can sound like the expert and share the podcast or show the podcast with them.

Eric

This will eventually be on YouTube as well. We do all these things while staying on the roads and end up on YouTube. We're about eight or nine behind right now, so it'll be months before this is on YouTube, but it will be there, so you know. Now, Alexa has been patiently sitting here while I've been going on about lithium batteries, and yeah, I know she and she want to talk about Mystic, Connecticut.

Eric

I mean, marvelous Mystic Marvell. Yeah, it's got that alliteration there. That's so, Alexis. What can you tell us about Mystic, Connecticut? Well, I picked this because I was scrolling through some movies the other day and saw Mystic Pizza, and I figured, hey, I know that's a real town, and I know that they still have a pizza shop there.

Eric

So I'm going to explore this place, which is fantastic. It's right by the ocean, so Connecticut is beautiful. We already know that, especially in the fall. But if you head over there, there's a lot to see, a lot to learn, and a lot to do. And I did confirm that that pizza shop is still open in Mystic Pizza.

Eric

So, if you're an eighties movie fan or have yet to see it, check it out and get some pizza. And is there information about Mystic on our website? There sure is. There are a few different pages. Yep. I have some info for you folks. Do you see what we get when Alexis does? He's at lunchtime, right?

Eric

So, yeah. Yeah, it's true. Yeah. So Mystic, Connecticut, looks pretty cool. A lot of it's about eating food. Yeah. Okay. I like to eat, but again, it's an RV or place. Oh, yeah. The ocean. Yeah. That makes it unique, especially if you live far from the coast. Yeah. Going to the beach is always a big treat, you know, like something new all the time.

Eric

Exactly. And so there's drive. Scenic drives are very outdoorsy. They have an aquarium in there. If you're into that, they do. They have different festivals and events. Yep. So that's something we were talking about here the other day. Are you planning your trips around events? Exactly. If you're considering going to someplace like this, see what's happening there.

Eric

If you don't have time, you can go to that area, a town down or up the coast. Yep. And so, it might be worth planning a trip to that place instead. Yeah. Look for other things to make that trip much better for you and your family.

Eric

Exactly. Out of it. Right. Exactly. Yep. Good idea. All right. So we covered it. Mystic. Marvelous. Mystic, Connecticut, is on our website, The Smart RV AirCon, under the next stop section, along with all the other cool places to go. And as a reminder, if you have a Freightliner M2 or S two RV, not only the Sun Pro manufacturing, so windshield covers form but now they have the newer 100% blackout windshield covers.

Eric

It doesn't let any sun in, so you have 100% privacy. Go to Sunpro Manufacturing dot com, and you can check that out, but yes, you can check Sun Pro Mfg com. All right. Now, that brings us to RV envy. Today, RV converters are made simple, and this is simple. This is as easy as it gets for me because all you have to do is go to our website, the Smart RV or Ecom, and go to a do-it-yourself RV article.

Eric

There's a post there about RV converters. It breaks them down: brands, models, what they look like, and how they work. Everything you need to know is there. It will make you an expert. So go check that out. And again, it's straightforward because RV converters have this thing that sometimes people think is very complex, but they're not. They're straightforward little products.

Eric

Yeah, you know, they're they're like a box. That's just how easy they are to understand. So go there, and you'll learn everything you need to know. Then, look up your brand of color. You have them go to the manufacturer's website and download any manuals they have on it. Manufacturers no longer have great stuff on their websites, so go WFC if you have a wolf.

Eric

Oh, the website. You can download the manual for it and be set now. So, we're going to talk about power, Max Lithium batteries, and we're going to touch on this power. Max makes converters as well. They're identical to Wolff co-converters. They're a great product. It's a good company. They have their converters quality.

Eric

I just talked to them two weeks ago about their lithium batteries. They retail for around 500 bucks, so they're not overly expensive, and they're warranties because they're still new. Their warranties are in flux right now. It's odd, but if you buy one that fails, they just give you a new battery, no questions asked.

Eric

Nice. You know, so you can't beat that. And their whole attitude is very casual. Yeah, they just do whatever it takes to make you happy. I like that. And their batteries are as good as those of the other brands. You know, they're said to be newer to it, but that doesn't discount the quality of the battery. They make quality products, and that's the thing.

Eric

They're into other stuff in the RV industry. They're not just jumping on the lithium bandwagon because they can. They can, but they're selling different products. So that builds up their reputation. They have some street cred, if you will. So check it out. Go to Powermat. This website Power Max converters. Is it? Yeah, just Google Power Max converters, and you'll see their website.

Eric

That brings us to the show's end today, so check out our YouTube channel. Go to YouTube, type in the Smart RVer in the search bar, and you will see us there. Yes, sir. You can also go to our website; there's always a link to it. Any one of our websites will take you to our Smart or our YouTube channel.

Eric

The Smart here is where all our videos and even some merchandise are. You can buy shirts, mugs, whatever. Yeah, all right. The next episode will be 149. This is about communicating in an emergency or an area without cell phone coverage. It's been a great show today. Alexis, thanks for stopping by and sharing your insights on where to get pizza.

Eric

It was fun. So, this is Eric Stark with TheSmartRVer podcast. It has been great hanging out with everyone. If I don't see you on the road, connect at TheSmartRVer.com.