Trojan AGM recall

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Back2PA

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Just doing a little poking around for Trojan AGM prices and received a note back from one supplier that "the Trojan AGM series has been recalled, none available".

Called Battery Warehouse here in Phoenix area where I got my Trojan flooded and they confirmed, all Trojan AGM have been recalled. Apparently a manufacturing issue causing the lids to separate from the cases. This happened about a month ago and they have no word on when the batteries will be available again.

Battery Warehouse highly recommended (as did Discount Solar) the Fullriver brand. Battery Warehouse stated they believe the Fullriver is higher quality than Trojan.

 
So what was your experience with AGM batteries? I was planning on buying some this spring.
 
Back in 2006 I purchased AGMs (MK, East Penn battery company) having heard the claims of superior performance and long life.

I have the ability to have two completly independeint 12 volt systems (2 converters) in this RV.. So I put the AGM's on their own loop, just them, a fan and the Prosine 2.0 Iverter/Charger programmed for them.

The other bank consisted of a mix of flooded wet cell six volt and mintenance free 12 volt Marine/deep cycle.

The AGM's were the first batteries to be replaced

The 12 volt jars were older than the RV and came next
The six volt Flooded wet were the last to go, along with the Maintenance free chassis battery (Both went spring 2014).
 
I had an AGM in my pickup truck. Sorry, can't remember where I got it from. Puked in less than 2 years. Have bought 3 Optima Yellow Tops for the son's car. Advertised on their site as being able to take a deep drain and start your car everytime. Yeah, right!
The first one lasted less than a year, second one was defective "out of the box", third one lasted about a year and a half. Done with that crap!
Speaking of crap...that is what that 3rd battery is doing now! Only good for a light in an outhouse. That's right!...It's still in service, but only to light up a LED light so users don't leave with TP stuck to their shoe.  ;) ;D

Have stayed with flooded batteries for the TT due to the fact that I had a cheap source for Interstate deep cycle trade-ins. They were load tested and checked out. I could get matched sets from the same source. They would only be one year old and I could get another 4-6 years out them. Getting 4-D's at $90 each is a heck of a deal.

The trick was proper maintenance and charging for the flooded batteries. I won't go back to AGM's unless something new comes along and the field news shows promise. Then I may think about it.
 
Using an AGM battery for a "start" battery doesn't make good sense to me.  An AGM of the same group size as a standard flooded cell battery doesn't have as much cold start amp capacity, costs a lot more and the alternator charging system is not optimum for an AGM.  I am not surprised some have had less than satisfactory results when using an AGM as a start battery.  An AGM used in a deep-cycle application such as RV "house" power, on the other hand, seems a much more appropriate application, especially when the location of the battery makes regular maintenance difficult. 
 
Molaker said:
Using an AGM battery for a "start" battery doesn't make good sense to me.  An AGM of the same group size as a standard flooded cell battery doesn't have as much cold start amp capacity, costs a lot more and the alternator charging system is not optimum for an AGM.  I am not surprised some have had less than satisfactory results when using an AGM as a start battery.  An AGM used in a deep-cycle application such as RV "house" power, on the other hand, seems a much more appropriate application, especially when the location of the battery makes regular maintenance difficult. 

I agree about using AGM for a start battery.  In my case a Miata has it's battery in the trunk and has to use AGM. 
 
It's true that the AGM design yields a somewhat lower CCA rating (and a lower AH Capacity too) than a flooded cell. 

I've had a mix of results using them. My first AGM, a top quality Lifeline deep cycle model, lasted about 5 years even though it got abused somewhat. The AGM starting battery in my 2006 Acadia only lasted 3.5 years, but the car had an electrical defect that killed the battery several times before it was fixed. The replacement AGM has worked flawlessly for over 5 years. That car requires AGM because the battery is under the back seat floor. Our coach came with AGM deep cycles for the house and the first set, a no-name brand, only lasted 4 years, but the second set, top quality Trojans, are starting their 8th year soon.

In other words, about the same mix of good and poor results that one might experience with any battery. There are many factors that can either shorten or extend battery life, so it's difficult to generalize about any given type or brand based on anecdotal reports.
 
One of the problems that probably caused the quick demise of my AGM battery is the heat where I live.

105 degrees is common in the summer and the battery was in the trunk of a dark green car so I'm sure it was very hot in there.

 
Howdy,

Sorry to revive an old thread (not sure whether this is against the rules/etiquette here in this forum) but this is so interesting!

Specially the recommendations the OP got for the Fullriver batts (Sun2retire: did you end up buying them? Please keep us updated).

Some Googling showed me these Fullrivers are being sold everywhere, and at a price point even lower than the Lifelines (which are themselves considerably less expensive than the Trojans).

Also, interesting how many people have had bad results with other brands of AGMs... I guess these batteries are more complex and need to come from known-good manufacturers....

People, please keep on posting your experiences with batteries, good or otherwise.

Cheers,
--
  Vall.
 
All the major battery manufacturers offer AGM batteries and nearly all those brands you see come from the same "big three" battery factories (Johnson Controls, East Penn, and Exide), so quality is essentially identical regardless of brand. Nearly all common battery brands are "private label" batteries, made in one of the big three factories and sold & warrantied by a distribution company under the distributor's brand name. Interstate, Diehard, Everstart, Delco, Durolast, etc. are all "private label" batteries.

Just compare the battery case size (e.g. Group 27 or GC2) and necromancer specs (amp-hours, RC, CCA, etc) to determine which is the best value for the dollar.

Trojan and Lifeline (Concorde Battery) make their own batteries and are considered premium brands.
 
Hi Gary,

So, Fullriver would be such a "private label"? If so, the price difference re: Lifeline is not that large, and I think I'd rather pay for the latter than risk on the former, given that private labels have such a checkered record...

Cheers,
--
  Vall.
 
Yes, Fullriver will surely be a private label brand, but private labeling is the norm in the battery industry. The big three battery makers will each have their own "house brand" label, and everybody else is a private label. Exide uses Exide as their brand name, East Penn is the Deka brand, and Johnson Controls has a couple,  of which AC/Delco is probably best known. US Battery is another large battery maker, but they do mostly 6v golf cart (GC2) batteries.

The specs will show any differences. in a lead acid battery, weight is very indicative - the lower capacity battery will always be lighter, typically 305 3-5 lbs less than a better grade product. Compare weight and either Amp-Hours (AH) or Reserve Capacity (RC) if buying deep cycles, or Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) if buying a chassis battery.
 
Hi Gary,

Thanks for the confirmation on the Fullrivers, and the info on the US Batteries.

Cheers,
--
  Vall.
 
...weight is very indicative - the lower capacity battery will always be lighter, typically 305 lbs less than a better grade product.

Wow! A very heavy battery...  ;D ::) :D

I hope that zero should be a dash...  ;)
 
LOL!  Must have been talking about a size 8D battery!    I fixed the typo...

Less lead in the internal plates equates to either fewer plate (less amps) or fewer recharge cycles, or sometimes both.
 

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