Battery- bang for your buck

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Ahmetd

Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2016
Posts
13
Hey guys I'm new to the whole RV world but I'm full time living in mine and have been in here for 2 months now, I'm located in Colorado and obviously it gets cold.
When I bought the RV the battery was not holding a great barge so I ventured to camping world and was sold on 2 exide stowaway 24mdcst batteries 80 amp/h each. After some more research I'm finding out that these aren't true deep cycle batteries but a hybrid and I'm seeing them not hold much of a charge after one time getting them low on charge. 
What I'm trying to ask is what y'all would recommend for a guy who is living full time in the RV who wants optimal battery usage in cold weather, I also have 1 100 watt solar panel and am looking to add more so a battery that does well with charging off the grid.

I'm looking to spend somewhere in the range of 300. Hope you guys can help me out with this one! Thanks I really appreciate all the knowledge I see here!
 
Hard to beat two 6volt golf cart batteries from Costco (>$200 total) and a little bit of wiring to get them in a series so they deliver 12v.

I've had 4 of them for nearly 5 years.  When we used to buy 12v batteries two years was about it.
 
I'm a big fan of our AGMs. They're 105 AH each, they charge quickly, they're less susceptible to sulfation - a process that ultimately causes most lead/acid batteries to no longer be able to hold a charge, and they're truly maintenance free. The problem is, they're pricey... 2 to 3 times the cost of many other batteries. But properly cared for they'll also outlive many other batteries.

Kev
 
wstuart said:
For many the Trojan T105 were the fav's.
My new rig has 4 Interstate 6 volts, so we will see.
Cheers
My MH had 4 of the Trojan T105's. Had to replace them last summer. Tried to get them, but they was on national back-ordered at that time. One of the employees at the distributor told me that the 6V NAPA battery is the same.  So I got got 4 of the 6V NAPA batteries. Can't tell them apart from the Trojan batteries. Markings in the case are the same. The only difference is the color of the case.
 
First, I have often heard disparging things about Excide.. and I do not like Group 24s at all or Marine/Deep cycle if I can avoid.

GC-2 Golf car batteries are six volt. so they have to be hooked up differently.. They are a bit taller than your Group 24s but they shoudl fit in the same tray.. Get them at Sam's Club, Costco, Interstate, Deka (Mine are from Deka)

Wired like this

-{6v}+===-{6v}+===12 volts. 

The equlas signs are wires.

You basically get one BIG (220 amp hour +/- 10) battery that is a True Deep cycle.. And to answer all your "6V v/s 12V" questions

Think of hte pair as a SINGLE 12 volt (Size 4D) battery..
Can I replace just one?  (Can you replace one half of a 12 volt battery?, same answer)
Do they need to be the same (make, brand, age, size)  Again, can you get a half & half 12 volt?
How do I charge them .. You charge IT (the 12 volt battery they form Just as you do your current 12 volt batteries.

See how questions go POOF when you think of them as a single 12 volt battery.


Oh, and thanks to the fact that golf courses coast to coast buy 'em by the pallet load.. They cost less per unit, so you pay about what you paid for those Group 24s.. but you get not 150 amp hours, or 160, but 220-230  Nice. nearly 50% more power for the same price.
 
I am also a fan of 6 volt wet batteries. I like being able to check the cells for water and maintain them myself. I feel that they are the most bang for my buck at a reasonable price. I currently am running 6 Interstate 6 volt wet batteries. My rig has a residential refer, and I never turn the Inverter off, so they get exercised every time I move campgrounds. 

I had a 12 volt deep cycle sealed battery explode on me in a different rig, so I am kind of partial to removable caps. And of course, a quality 3 stage charger is paramount in keeping whatever you buy healthy and happy for the long run.
 
Gary, that's an excellent article.  I was wondering about marine batteries because they seem more common at auto stores, Wal-Mart, etc.
 
I bought 4 Interstate 6 volt batteries in December 2010.  I want to replace them with the Sams Club 6 volt AGMs but they won't die.

We live off grid for 3 months every winter.  The secret (I think) is the equalization charge (see US Battery recommendations).  I do this a couple of times in the fall before heading south.  They come up to at least 1260 so I use them another year.

Solar is great.  Your can get your batteries to 85% with the generator and then solar tops them off.

http://usbattery.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/usb-charging-recommendations.pdf

 

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I agree with SargeW where bang for the buck is concerned.  I currently have Trojan 105 6v wet batteries that have served me well.  Having said that, I also agree with Kevin Means with regard to AGM batteries and when my current wet cell go south or we get our 5th wheel, I will be switching over to AGM batteries.  He is correct, they are quite expensive but not having to maintain wet cells is a plus for me.
 
Hey guys thanks so much for all the info I feel quite a bit better educated on the subject now. And especially after reading that article that Gary wrote. Now for everyone using flooded golf cart batteries, how often are you checking your water levels?  In a lot of cold weather situations would you prefer to use the AGM or flooded cells? I'm going to be chasing winter around for skiing, so lots of cold weather.

I also am pretty agitated the salesman sold me on what sounds like one of the worst batteries for my type of situation but now I know a little more and I believe I can return the batteries to camping world anyway.
 
I check water level as part of my pre-trip preparation.

Dry camping for 3 months, I check water level and specific gravity after 6 weeks.

 
Also when you guys are talking about connecting 4 of the 6v golf cart batteries I'm guessing your connect two and two in a series and those pair of series together in a parallel so it doesn't exceed 12V?  And where the heck do you keep 4 batteries with proper ventilation?
 
On larger rigs battery space is provided for.  On my MH there is a battery pull out drawer that holds six 6 volt batteries.  Here is a few pics of how they are connected together.  This pic is older when I first got the rig. I took the pics of the original batteries to show how the dealer had neglected the batteries while the rig was still new on their lot.  They had to replace all 6 as they had managed to damage them all.  But it does show how the 6 batteries are wired together. 
 

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Ahmetd said:
Also when you guys are talking about connecting 4 of the 6v golf cart batteries I'm guessing your connect two and two in a series and those pair of series together in a parallel so it doesn't exceed 12V?  And where the heck do you keep 4 batteries with proper ventilation?

That is exactly correct. 

Being in California I have never seen a battery freeze.  The sulfuric acid lowers the freeze point down to something like -60F for a fully charged battery -(University of Google answer).
 
I check the water level before each trip or in hot Phoenix summers no more than a month since last check.
 
Ahmetd said:
Also when you guys are talking about connecting 4 of the 6v golf cart batteries I'm guessing your connect two and two in a series and those pair of series together in a parallel so it doesn't exceed 12V?  And where the heck do you keep 4 batteries with proper ventilation?
That's another benefit of AGMs... they don't need to be in a ventilated compartment. They also don't have to be installed upright (with terminals on top) You can mount them in any position you'd like.

Kev
 
Hey SargeW I have the same batteries, first time for me, so glad you have had good results.

One question about inverters.  When going on the walk through of our new RV, the tech said to never have the inverter turned on when connected to shore power, as in NEVER! Reading the manual it says it is ok to leave inverter on.

Any comments?  Maybe because I had a couple of solar panels installed to charge the batteries?
What are your thoughts?

Cheers
 
Unless the tech knows something about that particular Inverter that I don't, I don't know why either. I have had my coach for 3+ years, and the Inverter has never been turned off.  I have a Magnum 2012 Inverter/Charger,  and it works wonderfully. 

I unplug by turning off the breaker at the pedestal, and the Inverter automatically takes over and runs the whole coach. I  would tend to believe what your manual says. 
 
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