House batteries

[4rickyg]

 05 Navigator, I need to replace my house batteries. Coach has 8 golf cart batteries. They are pretty much all dry and bubbled out at the sides. I do not Boondock, just need batteries to keep lights and refrigerator on when I am not plugged in for short times. Sometimes  overnight . I've heard Walmart is the best place to get these batteries? Is there different sizes I should consider? Or just any golf cart battery will do?

[Guest Ray Davis]

Rick,  I'm going to stick my neck out and say what I did.  I bought mine at Costco,  they are GC2 batteries for what that's worth.   I believe I paid around $90,  they are more like  $100 now,  still pretty cheap.   You can spend more and get better batteries but like you we don't boondock.   Sam's club has pretty much the same thing.   You can probably save enough to pay for a membership.   My thoughts are you don't need 8 batteries,  4 will do fine,  that's what I have.  One thing I would consider is changing to AGM batteries to rid your self of constantly maintaining ( watering ) the cells.   AGM's are more expensive but probably worth the extra especially if you down size to only 4 batteries.   They are available occasionally at the club stores.

[4rickyg]

Thank you. I will look into replacing with just 4 AMGs. That sounds like a good idea to me. 

[waterskier_1]

I pretty much agree with Ray.  If you are looking for flooded batteries, check around golf courses and see where they get theirs, if you live in a part of the country where there are lots of Golf Courses.  When I was last in the Phoenix area, I saw Trojan CG-2 golf cart batteries for about $100 each on Craigslist.  AGM are going to be about 3 times as much.  They are only slightly better as battery life and capacity are concerned, but you never have to worry about watering them and the acid vapor corroding the battery box.  They are truly maintenance free, but at a premium cost.   I have read that Sam's Clubs, east of the Mississippi have GC-2 AGM batteries at a good price.  Especially around Black Friday and through December.  I live West so I haven't been able to take advantage of those prices.  I agree with Ray that if you are not boondocking for long periods of time, and can run your generator when needed, that 4 batteries will be fine.

[JDCrow]

I dropped a bit of coin for some AGM for my boat bow mount motor. 
 

Just the ease of maintenance alone is worth the extra price. 
 

I bought VMAX batteries. 

[vito.a]

If your coach has eight batteries I assume you have a residential refrigerator.  I agree with the others.  You can get by overnight with four good GC2 6 volt golf cart batteries.   Make sure you take a picture and/or draw a diagram of the connections.  

I just replaced mine.  I had four NAPA GC2 batteries.  They did not hold up well and were constantly boiling over making a mess.  

I replaced them with Trojan T-105 golf cart batteries.  I found them at our local golf cart shop for $125 each.  Trojan batteries are still made in the US and some of the best quality lead acid batteries available.  These new batteries are much easier to maintain and so far have not made a mess.  

If you want the very best, Lifeline makes AGM batteries here in the US.  They are expensive but will last well and not require any maintenance.  

If you want to get adventurous, watch some of the Will Prowse YouTube videos on building your own LiFePo2 battery.  Lithium will outlast any of the lead acid batteries and has many great features.  However, you have to guard against both extreme cold and hot weather and they can be expensive.  

Good luck!

[4rickyg]

 Yes I have a residential refrigerator. I like the sounds of the 4 Trojan batteries. Don't want to go the expense of the AGM's.  Haven't really studied the wiring on them yet how do I eliminate the  4 batteries on the top tray?

The only time I'm not plugged in is  when I pull the coach next to the house for overnight before I leave in the AM.

[jacwjames]

I only had 4 batteries to start with.  Prior to going on a trip In June I test all of them with a meter & hydrometer, they all tested good.   I was keeping my eye out for AGM batteries but Sam's didn't have any in stock, believe me I looked. 

Late July I was in SD and all of a sudden I saw something strange on the inverter panel as to charging status.  First thing I did was check the batteries with a meter, sure enough, one was toast.  Luckily I was parked at a Sams club, the didn't have AGM's but they did have the better flooded type.  They even installed them for me. the young sales person said they weren't suppose to in a motor home but I gave him the sad old mad story and he said just to pull around back and it was a quick change.  I made him take pictures of the connections, take one battery cable off at a time and lay them on the ground as they came off, and not the position of each battery.  ~30 minutes later I was back in business. 

I can easily make it all night with the 4 batteries powering my residential refrigerator.   I usually run my generator just before I go to bed, and usually they are +75% when I wake up. 

[4rickyg]

Just stop by Sam's Club they have GC-2 golf cart for $90. They also have EGC2 $125. They are both Duracell. I'm not sure what the difference is between the two and there was no one there to help me...lol.

[Ivylog]

All you need is 2 12V AGM batteries. Dry and bulged implies they weren’t maintained. The lack of corrosion is reason enough to go AGM plus no watering. I’ve gotten 10 years out of AGMs and we dry camp a fair amount. Yes, the initial cost is more but not over 10 years.

Edited November 10, 2021 by Ivylog

[4rickyg]

Yes, I know my problem was lack of maintenance. I have never been good at that with the batteries. I will look into pricing AGM's around here. Not sure if I have the correct charger inverter? I think mine is original?I will look tomorrow to see which one it is.

[Ivylog]

Your inverter/charger will likely have 2 AGM settings. I use the AGM2 setting although there’s only a slight difference in the charge voltages.

Once you get the old batteries out… make sure there’s only a large + & - cable (no small wires hooked to them too) and spray the area with baking soda dissolved in water. Pressure wash if possible and paint any bare metal areas. This will put it in the “one and done” category. 

[4rickyg]

With your 12 V AGM's do you have 100 AH or 200 AH? And just 2 with a residential fridge?

[thomasgibbens]

I recently replaced my batteries in a 2015 Dynasty and considered golf cart batteries but they as well as Exide batteries only had a 6 month warranty. Mine are 6 volt AGM batteries and I went with Full River DC224-6. Not cheap but has a full 2 year warranty.  We are full timers so these never get stored. 
 

Tom Gibbens

’15 Dynasty 

[vegaman19760]

AGM batteries (with low to no maintenance) is the way we went.  We chose Interstate as my dealer removed the old wet acid type and replaced the new AGM batteries at no charge.  3 year warranty.  Stay safe, Stay well

[SigPIlot]

Some wise sage (on this site) suggested I change to Duracell 6v AGM's (Sam's) for the house batteries vs. wet. I had a fair amount of gassing and buildup with the old wet cells. Installed them a couple of years ago. I look at them on my monthly system check, but that's about all. More expensive than wet and less expensive than Lithium, I feel the trade off is positive since I don't have to mess around cleaning them and the bay every month or so.