Deep cycle batteries

[GypsyJo]

I'm sure this has been covered before but I'm going to ask anyway.  My coach is in the shop for some what I thought were minor issues.  I had been having issues with my inverter on my 2004 Monaco Camalot.  After the tech looked at it he said inverter was fine but my 3 yr old interstate batteries won't hold a charge.  I had this problem before and am now having to replace batteries again. Is there a better battery to replace the interstate with?  Are lithium recommended?  I'm tired of fighting battery issues.  

Thank you

[Dr4Film]

Joanne,

How long did you get out of this last set of House Batteries?

On average how many years are you getting on the House Batteries you have had in the past?

My first set of Interstate batteries lasted about 6 years. The second sent lasted between 3-4 years.

I have now been using Energizers from Sam's Club, four GC-2. One set lasted 4 years, second set lasted 5 years and this last set lasted 4 years. I just replaced them again last month.

A lot of factors go into how long your House batteries will last.

 

Edited February 1, 2022 by Dr4Film

[David Pratt]

Joanne

You are going to get a lot of suggestions from this group on Batteries.

Regardless of the Manufacturer, Your Flooded Deep Cycle Batteries with proper care and maintenance should last five to six years minimum. Unless you are doing a lot of Boon Docking I would suggest that AGM's would be better suited. Duracell AGM's are an excellent choice and many of our members have had good service out of them. Average price for them at SAM's Club is under $200.00 each. You should be able to get at least ten to twelve years service out of AGM's. Also you will not have to add water to them or have any more corrosion mess to clean up in the battery compartment.

Another suggestion is to have a knowledgeable Technician check the operation the charging circuits, cables and components and make sure they are all working correctly. Something may be going on that is shortening the life of your batteries.

[DavidL]

If you change to Lithium, you will need your electronics reconfigured or replaced to properly charge them and to protect them against dropping voltage too low (which damages the battery).

 

Look into AGM batteries.

Ensure you aren't draining the batteries to dead.  Batteries don't like that and don't live long with too many dead cycles.

Edited February 1, 2022 by DavidL

[Scotty Hutto]

I’ve had a good experience (so far) with the Duracell AGMGC2 batteries from Sam’s Cub. Currently at $179.00/ea (they occasionally go on sale for $25 off) they are more expensive than lead-acid (and heavier), and less expensive that Lithium (and a lot heavier), but not having to worry about batteries drying out and less fumes has worked well for me. Inverter setting need to be changed - I called Magnum Tech Support and they walked me through it in about 10m. You can still ruin them by abusing them, but they’re just a little harder to ruin than lead acid. 

Next batteries will probably be lithium (and adding some solar panels), but there’s a lot of work other than just swapping batteries involved in changing to lithium. There are some great threads on that in this forum. 

[redstickbill]

I replaced the (8) lead acid house batteries in September 2016 with Duracel AGMGC2 batteries from Sam's Club, in January this year I had to replace the house batteries again. After checking with every battery place here in Baton Rouge, LA. there were NO AGM batteries to be had. Sam's Club told me that they no longer carry them. Several places has had the AGM's on back order since last September and if I could find them the cost has increased considerable, like around $400 each.

I now have new lead acid batteries again.

Bill B 07 Dynasty

[Scotty Hutto]

3 minutes ago, redstickbill said:

Sam's Club told me that they no longer carry them.

Your mileage may vary, depending on where you live…

This past Sunday I was at my local Sam’s (Woodstock, GA) and they had six in stock at $179.00 (I had a friend looking for some, so I checked, only to find out he went with another brand the day before I found these.) They may be leftover stock, but my local Sam’s club still has them as of this past Sunday. 

Note: They will not allow you to purchase them online — you must come to the store in person.

[jacwjames]

I was looking to replace my house batteries last year, I had flooded batteries I had bought from Sam's before but they were +7 years old I was getting ready to head out on an extended trip.  I wanted to replace with AGM but the local Sam's did have any and couldn't tell me when they get them so I decide to take a chance with what I had.  ~2 weeks later on the road the flooded batteries crapped out but I was parked at Sam's in Rapid City SD, the only thing they had was the flooded and they couldn't tell me if or how long it would take to get AGM so I settled on the acid.  >>> just checked and they are showing no AGM's

[vito.a]

I just replaced our Napa GC2 golf cart batteries.  They lasted less than 3 years also.   One or two of the Napa batteries was bad from the start and it pulled down the others.  

I replaced them with Trojan T-105 golf cart batteries.   I found T-105 Trojan 6 volt batteries at a local golf cart shop for $127 each.  Trojan is one of the few battery manufacturers left in the US.  I had a set of Trojan batteries that lasted almost 10 years in our Windsor.  https://www.trojanbattery.com/products/marine-rv-line-flooded/

The very best batteries available are Lifeline AGM.  They are expensive!  https://lifelinebatteries.com/

Lithium batteries are the current rage.  Most are using a version of Lithium Iron Phosphate.  Almost all are made in China but a few are assembled here in the US from Chinese cells.  Battleborn batteries are the most popular but also very expensive.  https://battlebornbatteries.com/systems/rv/

LiFePO2 (lithium) batteries are not plug and play.  The first issue is they are temperature sensitive to both hot and cold extremes so they must be protected.  They also require a different charge cycle than standard lead acid batteries.  You need to consult your Trace Freedom inverter manual and then ask Battleborn if they are compatible.  The final issue is charging from your engine alternator while driving.  Most experts recommend a DC to DC charger to protect your engine alternator.  

The good part is lithium batteries can last up to 10 years and pack a lot of power with less weight.

Hope this helps.  

Edited February 1, 2022 by vito.a

[GypsyJo]

Sam's in my area is out.  I am at batteries plus.  Out of stock . The only thing they have is the Duracell gel deep cycle battery.  

Thoughts? 

[Gary Cole]

Lithium batteries: I gave some thought to lithium batteries. Bragging rights would be priceless at the watering hole.😁 However for the occasional boon docker such as myself a pencil cost analysis revealed that I could buy a bunch of cheap replacement lead acid batteries and run the generator a few hundred hrs when neccessary  before I recovered the cost. I understand that it would be different for others. I think I used $3.00 gal for diesel back then. I did convert to 12 V 4D batteries. However the drawback is that if you lose one cell, which promptly happened after warranty expired with 1 battery, its going to be more expensive to replace a 4D than if you lose 1 cell in a 6 V bat.

 

Edited February 2, 2022 by Gary Cole

[b_faster]

Depth of discharge and maintenance will dictate life of batteries.  Below is a depth of discharge vs cycles for FLA (Flooded Lead Acid).  I have repeatedly had 6+ years on FLA batteries, however I am a part timer, so if you are a full time boondocker, you can expect shorter time periods (years) as your cycle count is higher.  It is within range for full timers to only get 2 years from batteries if they repeatedly take them down to 40% DOD.  For full timers, AGMs do pay for themselves vs FLA. see the last chart with cycles vs DOD for AGMs.  There are significantly more cycles for AGMs if used in the 30-50% DOD. This with the lower maintenance will more than likely out perform FLA significantly better along with not having the associated venting issues.  You can do the economics and decide based on your loads what batteries best fit your needs.  Regardless if you are using FLA or AGM, always allow a full charge cycle, which typically will take a minimum of 4 hours for any level of > 10% DOD recharge.

 

State of charge is made after the load is removed and the batteries have had a "rest period" 

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0PNKH1Rf9T4/TyiVh-sIMoI/AAAAAAAAAeM/_J_a5UQc3ug/s1600/Battery+State+_+Voltage+for+lead+acid+batteries.png