Hi Don,
We bought our rig eight years ago this month. We replaced the original batteries after three years. five for the larger second set. These 6V batteries is our third set.
Some people would say that five years per set is good, but it's a very rough five years because they loose performance year to year. Year two is worse than year one, year three is worse than year two, etc. I am hoping that this new pair of 6V will not only last longer, they will perform better and more consistently from one year to the next.
Also consider this. We hardly use our motor home and it is kept in our heated garage off season. I disconnect the batteries when not in use, then charge them with a secondary charger awaiting the next use. Off season I top them off a few times over the 6 month period. Considering the little use they get and how I take care of them, I feel they should last us much longer.
I practiced this with our first motor home much of it's life which had one 12V lead acid battery for the chassis and one for the house. With that rig, the batteries lasted between 8 and 12 years.
I realize our new rig is so much more demanding on our batteries than our first rig. The discharging/recharging swings are extreme so I understand they won't last as long. This new 6V AGM setup is an attempt to handle the punishment better to give us more power between charges, and to have more effective charge times.
Another thing I have done to help with this, is that I converted the 9 florescent light fixtures to LED
SEEN HERE. I also changed all incandescent bulbs to LED bulbs. The converted fixtures cut power consumption to just under half that of the florescent, and even less for the incandescent bulbs. I also did the conversion for the quality and warmth of light. Much warmer feeling and no more florescent pulsating light.
