Best house battery?
Hi guys. I'm sure this discussion is somewhere on here, I can't seem to find it. Anyway my house battery has died. It was a Lifeline AGM deep cycle. These batteries are pricey and heavy! Someone t...
Forum Discussion
drumz wrote:
Well we don't use the motorhome that much. We vend at festivals, so we boondock alot. Sometimes we get electrical hook ups, it's rare though. The battery compartment is under the unit. And I guess I would rather not mess with checking water and stuff.I think the smoke/propane alarm runs down the battery, cause it's always dead after a few weeks of sitting. We don't leave the rv plugged in, as thats how our old rv caught on fire.
Isn't there a maint free deep cycle?
There are maint free liquid acid (non AGM) batteries - their tops are sealed so no access to their interior water/acid mix and no water needs to be, or can be, added.
However, probably you're best bet for a maint free RV battery would be an AGM battery (there isn't any liquid inside them).
Now regarding an AGM battery: A deep cycle type AGM battery is what you should use in your RV. That is ... a "true" deep cycle AGM battery - not a "combination" deep cycle/starting AGM battery that can be both a starting battery and (kindof) a deep cycle battery. AGM batteries come in both types.
I have a "starting" type AGM battery under the hood in my pickup. In my RV I have true deep cyle AGM batteries not intended for engine starting use. Of course they are zero maintenance and don't even have to be on a maintenance charger for months at a time - if it isn't convenient when one's RV isn't being used.
A true deep AGM battery will not be inexpensive, however. I had to get mine at a battery distributor. You probably can't walk into a Walmart or auto store and find these type AGM batteries. One source for them is marine supply stores. Other sources might be golf cart or industrial equipment battery suppliers.
For instance, the ones I have in our RV are popular for marine use, but almost never commonly found in RVs. Mine are "standard size" Group 31 12 volt true deep cycle AGM batteries that are rated at 115 amp hours each, and weigh about 72 lbs. each. The two of these hooked up in parallel provide 230 amp hours of storage, of which only about one-half of that 230 amp hours should be used at a time before charging.
