Two 6 volt vs two 12 volt run time

The gasses from the batteries is heavier than air so they flow out naturally as they are replaced by the fresh air coming in thru the several small breathe holes in the cover.

AFAIK, hydrogen gas is lighter than atmospheric gasses. This is why vented battery boxes have a hose connected to the top of the enclosure.

Sams club group 31 AGM deep cycle made in USA by East Penn / Deka for $179
Shows the specs also.

https://www.samsclub.com/sams/duracell-agm-deep-cycle-marine-and-rv-battery-group-size-31dtmagm/prod3590232.ip

Atlee wrote:
What is the price tag on one of those batteries? I've never seen them. Are they in a specialty store just located in your area?

Our 115 AH Group 31 AGM 12V true deep cycle RV batteries from Fullriver are, as I understand it, popular in the boating world all over the world. Probably any marine product supplier can get them, or already has them in stock.

They were only slightly less money than the closest equivalent 125 AH Lifeline battery model, but I didn't buy the Fullriver batteries for that reason. I needed 12V deep cycle AGM batteries that could be floated at 13.5-13.8 volts - and the Fullrivers can. Lifeline specifies use of a lower float voltage ... according to their spec sheet and according to a phone conversation that I had with Lifeline.

I don't think I have ever seen AGM big 12 volt batteries at a Meijer store either but I wouldn't want one anyway as their Ah capacity is so much lower than a lead acid of the same size and everywhere I do see them they are about double the price of a lead acid same size battery so why would I even want one? I'd need to have about 8 of them to have the same amp hours of my 5 lead acid batteries and at a very high cost and they will still need replacing every 8-10 years. Why would I replace a very good working lots of mice catching mousetrap with 2 that only catch half as mant mice each at a lot higher purchase price? Dumb to do in my book!

Adding water to a lead acid battery is certainly no big deal as at most I only do it once a year and they have never been low enough to even be near the top of the plates in any cell. The batteries are in a large Tupperware plastic covered box in my 5th wheel front outside compartment under bed over hang. has a couple small holes drilled thru the cover for air to enter and there's a glued/screwed on "L" shaped 3/4" dia plastic water pipe elbow at the bottom on one end going thru the bottom of the compartment to the outside so the gasses will constantly escape outside and not into the compartment. The gasses from the batteries is heavier than air so they flow out naturally as they are replaced by the fresh air coming in thru the several small breathe holes in the cover.

I have had well over 50 lead acid batteries in our 56+ years of marriage and only a couple ever shorted out or failed so far. Hey, one of those was a 6 volt golf cart battery and made its mate for getting 12 volts USELESS! Self-explanatory!

Like I said, I don't give 2 hoots what other people want, do, or use. I simply know from over 50 years experience of RV'ing and boating batteries what works best for me and, if it's not broke, why try fixing it as it's working so great already and very cost effective? Then when I do put new batteries in the RV's, the old batteries have an after RV life using until I decide to use some for avoiding the core charge for getting new batteries.

To each, their own!

wa8yxm wrote:

toedtoes wrote:
I actually went with an Optima blue top group 31. It is 75Ah and cost about $225.

If you had gone with a LIFELINE AGM it would be 130 amp hours. OPTIMA are more expensive and far lower capacity. Just so you know.

Now.. if you are driving a 4-runner or Wave Runner or other off road vehicle. OPtima can take a licking (physically) and keep on Ticking as the watch maker used to advertise.

But for RV use.. NOT recommended for reasons in my FIRST paragraph, HIgh cost, Low capacity.

I have no issue with the Optima. It has been a great performer and gives me all the capacity I need.

toedtoes wrote:
I actually went with an Optima blue top group 31. It is 75Ah and cost about $225.

If you had gone with a LIFELINE AGM it would be 130 amp hours. OPTIMA are more expensive and far lower capacity. Just so you know.

Now.. if you are driving a 4-runner or Wave Runner or other off road vehicle. OPtima can take a licking (physically) and keep on Ticking as the watch maker used to advertise.

But for RV use.. NOT recommended for reasons in my FIRST paragraph, HIgh cost, Low capacity.

What is the price tag on one of those batteries? I've never seen them. Are they in a specialty store just located in your area?

Unfortunately, I keep coming back to GC batteries from Sam's Club. Sam's Clubs are found everywhere, 6v Golf Cart batteries plentiful, and the cost of them is relatively low.

pnichols wrote:

Atlee wrote:
Where did you get the true deep cycle Grp 31 12V AGM? How many amps did it have? And how much did it cost?

I'd prefer a true deep cycle 12V battery, not to be mistaken for a deep cycle marine battery, over a par of 6V golf cart batteries.

I'm not the one you asked the question of, but here's the Group 31 12V AGM deep cycle battery that we have a couple of - in a balanced parallel hookup configuration - in our RV ... for a total of 230 amp hours:

http://www.fullriverbattery.com/product/batteries/DC115-12

They weigh about 72 lbs. each, and have a 7 year warranty. I purchased these at a local battery supplier, who took my still working 8 year old Group 29 12V AGM deep cycle batteries as a core charge.

.

I went to the Meijer stores website, automotive section, and couldn't find any 12V AGM true deep cycle batteries showing.

They showed plenty of the usual 12V deep cycle marine Group 31 batteries, however.

Maybe I looked in the wrong place on their website, though.

Atlee,

Hope this doesn't bore you as it's long but accurate.

My true deep cycle 12 volt lead acid batteries all came from Meijer but you don't have them there as they are in 7 states in the Midwest. A very upscale Walmart type store but usually larger and carries a lot more made in the USA goods but has the same prices as Walmart. Family owned and based/headquartered in Grand Rapids, MI. Over 200 stores. I'd wait until they were on sale and then used my 15% off all goods in one purchase coupons we'd get each month as seniors with a Meijer credit card. I'd buy 5 to 10 of the batteries at a time and never paid over $88. for each anter the discounts. the batteries were made by Johnson Controls Battery Divison headquartered in Milwaukee, WS.

Now Meijer carries Exide batteries instead of Johnson Controls and they are group 31, deep cycle marine 12 volt batteries and have the very same spec label wording as the Johnson Controls batteries. 130 Ah with a 225 minutes at 23 amp draw. I have seen zero difference between the 2 type of batteries in useage or performance life. Been keeping both types of batteries in the RV's banks for 8-10 years and then replacing them. They still function OK and I have been using the old batteries in my boats and for my trolling motors and only one so far had failed in the last 0ver 30 years of using these batteries.

The 5 group 31 deep cycle marine batteries presently in our 29' Carriage Carrilite 5th wheel were purchased in Sept 2010 as that is what the sticker on them says and I will probably be replacing them in 2019 as they are 7 years old now. In the Carriage Carrilite, we use the 2500 watt inverter which I had installed 2 additional 15 amd AC circuits from the inverter mounted in the front storage area with a remote switch on the foot vertical wood face of the bed.

One circuit goes to the additional installed 3 duplex outlets in the bedroom, bathroom, and the living room. The other circuit goes to the kitchen installed additional duplex under the refrigerator in the panel and to one close to the dining table in the slide out. It's in the inside bottom area of a storage cabinet just above the floor. Open the cabinet door and plug in the extension cord that comes from the wall behind the table and we have AC power for our laptops.

The kitchen inverter duplex outlet has a small 1/4' dia green neon light glued in and wired in so we know when the inverter is turned on. That outlet is for the coffee maker cord, toaster cord, and the microwave which has a patch cord from a switch in the upper cabinet where the microwave is plugged in. Open the cabinet, flip the switch to inverter power, pullout the end of the patch cord, and use the microwave when off the grid and no need to start the generator.

Lots of time with our 2 laptops on as we have a MIFI Jetpack for WIFI nd change data plan from 6GB to unlimited if and when needed with Verizon. We never use a hair dryer off the inverter as that is on for a longer time and like a direct short. Silent 110 AC power and no need to start up a noise making generator bright and early in the morning.

That in an expanded nutshell is what we have and how we use our battery bank.

BTW, there's 2 more of the same batteries in the drivers side ahead of the rear wheel well and if I attach the 2 #2 gauge welder cables to the marine barrel switch wingnut stud block, I now have 7 group 31 deep cycle batteries for the 5th wheel and dual alternators in the diesel truck to recharge the 7 batteries real fast it we aren't going to hit the road that day etc. Of course I have another option also, start up the Honda EU 2000 that's on the back of the 5th wheel and recharge the batteries that way. I love versatility and that's the way I design and make things like any good engineer would, long retired or not!

The 2 big batteries in the truck also connect to the same size battery in our Lance TC so I have 3 big 12 Volt deep cycle batteries to power the Lance and the 1500 watt inverter that's mounted inside when it's on the truck. More versatility!