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LoreeB99's avatar
LoreeB99
Explorer
Nov 12, 2014

House Battery Life

Hi All,

My 2 - 6 volt, deep cycle golf cart house batteries just died after only 3 & 1/2 years. Bought at Sam's June 2011.
We live in our MH full time and almost always plugged into 30 amp power. New Intellitec 9200 converter with charge wizard installed about same time as batteries. I check battery water monthly and top up with distilled water if necessary. I keep terminals clean & tight. Put in 2 new batteries last Sat. 11/8/14 but wonder if any of you might have a suggestion as to why I got such a short life out of my house batteries?

Thanks,

42 Replies

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  • jrnymn7's avatar
    jrnymn7
    Explorer
    Nov 14, 2014
    OP said,

    "wonder if any of you might have a suggestion as to why I got such a short life out of my house batteries?"

    1) they were sub-standard to begin with,

    2) they were not properly maintained.

    I guess we'll never know. But if I had to venture a guess, I'd go with 1 & 2. :(
  • Dakota98's avatar
    Dakota98
    Explorer
    Nov 14, 2014
    liketoride2 wrote:
    Dakota98 Wrote: "Yes, the 9200 & charge wizard will mate well with the AGM type batteries & do a good job, but will not suffice for lead acid without a different maintenance program in place."

    What maintenance program would be appropriate for a new TT with two Trojan T-105 batteries that will be used off the grid a good percentage of the time? I have no info on the stock system except it states on the owners manual:

    "If the battery is below full charge, the converter charger will begin operation at a rate that reflects the level of discharge. When the battery is again fully charged, the converter charger drops its charging level back to a maintenance level to keep the battery fully charged."

    We do not have solar or wind power. Thanks.


    The converter charging system typically gets the lead acid batteries to approx. 90% only. If you are relying on your coach monitor system as the gauge to determine full charge, it's not really that accurate. A hydrometer, volt meter, or volt/amp meter is much more reliable, depending upon your specific needs. Here's what Trojan recommends for a maintenance schedule.

    PS: BFL13 wrote:
    Also wonder if the PD 14.4 gets a good reputation more in warmer climates where that voltage is closer to say 14.6 temp compensated.

    Point well taken, ambient temperature is a definite factor concerning battery charging & performance.

    Trojan battery Maintenance
  • BFL13's avatar
    BFL13
    Explorer II
    Nov 14, 2014
    RJsfishin wrote:
    Quote:
    Yes, the 9200 & charge wizard will mate well with the AGM type batteries & do a good job, but will not suffice for lead acid without a different maintenance program in place.
    -----------------------------------------------------------
    Yeah, that's why most the lead acids are lasting 8-10 yrs on the PD wizard !


    Where are the statistics on that? It would be interesting to breakdown the stats according to some factors:

    "Most" are on shore power with 12v batts AFAIK.

    There used to be some concern that 6s don't do so well on a long Float. Xantrex had an optional 2 stage , no float setting on their three-stagers because of that.

    There is mention of how well batts do on Float here (scroll down to end) but it goes by SG. I don't know if high SG "goes with" 5% antimony vs low antimony though.

    http://www.engineersedge.com/battery/specific_gravity_battery.htm

    Also wonder if the PD 14.4 gets a good reputation more in warmer climates where that voltage is closer to say 14.6 temp compensated.
  • RJsfishin's avatar
    RJsfishin
    Explorer
    Nov 14, 2014
    Quote:
    Yes, the 9200 & charge wizard will mate well with the AGM type batteries & do a good job, but will not suffice for lead acid without a different maintenance program in place.
    -----------------------------------------------------------
    Yeah, that's why most the lead acids are lasting 8-10 yrs on the PD wizard !
  • mena661's avatar
    mena661
    Explorer
    Nov 14, 2014
    liketoride2 wrote:

    What maintenance program would be appropriate for a new TT with two Trojan T-105 batteries that will be used off the grid a good percentage of the time?
    My Screwy 31
  • liketoride2's avatar
    liketoride2
    Explorer
    Nov 14, 2014
    Dakota98 Wrote: "Yes, the 9200 & charge wizard will mate well with the AGM type batteries & do a good job, but will not suffice for lead acid without a different maintenance program in place."

    What maintenance program would be appropriate for a new TT with two Trojan T-105 batteries that will be used off the grid a good percentage of the time? I have no info on the stock system except it states on the owners manual:

    "If the battery is below full charge, the converter charger will begin operation at a rate that reflects the level of discharge. When the battery is again fully charged, the converter charger drops its charging level back to a maintenance level to keep the battery fully charged."

    We do not have solar or wind power. Thanks.
  • Dakota98's avatar
    Dakota98
    Explorer
    Nov 14, 2014
    LoreeB99 wrote:
    Hi All,

    My 2 - 6 volt, deep cycle golf cart house batteries just died after only 3 & 1/2 years. Bought at Sam's June 2011.
    We live in our MH full time and almost always plugged into 30 amp power. New Intellitec 9200 converter with charge wizard installed about same time as batteries. I check battery water monthly and top up with distilled water if necessary. I keep terminals clean & tight. Put in 2 new batteries last Sat. 11/8/14 but wonder if any of you might have a suggestion as to why I got such a short life out of my house batteries?

    Thanks,


    In conclusion, my attempt was to identify a possible reason as to why the OP's two 6 volt lead acid batteries may have failed too early in life.

    I believe for the most part, it's been determined by most in this posting that the OP should be using AGM batteries instead of lead acid, due to THEIR type of use. Although, that information is too little, too late, they already replaced them with 2 new lead acid batteries.

    Yes, the 9200 & charge wizard will mate well with the AGM type batteries & do a good job, but will not suffice for lead acid without a different maintenance program in place.:)
  • RJsfishin's avatar
    RJsfishin
    Explorer
    Nov 14, 2014
    A question that was not asked,.....
    If they were tested individually, which they should have been,...were both batteries tested as bad ? Its very unlikely both would go bad at the same time. Yes, I know all about one bad batt will take its toll on the other.
    If one was much better than the other, then its likely only one of them failed, and would be considered "defective", which happens to even the best deep cycle battery now and then.
    I wonder if the batteries were charged before any kind of test was done, which I believe is the only way to get a true test,....even tho some "smart testers" claim to be able to test 1/2 dead batteries.
  • red31's avatar
    red31
    Explorer
    Nov 14, 2014
    How much capacity does the OP need when not always plugged into 30 amp power?

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