Hi everybody.I'm building my camper van on a Ford E250 extended platform with high top.I stumbled upon an AGM battery on our Canadian version of Craig's list, the battery is from Walmart (in Canada), here are the specs :http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/everstart-battery-maxx/6000195362529The seller says he never used it and it still has the plastics covers on.W.M. sells it 253$ + 15% taxes and other fees, the seller is willing to let it go for a 100$ so you can imagine why I'm interested.My first and most urgent question is :-Does it seem like a good battery for my camper van conversion?I will be boondocking (nothing crazy), I will have another 12v battery, a generator, inverter, converter, charger, 12v and 110v fuse panels, microwave, 3 way fridge, no AC (I think for now), no solar panels (I think for now maybe eventually?) gas heater and water heater, 17" laptop, water pump, fans, 12v lights here and there.I looked around this forum and the net also and decided that an AGM type of battery was what I needed since they will be underneath the bed and the enclosure will not be vented or sealed. I red about CAs CCAs and all that but since they're the camper's batteries I need the highest AH number right? I couldn't find the AH rating for this battery, on the W.M. page it only gives the Reserve Capacity at 120min (same as Optima yellow top 34/78) is that ok?Here's some other questions while I'm here :@-I will be adding another battery, is it ok to combine to different brands of batteries? with different specs (but same voltage)-How important is getting the manufacturing date of the battery?-If I test the battery with a multimeter, let's say the battery has a problem, if they charge it right before I get there can that fool me?At first I was looking at Optima yellow or blue top but the prices are so high here in Canada and with the very bad exchange rate CAN vs US money it's not a better deal to get one down south, that's why I'm looking to save money, next on my list is another battery, a 2.1kw generator, inverter, converter and all the other parts for the electrical system, wish me luck! and thanks for any replies!

one must ask the question..Is it too "good to be true" on such a LOW, LOW price?If it really IS worth $253, plus, plus then why is the seller trying to sell it for less than 1/3 of the "value"..Kinda sounds like a scammer or stolen battery?The second question is do you REALLY need the properties of AGM such as spill proof, high vibration resistance or high current charge/discharge rates?You do realize that AGMs come at a cost of LOWER CAPACITY in Ahr and or CCA?LOWER CCA might be of importance to you especially if you are trying to use it for STARTING in extreme cold temperatures..

While you're waiting for an answer, you may want to read The 12 Volt Side of Life.

I would compare to a couple Lifeline group 27. I think that battery will prove small in capacity. Then you need to match it with a second one... no thanks I pass.

That is a decent starting battery. Grp 78 are common in GM products.I would not use it for house battery.

How long has it sat with out being charged It could be very dead. It is NOT a true deep cycle battery and it will not function as such. Batteries need to match or they will fall to the weaker of the two.

Please help me decide if this battery is ok, I need help!

15 Replies

Almot
Explorer III
Feb 12, 2016
Forgot to mention - to dispel the fears of things going from worse to bad quickly, when something happens to charging system or battery. Yes, anything can happen. But...

The output of my charge controller is protected with DC breaker, and the ONLY Pos wire from the battery goes to all-trailer Pos bus via marine fuse mounted dcrectly on battery terminal. Trailer loads are wired to that Pos bus via their own DC breaker - consider this an "all-trailer Off switch". Anything happens to the charger - breaker will trip. Battery short (or any other short downstream) - fuse will blow.
Almot
Explorer III
Feb 12, 2016
evy wrote:

Lastly, you guys made me doubt my decision to install the batteries under the bed/bench, if I change my mind and find a place to put them outside the living area, they won't be heated and will be affected by the outside temperature (cold/heat), but if I do this, I could go with the "golf cart" setup but I need easy access to the batteries, to check the water levels weekly, If I install them outside I doubt I will have that...

You will find fewer people objecting to AGM inside (under bed etc), than those who install it there. They don't gas unless being severely overcharged.

In my trailer I have AGM inside, in storage space under bed. This space can be accessed from inside. It also "can" be accessed through the outside hatch but normally the hatch is closed unless I need something. This is a trailer, and the only charging is from solar on the roof - this practically eliminates the risk of overcharging. Solar controller won't let this happen - and of course it's not charging in the night when I'm in bed. This is something you might consider. With 200-300W solar, and with proper wiring from alternator, you will only need a generator to run a microwave. I've done my estimates, concluded that with 400W solar array and 300 AH battery I won't need a generator at all - and installed 490W :). So far, so good.

Since you're building your truck camper yourself, you can have batteries in a compartment accessible from outside and separated from the inside area - like in 5-ers and motorhomes. Make some vent, just in case. Golf Cart batteries will be the most value for your money, but it's usually easier to squeeze in more AH in a small space when using 12V AGM. You won't have to "access" AGM after you've put them in, until it's time to replace them. I would just put AGM where you planned initially - under bed. Having them in a small enclosure with outside hatch doesn't sound any better to me. A decent quality AGM starts from $US 230 per 100 AH.

If any generator charging is to be done, you will need a good 3-stage regulated charger.
MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Feb 12, 2016
34 and 78 are the same battery with different terminals. Take a scale and weigh the battery. How does it fare against a premium grade flooded battery? My tode has a 34 and it's too small for what I use the car for (over-nighting on the road). It would make a good generator starting battery but keep in mind "AGM" can mean a starting battery, a hybrid battery, or a cyclable battery. Some AGMs like the Delco have .040" plates, thinner than many cyclable car jar batteries and way thinner than a golf car battery. "AGM" is the new buzzword on the block.

But you do indeed need AGM if it's beneath your bed. A Lifeline 31 would be better. You can save money somewhere else in your lifestyle.
pianotuna
Nomad III
Feb 12, 2016
Hi,

If you have room look for a used telecom battery at the local interstate store. I got four for my rv last fall.
evy
Explorer
Feb 12, 2016
Gdetrailer wrote:
Artum Snowbird wrote:
Here is a website that says your Type 34 has 50 AH. That is not very much, but a lot depends on how you use it. If you have it, and keep it charged, you can get a day out of it with light usage if the fridge isn't running because it's cool outside and you keep the inside chilly too.

Batteries by type

I think Artum is close to the Ahr capacity..

Here is the shipping size and weight of the battery you are asking about.

Shipping Product Length
10.75 IN
Shipping Product Width
6.88 IN
Shipping Product Height
8.00 IN
Shipping Product Weight
43.00 LB

Weight and size DOES MATTER when it comes to AGM or FLA batteries..

I would think that 50 Ahr is being rather generous for this battery since it is not designed for YOUR intended use. It IS designed to be used as a STARTING BATTERY. A starting battery is designed for very short bursts of power and extremely low or shallow discharge.

As such this type of battery is not rated for SLOW AND LOW Ahr draw..

My guess is it would be equivalent to a UPS battery of 40 Ahr size.

I doubt you would get more than one night of capacity..

Contrast that to a RV/Marine group 24 FLA battery which has about 80 Ahr of capacity, weighs about 65 lbs and costs a whopping $70.

If you really want that battery buy it to use as a STARTING BATTERY.

Personally I am not real fond of putting large rechargeable batteries under my bed of any kind.. When something goes wrong with the charging system or even the battery things CAN go from bad to worse in a hurry..

Look around UNDER your van, I would bet that there ARE lots of places there that you could find a decent place to tuck a good size battery box.. Typically a lot of open sheet metal from the frame to the van skin available.. Doing it that way will allow you to maximize your inside space..

Ok so I will pass on this deal, thanks for your quick input guys, wrong battery for the job, I thought it was a deep cycle battery but in fact it's a starting battery. Also the AH rating seem to be low, I was hoping to get two over 100AH each at least.

Lastly, you guys made me doubt my decision to install the batteries under the bed/bench, if I change my mind and find a place to put them outside the living area, they won't be heated and will be affected by the outside temperature (cold/heat), but if I do this, I could go with the "golf cart" setup but I need easy access to the batteries, to check the water levels weekly, If I install them outside I doubt I will have that...

Take a look at my plan, it's not up to date but the batteries position is good, so I thought so...

Anyways, thanks again you guys! I'm new to all this and I don't have any friends to guide me in any way, except you guys! I really appreciate all the help I have received.
Gdetrailer
Explorer III
Feb 12, 2016
evy writes "The asking price was 200$ and she accepted 100$, her story is that she bought it for her old car and she wrecked it just before putting it in..."

Sounds to me like the TYPICAL "hard luck story" given by less than trust worthy folks looking for quick CASH..

When I put something up for sale I will typically price it a bit high for the value I feel it has.. Then I will consider any offer for no less than 3/4 of what I priced it..

Scammers and less than trust worthy folks UNDER PRICE IT and will OFTEN accept even less for it..

Why you ask? Simple, if it was STOLEN, they have NOTHING INVESTED IN IT and they can easily accept pennies of the actual value.

Scammers will ask for a money order or wire transfer and give you some hard luck story and the item will have to be shipped from one place to another and so on..

And by the way, often times STOLEN items now days are done via STOLEN CREDIT CARDS and often is done via Internet..

A couple of months ago, one of my Credit card companies contacted me about possible fraudulent charges on the card..

Someone had charged $1,900 from Home Depot WEBSITE and then proceeded to charge for airline tickets OVERSEAS..

Nearly $5,000 in fraudulent charges..

I would bet that the items from Home Depot were peddled on Craigslist AND Ebay as new or some hard luck story..

Your money, your time, do with it as you will..
Gdetrailer
Explorer III
Feb 12, 2016
Artum Snowbird wrote:
Here is a website that says your Type 34 has 50 AH. That is not very much, but a lot depends on how you use it. If you have it, and keep it charged, you can get a day out of it with light usage if the fridge isn't running because it's cool outside and you keep the inside chilly too.

Batteries by type

I think Artum is close to the Ahr capacity..

Here is the shipping size and weight of the battery you are asking about.

Shipping Product Length
10.75 IN
Shipping Product Width
6.88 IN
Shipping Product Height
8.00 IN
Shipping Product Weight
43.00 LB

Weight and size DOES MATTER when it comes to AGM or FLA batteries..

I would think that 50 Ahr is being rather generous for this battery since it is not designed for YOUR intended use. It IS designed to be used as a STARTING BATTERY. A starting battery is designed for very short bursts of power and extremely low or shallow discharge.

As such this type of battery is not rated for SLOW AND LOW Ahr draw..

My guess is it would be equivalent to a UPS battery of 40 Ahr size.

I doubt you would get more than one night of capacity..

Contrast that to a RV/Marine group 24 FLA battery which has about 80 Ahr of capacity, weighs about 65 lbs and costs a whopping $70.

If you really want that battery buy it to use as a STARTING BATTERY.

Personally I am not real fond of putting large rechargeable batteries under my bed of any kind.. When something goes wrong with the charging system or even the battery things CAN go from bad to worse in a hurry..

Look around UNDER your van, I would bet that there ARE lots of places there that you could find a decent place to tuck a good size battery box.. Typically a lot of open sheet metal from the frame to the van skin available.. Doing it that way will allow you to maximize your inside space..
evy
Explorer
Feb 12, 2016
Shadow Catcher wrote:
How long has it sat with out being charged It could be very dead. It is NOT a true deep cycle battery and it will not function as such. Batteries need to match or they will fall to the weaker of the two.

I just got a picture of the top of the battery, there's a H5 sticker so august 2015, so around 5 months on the shelf at walmart before she picked it up a month ago in January = 6 months unused uncharged, what will my voltmeter read?
evy
Explorer
Feb 12, 2016
Gdetrailer wrote:
one must ask the question..

Is it too "good to be true" on such a LOW, LOW price?

If it really IS worth $253, plus, plus then why is the seller trying to sell it for less than 1/3 of the "value"..

Kinda sounds like a scammer or stolen battery?

The second question is do you REALLY need the properties of AGM such as spill proof, high vibration resistance or high current charge/discharge rates?

You do realize that AGMs come at a cost of LOWER CAPACITY in Ahr and or CCA?

LOWER CCA might be of importance to you especially if you are trying to use it for STARTING in extreme cold temperatures..

The asking price was 200$ and she accepted 100$, her story is that she bought it for her old car and she wrecked it just before putting it in...

like I said I need AGM because the battery is under the bed with all the other electrical accessories, inverter, converter, charger, fuse boxes etc... and it's not a sealed nor vented area so I can't use regular acid batteries.

It will not be used for starting the vehicle.
Artum_Snowbird
Explorer
Feb 12, 2016
Here is a website that says your Type 34 has 50 AH. That is not very much, but a lot depends on how you use it. If you have it, and keep it charged, you can get a day out of it with light usage if the fridge isn't running because it's cool outside and you keep the inside chilly too.

Batteries by type