AGM battery

JKJavelin wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:
The real question is why bother for a starting battery.

The main advantage of AMG is they don't spill if you roll them over. Great on a boat or a stunt plane...not so much for a starting battery.

I would say the biggest reason is that they are maintenance free. A lot of people these days don't even know how to open the hood.
JK

I haven't seen a car/truck with a starting battery that requires adding water in decades.

Your average traditional lead-acid starting battery is already maintenance free and it's common to get 5-10yrs out of a starting battery.

So what exactly other than a significantly higher purchase price are you getting with an AGM?

PS: Deep cycle house batteries often do require topping up the water.

time2roll wrote:
For superior cranking amps and slight advantage on voltage, additional freeze resistance, faster charging, zero maintenance AGM is a great choice at a premium price.

That premium price isn’t as bad as it used to be either. I bought an AGM at Sams Club a year ago and it was only $60-70 more than the lead acid battery for our Suburban. Seems to perform as good as the Óptimas I used to buy.

dodge guy wrote:
FLA batteries are the dinosaurs of the battery world! AGM and Gel batteries are the new and better batteries. No doubt LiFPo batteries are now the new way to go, but these for sure need the proper charging voltage, which is why you need a DC to DC converter to use them in the RV world so you don’t destroy them. I’m just starting to learn about them. But at $800-$900 each it will be along time before I consider one for my type of use.

When the MH house batteries are due I’ll be going with AGMs.

I switched my 5er to group 31 AGMs when it was really new. I have 4 years of use on them and I look at them a couple times a year to make sure they are still there. ;)

FLA batteries are the dinosaurs of the battery world! AGM and Gel batteries are the new and better batteries. No doubt LiFPo batteries are now the new way to go, but these for sure need the proper charging voltage, which is why you need a DC to DC converter to use them in the RV world so you don’t destroy them. I’m just starting to learn about them. But at $800-$900 each it will be along time before I consider one for my type of use.

When the MH house batteries are due I’ll be going with AGMs.

Usually you don't want to exceed 14.7V with AGM, as it may increase pressure beyond value safety settings, and outgas. That's a permanent loss of electrolyte.

Other than that, there's no reason why AGM can't be used in a specific vehicle. They're better than flooded in every way except cost.

ScottG wrote:
Vehicles that come from the factory with AGM's have a slightly lower system voltage. That is the reason they are not a good retro-fit for normal systems. The higher voltage seems to shorten their lives.

I can't refute whether AGM equipped vehicles charge at lower voltage, but my small sample size of AGMs in vehicles that did not come with AGMs does not support shorter battery life.
Best example is a set of Odyssey AGMs that started life in our boat(s) in 2009 and 2011 respectively.
In 2013 I put them in our 07 Dodge diesel. They lasted until the spring of 2020. So 9 and 11 years old. Dunno which was which, whether it was the newer one or older one that gave out, but I was pleased with the life of the batteries.

Vehicles that come from the factory with AGM's have a slightly lower system voltage. That is the reason they are not a good retro-fit for normal systems. The higher voltage seems to shorten their lives.

buc1980 wrote:
I heard that a AGM battery is not recommend for 2017 Ford F350 because the alternator will charge them wrong and it short the life of the battery.Anybody know that?

NO. I don't buy that.

For superior cranking amps and slight advantage on voltage, additional freeze resistance, faster charging, zero maintenance AGM is a great choice at a premium price.

https://www.odysseybattery.com/products/odx-agm65-battery-65-pc1750t/

dodge guy wrote:
An AGM is a much more stable battery, can be ran down a bit farther than FLA batteries. For these 2 reasons they are a better choice!

No no nooo! You got it all wrong, lol.
The old farts above (some of which are our resident camper battery geeks) say it’s a bad idea , not necessary, foolish etc.
Oh wait, they’ll say the opposite to basically anything….

An AGM is a much more stable battery, can be ran down a bit farther than FLA batteries. For these 2 reasons they are a better choice!