Speaking of batteries...

Check the level after charging and sitting for your 8 year old batteries. Likely they are doing just fine, but compare them to new voltage batteries.

Batteries age, just like people do. After a while, they don't last as long. But if they still take a charge, and give it back, it's worth keeping them for even longer. You have a generator and about two hours a day while boondocking will usually recharge most batteries to a good level for the next day. I would just keep on going.. I watch my battery voltage with a cheap meter, and I can tell when the batteries don't get up as high as I would like them, and I can plot their decline while I camp. Knowing that, I make a decision to keep or replace, but never go the cheap way along the way.

Same camper, but with new batteries!
Batteries seemed fine when we headed out to Alaska at the end of May. Worked fine until mid July when they just up and wouldn't hold a charge.
I think they didn't like powering the inverter the 2 or 3 times we used it.
Replaced with a pair of Group 27 from Auto Zone in Fairbanks.
Had no concerns after that about having enough power. We were driving most days so batteries were charged back up, and also got charged by campsite power when we had it.
Auto zone has a tester that will tell how they are holding charge, both mine were not doing well. Charge up the batteries and take them in for testing. Only problem is you need to take them into the store. No fun wrestling those weights out and back in.
Brian

I have two deep cycle Exides that are almost 7 yrs old. They are holding fine. I run furnace all night and have all incandescent bulbs inside the camper.

I go the least expensive deep cycle batteries with the best non prorated warrantee.

My last batteries were from NAPA because they were close and I was barely making through the night on a full charge. The new batteries seem even better than the others were new. I try to buy ones that will cover a warranty where I travel.

IMHO, AGM batteries are not worth the additional cost EXCEPT

• You have an application where the battery may sometime be on a severe angle
• location of the battery is such that regular maintenance can NOT be performed

Since Trojan moved smelting operations to Mexico I have been buying all East Penn batteries from Batteries Plus Bulbs. We monitor each cell's specific gravity with an optical specific gravity refractometer at our off grid cabin. Those measurements are documented and monitored for loss of capacity. I certainly like the ability to measure each cell voltage and specific gravity. The ability to add water or replace water that has evaporated is nice. Personally having twice the battery bank or solar is more important to me than mounting my batteries upside down.

I equipped my 2008 OFF-ROAD Camper with four each 12VDC GP24 85AH Interstates. I lost one right away due to over charging with the oem single mode ELIXIR 30A Converter. Changed that out for a PD-9260C 60A SMART MODE Converter and the remaining three GP24 Interstates are still working. They are however slow now recovering from a 50% discharge state. Not bad for the 7-8 years of use.


Did many daily 50%-90% two week camping trips over the years...

I am just now working on a new battery box and want to go with with two groups of Trojan T105's 6vDC batteries in series... Would really love to replace them with the Trojan 12VDC T1275 150AH batteries but can't afford the expense haha...

My new battery box is retrofitting the batteries and dual group switch gear and monitors in a Torklift A-7710RS Metal box... Work in progress

Roy Ken

Yeti plus wrote:
Same camper, but with new batteries!
Batteries seemed fine when we headed out to Alaska at the end of May. Worked fine until mid July when they just up and wouldn't hold a charge.
I think they didn't like powering the inverter the 2 or 3 times we used it.
Replaced with a pair of Group 27 from Auto Zone in Fairbanks.
Had no concerns after that about having enough power. We were driving most days so batteries were charged back up, and also got charged by campsite power when we had it.
Auto zone has a tester that will tell how they are holding charge, both mine were not doing well. Charge up the batteries and take them in for testing. Only problem is you need to take them into the store. No fun wrestling those weights out and back in.
Brian

Do you have the OEM tray in your battery compartment? I need to do some fine measuring to see if the 27's will fit mine. I'm wanting to get ahead of the battery issue so I don't have to deal with this on the road. I've got Auto Zone and O'Reilly next door to each other here in my small town outside Houston. My first thought was WalMart just for the convenience of nationwide replacement. But they don't seem to want to sell batteries. They were out of lawn mower batteries for months, now no deep cycle 24 in the store or online.
Right now I'm not looking for a project. I've got my hands full keeping 2 RV's and 2 boats "ship shape". I may address solar sometime.
Hey Lance...did you get the East Penn batteries in store? I don't see them on line at Batteries Plus. I may call them later. Our 5th wheel has 2 Duracell group 24 from Batteries Plus. Seem as good as any.

Yes the battery tray is OEM. The only difference I found is the 27's are a little wider and taller, but they fit just fine.
I had Grp 24's in originally.
Brian

Thanks for all the info.
I checked the Ram 7 pin plug and yes it's hot all the time. Since I was messing with this issue anyway, I went out to the camper and checked the voltage---10.8 volts. Since I had the camper hooked up to 110 volts for 24 hours just a few days ago I guess they're goners.
I'll go see if O'Reilly or Autozone has 2 group 27's on the shelf.