Time for new batteries for my AF811

bka0721 wrote:
So my question to you, are you guaranteeing that your days of lack of monitoring and maintenance are behind you? Are you going to have the batteries plugged into a trickle charger and for FWC batteries check the fluid every month, during periods that your camper is not being used? If so, go spend $400+ a battery, for the Lifeline/Deka. If not, just purchase the largest Group Battery that will fit in the area where your battery fits, at your nearest battery seller for lower cost.

Monitoring is good - I watch them closer than probably any truck camper owner, except you. :-)

I have Link 10.



Maintenance is the problem, due to the difficulty in doing it.

After reading your post yesterday, I've done a lot of thinking about cost / vs maintenace between wet cell and AGM. I'm still on the fence at this point because I keep thinking how hard it is to pull the batteries during camping season to check the water. The slide out tray doesn't have the ability to slide all the way out to expose the back battery without complete falling out of the batter compartment - so this necessitates the disconnection and removal of the batteries to check their water level.

I keep the camper plugged in all the time at home, except right now, because there's no need to since the batteries are toast. Otherwise, whether in storage or in use, batteries are kept at a decent state of charge unless it's dark out (no sun) and I'm alseep (no generator).

I've got solar, and when dry camping in the shade, I use a Honda EU2000i to keep the batteries up.

My knowledge of batteries, monitoring, charging, etc goes back to my younger years when I spent 8 years work at Heart Interface (inverter company) which is now known as Xantrex.

sidebar: I am completely lost with what the acronym FWC means in regards to batteries.