Battery

Rolls and Trojan are the Cadillac and Lincoln of deep discharge batteries. Excellent quality and durability but they are expensive and difficult to locate.

A pair of "name brand" GC2 golf cart batteries are a good alternative at much lower cost and can be located at most "club" stores.

I have four 6V batteries in my 5th wheel for now. I just changed them all out last spring and went with polar batteries not sure who makes them but I get a discount because of where I work and I have been impressed with the car batteries I have been purchased from them. My main concern was price this time around and at least being a deicent quality. my last batteries lasted me 14 years but I am planing to sqitch over to LiFePO4 in the next couple years on the 5th as it is working real nice for the camper.

Thanks for all you assistance.

joelc wrote:
Currently I have 1 12V unit and can not fit another. It is a Super Start SSB 31DCM. I power a 12V compressor type fridge and all other 12V RV lights, etc. So I need 1 reliable 12V battery. 2 large wont fit. I am looking for something under $200.00. Brand and Model please as there are different models of specific brands of 12V Deep Cycle. I dont think 2 6V will fit.

I honestly do no think you can get to where you want with one battery. Can you add lithium batteries under a bunk or an interior cabinet? Do not place wet cell batteries in the interior. They will off gas hydrogen which is highly explosive.

Of course, lithium batteries are high dollar.

Ken

ronharmless wrote:
“I will be be relying on it heavily for use” - “I am usually connected to shore power“
To me, those two statements are contrary to each other, it should be one or the other.

After reading the OP's post - I was wondering the same. (???)

Maybe he left out *not* connected to shore power.:h

.

First of all, when on shore power it really matters little what type or capacity battery bank that you have. The battery is there for things 12V & the converter/charger will keep the battery topped up.

If you are one of those who only uses shore power you might as well buy the cheapest, smallest capacity battery that you can find. It is only when you get into the dry camping world when you need to think about battery bank capacity & type of battery. It can be the cheap wet cell, common starting type or deep cycle or graduate up the line, & expense, to AGMs, gel cells or Lithium.

A fridge on shore power does not care what type of battery is installed.

MFL wrote:
If you are looking for a single marine/rv type 12v, I'd suggest a group 27, or 31, if it fits. My dealer recommends the interstate brand, and mine is still in use, since Aug 2012.

IMO, the secret to longevity is to not discharge these battery types to near 50% often. Mine is connected to shore power, or gen, most times, other than when towing.

Jerry

I had two Kirkland size 27's in my previous fifth wheel that were over 10 years old when I sold that fifth wheel . I agree, mine were never allowed to be very discharged ,they ran whatever including the furnace many nights without shore power , but were charged right back up every morning by a generator .

The fifth wheel when not being used or towed was plugged in 24/7, water level check frequently . IMO any quality 27 or 31 will work, Interstate is probably as good as any , I believe Costco sells the Interstate .

On a further note ,I have to Everstarts from Walmart in my 2014 Ram 3500 that replaced the OE's that have performed well. If I was in the market for just one RV battery I wouldn't hesitated to try one of the Everstart Deep cycle or AGM for my fifth wheel. My present fifth wheel I run two quality 6 volt , which IMO is the way to go ,but apparently the OP does not have room for two batteries .

Compare sizes, many 6 Volt Golf Cart Batteries have a smaller foot print than 12 V batteries, but are taller, but might allow you to put in two 6 Volt with increased amperage.

joelc wrote:
Currently I have 1 12V unit and can not fit another. It is a Super Start SSB 31DCM. I power a 12V compressor type fridge and all other 12V RV lights, etc. So I need 1 reliable 12V battery. 2 large wont fit. I am looking for something under $200.00. Brand and Model please as there are different models of specific brands of 12V Deep Cycle. I dont think 2 6V will fit.

If you are on shore power, any cheap 12v battery will work fine and hold up for several years.

If you are operating off shore power any single battery (at least a lead-acid battery that fits in the same space) is going to be too little.

Now to some details:
- If you are on shore power, your 12v needs are provided primarily via the battery charger (aka: converter). The only thing the battery does is smooth out the voltage as a pass thru...some chargers don't even need a battery in the mix. On shore power a tiny riding lawnmower battery would be plenty.
- Assuming we stick to lead-acid batteries (lithium is a whole separate topic), most single 12v batteries are going to going to max out somewhere around 100-120amp-hr. You can really only use about 50% without damaging the battery, so around 600 watt-hours is available. We have a 12v fridge and it draws around 50w when running, so if you have no other 12v draws, it's good for about 12hr of run time (600w-hr/50w = 12hr). In reality, you have other 12v draws, so if you are boondocking occasionally away from shore power, you are probably dragging the battery way too low and resulting in a short lifespan. You either need to run a generator or add more batteries. If you add more batteries, you need a way to recharge them (see the comment above about doing an energy audit).

If you are looking for a single marine/rv type 12v, I'd suggest a group 27, or 31, if it fits. My dealer recommends the interstate brand, and mine is still in use, since Aug 2012.

IMO, the secret to longevity is to not discharge these battery types to near 50% often. Mine is connected to shore power, or gen, most times, other than when towing.

Jerry