Choosing a new house battery

[joelc]

I am confused. I have a 2012 Carriage Cameo with a battery box that measures 25Lx13HX8 5/8 deep and can not be enlarged. We recently had to purchase a 12V fridge, so now my demand for 12V is very high. My problem is what kind of battery and BRAND to get. I will probably need at least 200ah, Deep cycle. Don't know whether to get AGM or LI. If I get a LI then I will also have to change my on board converter/charger. I want to know the type of battery experience you have (Brand and type and size) and if you recommend it. When I go on the internet I find good reviews about "brand X", then find out that another site says the battery is junk. So what do you say? Remember, this is NOT for starting. Just a reliable HOUSE battery. By the way...mid price. Can't afford a $1000 battery. Also, I live full time, and am hooked up to shore power.

[fj12ryder]

You're probably right, I just figured a battery labeled deep cycle is probably better than one that was labeled combination battery. It's all in the marketing.

[valhalla360]

fj12ryder wrote:
If you're hooked up to shore power all the time, go to Wally World with the measurements of your battery box and buy a deep cycle battery that will fit. Not a starter/deep cycle battery. A deep cycle marine battery will work fine, and probably run you under $100. If that battery you have is the original, I think you got all the good out of it. 🙂

Not to confuse the OP but true 12v deep cycle lead-acid batteries are almost unheard of. There are a few ultra expensive ones but nothing the OP would find or should consider.

The combo-marine batteries mostly provide the convienence of a wingnut connection to make it easy to attach cables but the internals are no different from starting batteries.

If you want true deep cycle lead-acid, you are looking at 6v golf cart batteries wired together to produce 12v.

But as has been said a few times, if the OP is on shore power any basic 12v battery will be fine. He just needs enough power to operate the jack while hooking and unhooking before getting plugged into the truck and then the truck will take over providing for the trailer 12v needs.

[fj12ryder]

If you're hooked up to shore power all the time, go to Wally World with the measurements of your battery box and buy a deep cycle battery that will fit. Not a starter/deep cycle battery. A deep cycle marine battery will work fine, and probably run you under $100. If that battery you have is the original, I think you got all the good out of it. 🙂

[opnspaces]

I would say you need any cheap 12v battery. I would suggest Costco. I have Costco batteries in my trailer.

[time2roll]

joelc wrote:
Also, I live full time, and am hooked up to shore power.

Any battery is fine if connected to utility power. The PD converter will never let it get low on voltage. Actually a battery is not even needed unless the RV moves. AGM is fine for reduced maintenance. Don't need high capacity unless unplugged overnight.

[laknox]

Personally, I go to Sam's Club and buy two of their 6-volt golf cart batteries. I believe they are Interstate. You could go to Costco and do the same thing. They use Duracell but their customer ratings are not as high as the interstates at Sam's club. I've been doing this for the past 10 to 12 years.

Lyle

[joelc]

time2roll:
I cut the 12V shut off switch and the V coming from the PD is 14.4V. I am not going to disconnect wires to check other voltages. As mentioned I had checked the Progressive unit per there converter guidelines and called Progressive and it checked out as working........It would be nice is someone just answers my question about the batteries in their towable rigs instead of trying to troubleshoot.
Thanks

[pianotuna]

Hi,

For full time shore power think of the battery as a capacitor.

Any 12 volt battery will do the job.

Maintenance free would be nice.

Look at an Interstate battery store for reconditioned cell tower batteries. Cost is about $1 per amp-hour.

[time2roll]

joelc wrote:
Checked the Charger/Converter per Progressive Dynamics directions, and it is fine.

OK if the PD is producing 13.2 to 14.4 volts there should be same voltage at the stack of 12v fuses in the panel.

Otherwise there is a connection issue allowing the lights to go dim and the battery to go low.

Please post the voltage coming off the fuses and the voltage coming out of the PD converter.

The 12 Volt Side of Life

[ArialSummer]

LiFePO4 batteries from brands like Battle Born or Relion offer longer lifespan and more usable capacity

[agwill]

Back again. You need a new converter! Not a new battery. Compressor fridge does not run all the time. Max draw is 15amps. Your converter should put out 50-60 amps as needed.

[joelc]

Checked the Charger/Converter per Progressive Dynamics directions, and it is fine.

[CA_Traveler]

X2 on your charger and/or wiring, fix it. You can install 2x GC2s or any other flooded battery in enclosed boxes that are vented to the outside. My son and I did just that with the batteries in the front 5er storage area.

But first fix the charging issue.

[opnspaces]

joelc wrote:
Agwill The fridge is a 12 Volt only. Dometic DMC 4101
To enlarge on my question with some more information. I currently have a Gel battery and according to the battery condition light in my RV it is in the RED zone. I can't run the fridge and lights without the lights dimming. So, the battery being less than 1 yr. old is not holding voltage.

You don't have a battery problem you have a charger problem. If as you say you are always on shore power you don't even need a battery. Just go to bestconverter.com and buy a new 3 or 4 stage charger for about $250 and be done with it. In your situation the battery is only there for backup in case the shore power goes out. If you feel you need to replace the battery then pretty much any cheap 12v battery will do.

[valhalla360]

If you are on shorepower, no need to upgrade the batteries at all.

A 12v compressor fridge will actually use less electricity than the old style absorption fridges and your battery charger should easily be able to handle it.

If you are going to be boondocking a bit, even then you don't need a huge battery bank. We have 2 stock 12v lead-acid batteries. Wok up this morning and still sitting at 12.6V.

What are the specs on your new fridge? Ours draws around 50watts when running but since it only runs part of the time, it really doesn't draw that much. Of course, some of this will vary depending on the temps...currently cool evenings so not a lot of fridge draw but balances with some furnace run time which wouldn't happen in warmer weather.