12v house battery replacement

[Bigcheezuz]

I haven't seen this asked anywhere.


So I am looking to replace my house batteries and wanted to know what would be the best replacement for full time living. I've seen that they range from $350ish-$4000 I don't really want to sell a kidney but if it's for the best then so be it
Any suggestions and or opinions are greatly appreciated


Edit: I'm new to forums and also full time rving
Edit 2: I have a thor chataeu 24fs with an extra auxiliary battery and I'm not sure what the stock batteries brand is

[bobndot]

FYI....for those considering T-105's .

bulk charge rate is 14.82 when at paired 12v's , I assume the proper converter would be needed to achieve that. I have a PD-4000 and not sure.

this was copied from the T-105 pdf

CHARGING INSTRUCTIONS
CHARGER VOLTAGE SETTINGS (AT 77°F/25°C)
SYSTEM VOLTAGE 6V 12V 24V 36V 48V
Bulk Charge 7.41 14.82 29.64 44.46 59.28
Float Charge 6.75 13.50 27.00 40.50 54.00
Equalize Charge 8.10 16.20 32.40 48.60 64.80

[bobndot]

ron.dittmer wrote:

theoldwizard1 wrote:
Sam's Club has a Group 31 AGM Marine/RV battery on right now for $160 !

That is a very interesting consideration. I wonder what it's physical dimensions are.

A quick search, I found this.......Group 31 batteries are approximately 13" x 6-13/16" x 9-7/16"

That's a good battery, its actually made by DEKA. They are really hybrid batteries not true deep cycles and that's fine for most people. You might only be able to fit one under a class c step due to the width, that was the case with mine, which forced me to go with a pair grp 27's for more amps. I also lack the height for GC-2's.


FYI....I guess im a little behind the times regarding Trojan , I only found out that Trojan is no longer made by a private company , its been taken over by C&D Technologies.

"Nov 6, 2018 - C&D Technologies to acquire Trojan Battery Company. Trojan Battery Company's current majority owner, an affiliate of Charlesbank Capital Partners, has reached an agreement with C&D Technologies, a portfolio company of KPS Capital Partners, for C&D Technologies to acquire Trojan".

[bobndot]

6 mos ago I bought two grp 27's because that's what would fit under my step.
So far I'm very happy with them. Power wise, they seem to perform as well as my previous pair of DEKA 8A31DTM AGM Battery in grp 31.
I'm a light power user and get by charging using 100w of solar and my genny as a supplement. They power me all night during 25F temps running the furnace all night plus lights, water pump, detectors and fridge on gas. I also run a 15" DVD player For 2-4 hrs or so each night watching movies off those batts. My morning voltage is usually around 12v to 12.1v when I kick on the genny .

Amazon has the Universal grp 27 AGM for 179.00
Universal Power Group 12V 100Ah Solar Wind AGM SLA DEEP Cycle VRLA Battery 12V

Dimensions: 12.17 inches x 6.61 inches x 9.16 inches. Weight: 63.93 Lbs

[ron_dittmer]

theoldwizard1 wrote:
Sam's Club has a Group 31 AGM Marine/RV battery on right now for $160 !

That is a very interesting consideration. I wonder what it's physical dimensions are.

A quick search, I found this.......Group 31 batteries are approximately 13" x 6-13/16" x 9-7/16"

[ndrorder]

If full timing connected to electric, go with an affordable sealed 12 V marine/rv battery.

If not connected and there is room, go with 2 ea. 6V Gc2 batteries in series as long as they'll fit. Maintenance free (agm) are about $300 per battery. If OK adding distilled water once a month, floaded cell 6v batteries are about $100 each. If there isn't room, go with the biggest and baddest 12 v rv/marine that can be afforded.

If there is a kidney distributer near by, lithiums are Cadillac but have limiting environmental conditions. That is as long as you still have a spare kidney.

[Grit_dog]

^ What he said.

[theoldwizard1]

The absolute best batteries are lithium, but they are not worth the cost if you are connected to shore power most of the time.

At the other end of the spectrum, the best "bang for the buck", especially if you boondock are a pair of 6V golf cart batteries.

In between, for occasional boondocking and the least amount of fuss, is the largest 12V AGM that will fit in your "hole". Don't waste your money on "marine/RV" batteries. They really are not worth the extra cost.

EDIT : I have to "eat my words". Sam's Club has a Group 31 AGM Marine/RV battery on right now for $160 !

[naturist]

There are a lot of variables in the decision of which batteries to buy, so a recommendation based on no criteria is futile.

[ron_dittmer]

Hi Bigcheezuz,

I agree with Desert Captain getting a pair of 6V-AGM batteries as long as your battery compartment can handle their taller height.

We went through two pairs of 12V wet acid batteries over the years with our Phoenix Cruiser. Each pair lasted only 3 years and their performance decreased significant with each year. I decided to replace the second tired set with a pair of 6V-AGM batteries. That was in the spring of 2015. Five years so far and their performance continues to be excellent.

I bought the 6V-AGM Duracell-brand batteries from Sams Club for $180 each, but I wonder if they discontinued that battery because I can't find them any longer on Sams Club's website.

Doing a quick search, I found Batteries Plus selling the Magna Power 6V-AGM for $275 which is a lot more than Sams Club. CLICK HERE to see the battery on their website. Order on-line and pick-up at your local store for a 10% discount.

I would consider one 12V or two 6V lithium batteries, but our on-board Tripp-Lite charger/converter/inverter does not handle lithium technology.....and I really like our Tripp-Lite.

[VA-Apraisr]

When my AGM's finally give out, I'm going with one Lithium battery. Read some great information on Battle Born lithium website. Only weighs about 30lbs and can be discharged down to 0% without hurting the unit. Just plain tired of watching the voltage meter on the wall and when it gets close to 11 volts, having to start the generator or engine. I dry camp most of the time and although this one battery costs about $1,000, seems like the life span is way more than what I've seen out of my AGM units. Can drain to nothing at least 3000 times and still the battery will perform at 80% after that. It's worth looking into before putting out $450 for 2 heavy AGM's that weight about 80lbs each.

[Lwiddis]

For fulltime use when you are almost always in a campground with electric service?

For fulltime use when you mostly boondock/dry camp? If this is the box you check, have you completed an energy survey to determine your battery size (amp hour) need?

[Desert_Captain]

If you can swing the initial higher price AGM's will give the best performance/bang for the buck. Whether or not you choose to go 12 volt or 6 volt golf carts will probably be determined by how much room your existing battery bay has as GC's are taller.

There is no such thing as a maintenance free battery but the routine servicing of AGM's is a lot easier, less to do. I got two pure deep cycle Group 27 AGM's at Batteries Plus for a little under $400 a year or so ago and that was the best deal I could find on line or over the counter.

Good luck.

:C