Dead...

[ocexpress]

On our last trip we discovered the house batteries had gone dry during storage. They were on charge (coach plugged in)
After we filled the batteries with fluid they still did not allow us to go to battery at all. We were successful in limping it home by running the generator for refrigerator etc.
These batteries are located under the step and are interstate deep cell gc2-ecl-uti 6v.

What do you recommend for replacements? Hate trying to fill these things up under the steps (real PITA) lol

Is there a good alternative to the flooded cells?

Hope the inverter isnt damaged or anything...shoot!

2014 Itasca Sunstar 35

[Veebyes]

pianotuna wrote:
My goals have changed. My first rv was a used class c (circa 1987) in 2000 and I was 52. It came with 60 watts of solar that cost $1700.00. I used it for 9 years and drove it 140,000 miles.

In 2009 I moved to a newer (2005) class C and spent 1700 on 256 watts of solar. I've done many upgrades. I've driven it 160,000 miles

Now I'm 75. What made sense at 52 doesn't at 75. There won't be upgrades unless something fails.

Exactly. So many variables. Everyone thinks that whatever they have is the cat's meow. It is not. It is what they have and hopefully it is what suits them best & not simply following the crowd.

Hopefully, I have at least four years left in my AGM. I have had a good run with my Alpenlite since 2007. Well over 2500 nights on the road, 5 trips to Alaska, 2 to Newfoundland, 260,000 miles on the truck. Likewise at my age I can't see going too many more years. The body complains now after crawling around underneath the trailer for some reason or another. I am not a credit card camper.

Someone will get a nice 5er with life in it cheap, though it will probably need a new battery. They can decide what route that they go to suit them best.

[Grit_dog]

@stircrazy, don’t worry, you make perfect sense….others not so much.
Like I said above, the concept of cost benefit ratio is lost on so many. Not to say LFP is everyone’s answer nor is it THE answer for every situation, but those who fail to recognize when something is a value usually end up getting less for more in the end.

[pianotuna]

My goals have changed. My first rv was a used class c (circa 1987) in 2000 and I was 52. It came with 60 watts of solar that cost $1700.00. I used it for 9 years and drove it 140,000 miles.

In 2009 I moved to a newer (2005) class C and spent 1700 on 256 watts of solar. I've done many upgrades. I've driven it 160,000 miles

Now I'm 75. What made sense at 52 doesn't at 75. There won't be upgrades unless something fails.

[StirCrazy]

Veebyes wrote:

StirCrazy wrote:

Veebyes wrote:


Cost much more than wet cells but much less than lithium.

This isn't true anymore and hasn't been for a long time. sure there are some outliers like battle born and such that are way over priced still, but if you look at your battery for example it's what 215AH, so that is about 110AH usable for the longest life. a single 300.00US LFP will replace that and do the same job for 20 years. when you work out the usable capacity over the life span LFP are actually very cheep.

my 5th wheel has four 6v batteries which cost 1200 bucks (cdn) for me to do a couple years ago. This gives me 460AH total but 230 Usable, for the same price I could have three of those batteries (Canadian price is around 400) and have more usable power that would probably outlast three sets of GC2's easily. instead I am building three of my own that will cost me about 2000.00 cdn , but give me 840 usable AH.

Steve

There are loads of variables to consider when choosing a battery bank.

If you are a weekend warrior, always using a FHU site, it makes little sense to spend the money on a battery bank system best suited for dry camping.

If you have an old rig, mine was built 2007 and has had more than 2500 nights on the road, it makes little sense to spend the money on a battery bank that will last 20 years. The trailer will be gone long before that, unless it goes to a seasonal CG for it's retirement years, in which case it won't need lithium batteries.

If my rig was ten years younger and my plans were to keep it at least another ten years doing my current travel habits, which include a fair amount of dry camping, I'd be giving lithiums a serious consideration.

I don't question that lithiums are the best right now. But best for who and in what application?

Hmm my rig that is on LFP right now is 32 years old, I fail to see how the age of the rv fits into this scenario. in fact, the older rigs are the ones you will get the most benefit from as it is a huge space and weight savings as well. Take mine for example, they had a battery door on the outside of the camper that was made for 1 12v battery. I took up a storage space on the outside to fit two 6V batteries and when I went to LFP I made a false bottom in the hall closet (right beside the power center and furnace) and put the LFP battery in there. It was a bit of wasted of space to begin with, only reduced the height of my closet by 8" so it still functioned well, and those two outside spaces are for storage now. The other benefit is I reduced the overall weight of my camper by 120lbs and went from 105 usable AH to 280 usable.

the only time age would come into the equation would be your age not the units. me, Im 56, so I probably have about 30 years of camping left. and treaded right my battery might last that long. so, what do I do if I buy a newer camper, I keep the battery that's in my old one and put it in the newer one. a LFP battery could go through 3 units or even 10, the way some people buy new units every few year.. every time you get a new RV you spend money on new batteries, now I can tell the dealer to keep that crappy 80ah battery they are overcharging me for and I'll bring my own.

as for not needing a battery if you're in a park. That's a load of bunk, you still need batteries and that's all LFP is, a battery. There is a reason why most solar battery banks are moving to LFP now. how long they last is one, and size constraints is another. You still get power outages in trailer parks, so you still need batteries. This gives you more capacity for when that power is out, which you need because everything you put in those units is 110V normally.

[pianotuna]

Veebyes,

Well said.

[Grit_dog]

^True stories. It’s called cost benefit ratio, which many people not only don’t know how to analyze but don’t even understand the concept.
It’s seemingly very strange that 30+ years ago when I was in high school and even today, there was/is no practical economics class that just teaches young adults to use that 5the grade math they learned and some basic cognitive skills to determine best value in normal everyday financial decisions.
Plenty of people do analyze things but more than plenty don’t.

[Veebyes]

StirCrazy wrote:

Veebyes wrote:


Cost much more than wet cells but much less than lithium.

This isn't true anymore and hasn't been for a long time. sure there are some outliers like battle born and such that are way over priced still, but if you look at your battery for example it's what 215AH, so that is about 110AH usable for the longest life. a single 300.00US LFP will replace that and do the same job for 20 years. when you work out the usable capacity over the life span LFP are actually very cheep.

my 5th wheel has four 6v batteries which cost 1200 bucks (cdn) for me to do a couple years ago. This gives me 460AH total but 230 Usable, for the same price I could have three of those batteries (Canadian price is around 400) and have more usable power that would probably outlast three sets of GC2's easily. instead I am building three of my own that will cost me about 2000.00 cdn , but give me 840 usable AH.

Steve

There are loads of variables to consider when choosing a battery bank.

If you are a weekend warrior, always using a FHU site, it makes little sense to spend the money on a battery bank system best suited for dry camping.

If you have an old rig, mine was built 2007 and has had more than 2500 nights on the road, it makes little sense to spend the money on a battery bank that will last 20 years. The trailer will be gone long before that, unless it goes to a seasonal CG for it's retirement years, in which case it won't need lithium batteries.

If my rig was ten years younger and my plans were to keep it at least another ten years doing my current travel habits, which include a fair amount of dry camping, I'd be giving lithiums a serious consideration.

I don't question that lithiums are the best right now. But best for who and in what application?

[StirCrazy]

Veebyes wrote:


Cost much more than wet cells but much less than lithium.

This isn't true anymore and hasn't been for a long time. sure there are some outliers like battle born and such that are way over priced still, but if you look at your battery for example it's what 215AH, so that is about 110AH usable for the longest life. a single 300.00US LFP will replace that and do the same job for 20 years. when you work out the usable capacity over the life span LFP are actually very cheep.

my 5th wheel has four 6v batteries which cost 1200 bucks (cdn) for me to do a couple years ago. This gives me 460AH total but 230 Usable, for the same price I could have three of those batteries (Canadian price is around 400) and have more usable power that would probably outlast three sets of GC2's easily. instead I am building three of my own that will cost me about 2000.00 cdn , but give me 840 usable AH.

Steve

[Veebyes]

Another AGM fan here. A single 4D case size. About 215AH. No maintenance, other than terminal checking. Expected lifespan 8-10 years. Will withstand long periods in storage without a tender & with little loss of voltage.

Cost much more than wet cells but much less than lithium.

You get what you pay for. First one had a nine year lifespan sitting six months each year untended. Current AGM is five years old. Going strong.

[StirCrazy]

RedRollingRoadblock wrote:
If you go with lead-acid get a battery watering system, like others have said, and use it every 60 days or so. Simple to use and takes about 10 minuets start to finish. I have used Flow-Rite for years. https://www.amazon.com/Flow-Rite-RV2000-Pro-Fill-Battery-Kit/dp/B001FCAXT0/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2S3HT64FT... They can be ganged together for additional batteries.

As far as lifting out, GC2 batteries weigh about 65 pounds, get a battery lifting strap https://www.amazon.com/10L0L-Battery-Lifting-Universal-Carrier/dp/B07ZJC62H5/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1YNQQ9Q...

Both items should be found at a decent auto parts store

ya that's the system I got for my camper as once I got the original batteries in there was no room to add water. I liked it so much I am putting it on the 5th wheel just for the convenience. the GC2 batteries I have are 89lbs each, it wasn't fun getting them into a little cubby with only 1/4" to spare height wise

[RedRollingRoadb]

If you go with lead-acid get a battery watering system, like others have said, and use it every 60 days or so. Simple to use and takes about 10 minuets start to finish. I have used Flow-Rite for years. https://www.amazon.com/Flow-Rite-RV2000-Pro-Fill-Battery-Kit/dp/B001FCAXT0/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2S3HT64FT... They can be ganged together for additional batteries.

As far as lifting out, GC2 batteries weigh about 65 pounds, get a battery lifting strap https://www.amazon.com/10L0L-Battery-Lifting-Universal-Carrier/dp/B07ZJC62H5/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1YNQQ9Q...

Both items should be found at a decent auto parts store

[Grit_dog]

Weekly? Lol

[StirCrazy]

theoldwizard1 wrote:



Second, probably just me, but I NEVER leave any battery of any type in storage, charging 24/7. The simple solution for you when you put your coach in storage is 1) disconnect the positive lead from the batteries, 2) connect a small charger (Battery Tender), 3) plug the charger into an old fashioned mechanical lamp timer set to charge about 4 hours per day.

You will still need to "water" your batteries at least weekly when you are using your coach. They do make "automatic" battery water systems, but I don't think they are a universal fit.

That's a pretty broad statement to make not knowing what charging system is in the rv. if it's a good charger then there are no issues and you may have to check the water twice a year. for example my old batteries stayed plugged in 24/7 when I wasn't using the unit and they went from the old trailer to the new 5th wheel. I would have to add aprox 1/2 cup of distilled water to each of the 4 batteries, twice a year. those lasted 13 years. if you have an old single stage charger then yes you'll kill a battery pretty quick by leaving it on charge, but my theory was if I am spending 1200+ on 4 batteries for the trailer why wouldn't I spend 300 on a quality charger

[JoeH]

I replaced our flooded batteries with Duracell AGM's from Sam's Club, manufactured by East Penn in the US. They are also GC2's like yours. Check your charger to see if there is an AGM setting as the charge profile is different for AGM's than for flooded.