Battery Life Span?

[DD716TED]

I have had the two 12v Dual Purpose Exide batteries installed in my TT since I bought it new in 2012.. They have always been kept charged and occasionally I discharge cycle them. The water level has always been maintained.. How long do these batteries normally last or is it time to replace them to avoid issues when camping?

[RDMueller]

Do you dry camp much? If so, how deeply do you discharge them before recharging?

If you are almost always connected to the pedestal except for maybe a night here or there, those batteries will last a long time when well taken care of, which it sounds like you do.

On the other hand, if you dry camp a bunch and frequently discharge them to 50% or more, they may be nearing the end of their lives. The problem with marine batteries is that they are not a true deep cycle battery. Totally fine for those who seldom dry camp, but the plates just aren't thick enough to handle repeatedly being deeply discharged.

[Sam_Spade]

DD716TED wrote:
and occasionally I discharge cycle them.

It is not necessary to do that on purpose. If your usage situation causes that fine but deep cycles are not good on a battery, even one that is designed for it.

Well cared for you should be able to get 5 years. Some get much more.

They are not likely to fail suddenly so be alert for signs that they are getting weak and don't worry too much.

Having a lower morning voltage after a "normal" night running on the batteries and slow cranking or hard starting of a built-in generator are two good early signs.

[azrving]

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[SoundGuy]

My current Interstate G27 is now in it's 10th season and it continues to power my tongue jack, power awning, and slide just fine. We don't typically dry camp but I do use it on occasions when we may lose campsite shore power to run my 1000 watt PSW inverter which in turn powers our toaster, coffee maker, wife's hair dryer (on low), and a couple of 120 vac fans. Considering the age of this battery it doesn't owe me anything but it probably is time to upgrade. However, instead of replacing it I'll likely just leave it where it is on the tongue and install a pair of G31 AGM batteries in the front pass through storage compartment and run them through a second Blue Sea m-Series battery switch so I can alternate between the old G27 (for as long as it may continue to live) and the new set of G31s. Eventually it will die, at which point I'd either replace it with a G27 AGM or if the dual G31s seem to suffice just not bother replacing the G27 and use the empty battery box for additional storage.

[azrving]

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[Chuck_thehammer]

find a auto parts store with the digital 100 amp load tester.

my local Advance Auto uses one..

with batteries fully charged .. take them there for a capacity test... NOT FACT but a good idea of remaining capacity..

and like already stated... Many variables for battery life ,
3 years to 10 years.

[westend]

Yup, a hydrometer will tell the tale. Charge them fully and dip the individual cells.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Never encountered an old age battery that did not give plemty of warning if examined with a hydrometer and load test. Full-on 240-300 amp discharge for 15 seconds not to droop below 9.6 volts.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

🙂 Hi, in the real World, my trailer batteries average about three years. Then back to Costco for more. I don't mistreat my batteries, But I'm not one to drive at 47.153624 MPH to save three drops of gas either. When your batteries die, buy new ones. As a side note; My wife's 2005 BMW still has the original factory battery. Your mileage may vary.

[mike-s]

DrewE wrote:
Batteries that have been maintained decently generally don't fail suddenly when camping....If the batteries you have seem to be serving you well, there's no reason in my estimation to replace them just for the sake of replacing them.

That's it. Take reasonable care of them and they won't fail suddenly. When they can't keep up, replace 'em.

[Searching_Ut]

There is no all encompassing answer for that question as there are far to many variables. First, batteries deteriorate over time. If left in a discharged state, this can happen rapidly, but it varies with degree of discharge. Batteries also loose a little life every time they are discharged, with the amount again a variable based on how deeply they were discharged, and how soon, and how they were re charged. How rapidly the battery is discharged can affect life expectancy, and again how rapidly they were recharged can have an affect.

That said, I try and do a fair job of maintaining my batteries but do end up abusing them from time to time. 30 to 60 days average camping with 12 volt group 24's and I get somewhere between 5 and 9 years of useable life. Never had one start showing significant loss of performance in less than 5 years. A couple may have lasted past 9 but I get rid of my older batteries when I trade out rigs.

[DrewE]

Batteries that have been maintained decently generally don't fail suddenly when camping. The usual failure mode is to gradually lose capacity until one deems the capacity insufficient for one's needs. There are of course exceptions, but I don't know that such exceptions are really correlated with age--in other words, it's not obvious to me that older batteries are more likely to catastrophically fail than younger ones if both seem to be in OK shape to begin with.

If the batteries you have seem to be serving you well, there's no reason in my estimation to replace them just for the sake of replacing them.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

I got a little over nine years from mine.

It really is a function of how they are cared for.

Solar may be the best way to extend battery bank life.