How long do we want batteries to last ?

[RJsfishin]

IMO, and IME, nothing is simpler to maintain than LA RV batteries. When connected to a decent charger, and watered once...maybe twice a year, and maybe hosed off once in a while, they last an easy 8-10 yrs.
How is it that some insist on making batteries appear to be the most complicated component of an RV, by continued posts of charging AGMs, etc etc etc w/ no end in site. And they all end up at the same conclusion,...no one knows what their even talking about, including the manufactures,....all having their own, and different ideas.
The fact is that no matter how you charge them w/ a decent 3 stage charger, LA or AGM, they are all going to last 8-10 yrs, if given the slightest bit of care.
I have read so many threads about AGMs, they nearly make me ill.
But keep them coming, because every one of them make them out to so complicated, and over priced, that I would be a fool to ever buy one.
But, I am curious,.....just how long are ya all trying to get them to last ? Seems like ya all wood spend more time polishing yer rigs, and less time on overpriced complicated AGM batteries !

[ktmrfs]

N3YMY wrote:

2oldman wrote:
Tell me the ones in your truck lasts 10 years.

Not a fair measure.

The charging systems in most vehicles over charge batteries due to the typical vehicle usage pattern (ie short trips)

If high quality chargers were used in vehicles, perhaps.

Vehicle batteries have a far harder life than the average coach battery IMHO...

Actually my truck batteries lasted over 10 years in my duramax. and the one in my mercedes was going on 15 years when I replaced it. In neither case had they "failed", just figured it was time to replace them.

Mercedes has an advantage, not under the hood, under the back seat and they use a very high quality construction, but still OEM was reasonably priced, around $100.

but then our climate certainly is more "benign" than most, not real hot in the summer, not real cold in the winter. But the duramax 9 year old batteries started the truck no problem that had been sitting in -30F weather outside for a week last winter in idaho.

[TurnThePage]

john&bet wrote:
According to most everyone here my oem converter should have killed my battery a long time ago because of over charging,etc. with it plugged in 24/7. I also manage to completely discharge it at least twice a year by forgetting to plug it back in after mowing the yard. Like in two days later with the frig on(hard on what little is in it). JME.

That's more my style too. And that's exactly why I am a 6v golf cart battery convert. My experience is that they are much more tolerant of that kind of treatment than the old group 24/27s. They haven't needed water as often and have lasted at least 7 years vs about 2 years for the 12v.

[N3YMY]

2oldman wrote:
Tell me the ones in your truck lasts 10 years.

Not a fair measure.

The charging systems in most vehicles over charge batteries due to the typical vehicle usage pattern (ie short trips)

If high quality chargers were used in vehicles, perhaps.

Vehicle batteries have a far harder life than the average coach battery IMHO...

[john_bet]

NinerBikes wrote:

john&bet wrote:
My rig is an '05 bought new in Feb. of '05. It still has the oem battery that has been discharged a few times. It is plugged in 24/7 at home with the oem converter. That is 9 years now and I check the water and add as needed once a year before we start a new season of travel. Guess I one lucky dude.

Nah, it just means you're not abusive to your battery and you're doing something right.

According to most everyone here my oem converter should have killed my battery a long time ago because of over charging,etc. with it plugged in 24/7. I also manage to completely discharge it at least twice a year by forgetting to plug it back in after mowing the yard. Like in two days later with the frig on(hard on what little is in it). JME.

[mena661]

full_mosey wrote:

Let's see. 500 cycle life expectancy at 12 cycles per year. That is 41+ years. You better put those in your will. 🙂

They can get their own batteries, these are coming with me! LOL!

[2oldman]

OnaQuest wrote:
.....and it's "would" not "wood".

Glad someone else noticed. 🙂

[full_mosey]

mena661 wrote:
14.8V charging here but now that I think about, my real secret just might be only one cycle a month tops.

Let's see. 500 cycle life expectancy at 12 cycles per year. That is 41+ years. You better put those in your will. 🙂

HTH;
John

[full_mosey]

OnaQuest wrote:

DUNEBUGGYDOUG wrote:
Hey RJsfishin, it is y'all not ya all

.....and it's "would" not "wood".

If you want to address everyone, it is all y'all. Y'all is singular.

HTH;
John

[MEXICOWANDERER]

I fail the test. I need refueling twice a day.

[2oldman]

pnichols wrote:
Will a lifetime battery ever come to be?

Perhaps a small nuclear plant will suffice. The USS Ronald Reagan needs refueling every 20 years.

[pnichols]

Speaking of getting it right by keeping it simple ... in college I was taught that batteries can be thought of as a large capacitor: Since some capacitors last a lifetime ... so should some batteries.

Will a lifetime battery ever come to be? As a very small step in that direction that's why I use AGM batteries in the RV ... nothing moving around except ions ... almost as good as a mammoth air capacitor with only electrons moving around on it's plates.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

SATISFACTION is the primary goal in any acquisition.

If a person purchases something, abuses the hell out of it (knowingly) and is satisfied even though it died well before the average or norm, then that's all a person can ask for.

My luck is, when I happen to be strapped for cash, a @#$%^&! battery dies. Doesn't matter if its a CR2032 or a car battery, they seem to stop breathing when I can least afford it. Like Life Scan and their doggone blood glucose testers. I lit into them three or four years ago. "Why don't you make a SIMPLE blood glucose tester than uses a pair of AA batteries? Twice the life of AAA batteries, ten times the life of coin coil batteries, easier to find replacement, and on and on.

The company is enamored of gizmo features like a lot of software is - gobble-d-gook that nobody uses. Where's the @#$%^&! on-off switch? You know, the ones that stops quiescent current draw...

Like talking to my parrot.

America is forgetting the art form that forces a company to design superior products that do fewer things, but do those things far better and require less maintenance and carbon footprint renewal.

[2oldman]

To get a fair comparison of battery life, it's probably important to compare apples to apples..

For instance, how do you use your batteries? Are you a boondocker? If so, do you regularly use high wattage appliances like toasters and MW? If so, how much? Do you spend most of your time in hot weather?

If on solar, and days get cloudy, do you cut back your usage to the point that you do not draw them down below 50%?

As for when to retire them, do you decide it's better to replace them after 4-5 years when they show signs of weakness, or do you cut back on your use and try to extend their lives? (It's hard for me to imagine you replace them at 10 years simply because they're old) Is money an object? Can you afford batteries every 5 years, or are you just conservative and like to keep them longer?

I'm not asking for answers to each and every question.. just tossing out a line to see if my thoughts are relevant when discussing battery life. I'm not saying I abuse my batteries, but my usage and comfort is more important to me than extracting the most years I can from them.

[Bordercollie]

Our original T-105's went 10 years, overcharged by the original WFCO converter and running low on electrolyte a number of times. I just replaced the batts with somewhat cheaper US batteries and installed a new PD 9245 converter/charger with boost, float, and desulphate modes. I'll try to check electrolyte levels more often. I'm pushing 75 now, hopefully I'll outlast the new batteries.