In Praise of the T-1275 for an RV House Batterry

Everyone has his choice of battery that has worked well for him. Few mention the T-1275.

Mex calls it a "scrubber battery" which it is. It also appears in some golf cars as a pack of four to make 48V. (Alternative to six 8-volt batts)

Some here might remember I got a couple of these in 2013 used, out of golf car service (batteries built in 2011) and "recovered" them. The golf car place seller said they were about 86% from good as new the way they test them.

I managed to recover them a little better than that over several months, so they got better in SG and tested at 90% of rated (135AH out of 150AH) in early 2014.

I never did get them equalized in SG. Always there are some cells better than others, but always the same cells. This does not seem to matter.

I have used these for doing some 50-90s in a row, many times since then, and "recovered" them later at home each time. They always recover to where I got them early 2014. I have not had the "Screwy 31" experience, but they do need caring for if you want them to last.

I have come to depend on these batteries as reliable for anything I do. They take high amp draws from the microwave EG, and bounce back. They have a low voltage sag compared with my 6s doing high amps. Not quite as low as an AGM, but pretty darn good.

I notice they bounce back slower than the 6s do, which takes a bit of getting used to, but they do come back all the way. I guess it is their chemistry.

I now trust these batts totally.

They hardly ever need water (but they do get there), while my 6s need frequent topping up with water.

I keep them going with equalizing voltage sessions after each camping trip doing 50-90s, and by keeping them on a Float charge between trips. They are as good now as they were three years ago after I got them back up to 90% after their two years doing golf cars. I think they will last forever!

I do not think they are just an over-grown T-105 either. These guys are special. What I like is the feeling of total confidence in them now, that they have earned, while I am getting nervous about the same age 6s. The two T-1275s are my "go to" batteries. :)

I think if you got one brand new, you could put it in your will to be passed on. :)

landyacht318
Explorer
Oct 30, 2016
I always wondered how a T-1275 would do if treated well from deep cycle number 1.

I was on my way to getting one when I removed the screwy31 from service, and started cycling my AGM which was mostly used for engine starting at that point. Now the AGM just does double duty and I have this big empty spot underhood where the screwy31 was, and maybe a T-1275 will reside in the future.

Seems like all one really has to do is ensure the occasional absolute full recharge to get a good cycle life from a good battery.

Ensuring that occasional absolute full recharge is where the effort should lie. And that, is all about holding absorption voltage for long enough, and then an EQ session, if required.
time2roll
Nomad
Oct 30, 2016
What 6er brand are you comparing?
ktmrfs
Explorer II
Oct 30, 2016
I was seriously considering them in place of 4 GC, but the physical height and weight conflicted with where I could mount them, so the GC won out. Had I had the height with enough room to handle them to get them in and out I'd have gone for them in a heartbeat.

But I also have 12 years on one set of T-125's in one trailer that sees close around 25 discharges to well under 50 percent each year and they are still going strong. And the 4 GC in my 2010 see similar use and are still going strong. True deep discharge batteries will take a huge amount of charge discharge cycles if properly cared for and the T-1275 falls in that category as well.

The T-1275 has a very very distinct advantage for high current loads. To run the microwave at 900W on my trailer I really need 4 GC if I want the microwave to run at below around 80 percent SOC.
BFL13
Explorer II
Oct 30, 2016
time2roll wrote:
What 6er brand are you comparing?

I have a pair of Interstate GC2 XHDs at 232AH rated from Feb, 2011. Also a pair of Exide 135s at 226AH I got in Oct 2011. I have found them to be equally good in service and banked together.

The 6s get taken care of properly too, but are not in as good a shape as the T-1275s at five years. (But they have been cycled more with me to be fair. No idea what the T-1275s did in their first two years)

I do 50-90s and have MW, etc, draws, and recharge at high amps near 30% charging rate, so not gentle! All the 6s test out as 90% of rated, but they need more work these days to keep them there. I suspect they are getting near their end, but who knows? We'll see.

I have no such suspicions from the way the T-1275s recover so nicely.

It is all subjective in a way, but I "know" my batteries so IMO :) I am not imagining things.
landyacht318
Explorer
Oct 30, 2016
It is an advantage to us all, that somebody, who knows what to look for, can develop a healthy respect for a particular battery, and feel confident enough to praise it on a public forum..

Nitpick his results at your own intellectual, and perhaps financial, peril.

Cheers
MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Oct 30, 2016
The T-175 is the sportster size version of an L16. The plates are different than a GC220. The 175 uses more expensive grade of separator. They are less energy dense than a GC220. They are also more expensive per pound than a GC. But as a GC can survive more abuse than a car jar RV battery the 1275 outlives a GC but not an L16. The L16 cannot vie with a 2-volt cell.

Nothing is absolute. Choose your compromise. Compromise does not mean inferior - it means a sharp buyer matches strong and weak attributes to his needs. Some folks are happy with chew & spit car jar RV batteries. Others wax eloquent on the amazing durability of a 2 volt cell as they shuffle them with a forklift.

Plusses and minuses. Line them up right and it's a match made in heaven. The 2 volt hierarchy remains Rolls the Trojan then come the lesser brands.

Some are satisfied with the lowest price battery. Others find performance and lifespan to be less than they hoped for.

Playing the part of The Aware Consumer is where it's at and where it always will be.
BFL13
Explorer II
Oct 30, 2016
I can't compare my experience with a full-timer's as to which battery to choose. There are many factors to consider.

If a person had access to new 232AH 6s for $80 each that would be that. I am "just sayin' " the T-1275 is a better battery for the same job, ignoring the money.

I got mine used, in a condition where they were no longer good enough for golf car use, but too good to toss out, so they were for sale as such. Not everyone would want to take that on and do the "recovery" work.

I am reporting that these five year old T-1275s with all their history, are doing better than my five year old 6s I got new, and they do better with high inverter draws too. I expect to get a couple more years from the 6s, but now I think the T-1275s will outlast them. I can only imagine starting off with new T-1275s.

A different battery might do as well or better for a different RVer. But always remember: (To steal a line from the US Army)

"Soldier, look after your battery and it will look after you!" :)
MEXICOWANDERER
Explorer
Oct 30, 2016
Trojan makes a good scrubber battery. Now take those .130" plates and swell them to .330" and you can see why my Rolls 2-volt cells have lasted 22-years with perhaps 10% of the duty they would see in a true-off grid environment. For me, reality-rules and when someone goes through the work of documenting an experience, I for one am impressed. True deep cycle batteries are in a world of their own. There is as much difference improvement going from a GC to a scrubber or L-16 as there is going from a car jar to a GC.
Thanks BFL !
pianotuna
Nomad III
Oct 30, 2016
This is a little off topic--but Tesla has just announced a new power wall unit at 14 kwh with an integrated inverter/charger. Of course it is 240 based. Cost is $5500.00 USD.
theoldwizard1
Explorer II
Oct 30, 2016
My daughter and son-in-law will probably be needing a new battery for their TT next year and I would definitely steer them to a T1275. One thing that bothers me is that Trojan recommends charging voltages higher than any chargers I have seen on the market.

I guess using "standard" chargers/charging rates is not an issue.