Good battery for Boondocking Palomino Puma 19RL

[Sandy5]

2011 Palomino Puma 19 RL
I'm a newbie and just learning.

Travel Trailer Did not come with a battery, and no information in the manual. It will be used for boondocking. All I do know for now is the Camper has 55 amp power supply converter.
I also bought a generator.
Can someone please explain specs I need to look for other than 12Volt and deep cycle. I could really use advice.

[theoldwizard1]

MFL wrote:

I would recommend starting out with an interstate rv/marine 12v, in the largest size to fit box, maybe group 27.

Two 6G golf cart batteries would be similar cost and store more power.

[Lwiddis]

“Hope it is a quiet inverter type. Even then, they can get tiresome to listen to, especially if your boondocking spot is quiet.”

Tiresome for you as well as your neighbors. Consider solar for recharging and using the generator as a backup.

[MFL]

I'm sure the OP is looking for a simple setup, and is asking for a battery recommendation.

I would recommend starting out with an interstate rv/marine 12v, in the largest size to fit box, maybe group 27. It is best to get a fresh/close to current date battery, not one that has been sitting on a shelf for a year. Walmart sells a lot of batteries (mostly their brand), so usually fresh, with good charge.

In time, many lessons will be learned, and some of the more complicated, but good suggestions, will be an option for the OP.

[theoldwizard1]

As stated, two 6V golf cart batteries is the best bang for the buck.

However, even better would be two 12V LiFePO4. Double the stored energy. If you want to recharge while driving, buy a DC-DC battery charge.

If you decide to buy an inverter, get one that has a builtin charger and automatic transfer switch. These are easier to install and easier to use. Remove your existing converter and connect directly to the batteries.

[Sandy5]

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to share advice on this matter, I appreciate it!

[valhalla360]

pianotuna wrote:
Solar is, in my opinion the nearest thing to a free lunch you are likely to find. It need not be terribly expensive, and the battery bank will love it.

Yes, something as simple as a 100w portable panel you plug into the battery bank can address the long duration it takes to fill the last 10%. Charge with the generator quickly in the morning up till around 90% and then let the solar finish it off over 8-9hours.

[pianotuna]

Sandy5,

If you plan on being a "rolling stone" then look into adding a dc to DC charger to the RV.

Solar is, in my opinion the nearest thing to a free lunch you are likely to find. It need not be terribly expensive, and the battery bank will love it.

[CA_Traveler]

Generators are used to charge 50-85% SOC because the last 15% is a slow charge that takes many more hours. Solar can fill that in. Also with some sun solar can do a complete charge for the day. So something to consider as you learn.

And there is a lot of sun for a lot of your travels - but from the news Ohio currently not so much recently.

[valhalla360]

Sandy5 wrote:
There is currently one battery box 11.5x8x8
And may I ask why marine or RV batteries are not as good?
A few replies stated:
"compromises like the RV/Marine batteries"
and "marine deep cycle are compromised batteries"
Are they not truly deep cycle?

The design for starting batteries is lots of thin plates. Surface area defines how many amps a battery can throw off. For starting, thin plates provide more surface area and thus more amps. Your average dual purpose battery is just a starting battery with different lugs compared to a dedicated starting battery.

The design for deep cycle batteries are fewer but thicker plates. With less surface area, they can throw off fewer amps. Thicker plates are better at storing more energy (ie: they can throw off their amps for a longer period of time). Outside of very expensive specialized batteries, you will find difficulty sourcing a 12v deep cycle battery. 6v golf cart batteries on the other hand are easy to source and true deep cycle designs.

Note: Assuming they can put out the amps, there is no harm in using deep cycle batteries for starting. (example: on a sailboat with a 30hp diesel and a large house battery bank, you can use the house bank to start the engine with no problem).

Now back to your question:

Before running out and buying batteries, make a stab at estimating what your power consumption will be. Otherwise, you may wind up spending money on items that don't work and then may not fit in with your final solution.

Start with an energy audit (it won't be perfect but better than people randomly telling you to get X system).
- Decide how long you expect to be off grid.
- Guestimate how long each item will run (lights, TV, waterpump, furnace, laptop/phone chargers, etc...) Find the wattage for each and multiply times the duration they will operate. This will give you a total watt-hour you need to replace each day. Add 20-30% as the systems aren't 100% efficient and you might miss some items.
- Don't plan on air/con unless the generator is running (this is a whole different subject)
- Divide your watt-hr by 12 to get amps-hr @ 12v. Then double it to see how big of a battery bank you need. Lead-acid batteries generally don't like to go below 50% charge, so you can't use the full rated amp-hr.
- 6v golf cart batteries are likely the cheapest option and if only 2 or 4, likely a good choice. If you need much more than that weight starts becoming an issue in a small RV. Then you move into lithium which is a new subject with different considerations.
- Now you need to charge the battery bank. If you are just weekending for a couple of days, you can just double the watt-hrs and install a larger battery bank. Or you can run the generator to charge them (caviot: it takes a very long time to go from 90% to 100% with lead-acid batteries, so it may be more effective to go a bit larger on the battery bank as 50-90% can charge fairly quick). Alternatively, you can add solar. Figure 4-5times the nominal watt rating in watt-hr (ie: a 100w panel will generate 400-500watt-hr per day)

This should give you a good idea of the scale of what you need.

[Sandy5]

Thank you! Won't be doing solar, this is going across the country (out west) so it will be in all sorts of different areas.

[CA_Traveler]

Starting batteries are designed for short period high current use. Deep cycle batteries are designed for lower amps for longer periods and longer life.

[pianotuna]

Sandy5,

Welcome to the forums.

For boondocking one wants the largest capacity deep cycle battery that will fit the available space.

Where will you be located and using the RV?

Is solar being considered?

[Sandy5]

It is rated very quiet and yes and inverter type generator.

[MFL]

Having a generator, helps make up for not having the best battery bank. Hope it is a quiet inverter type. Even then, they can get tiresome to listen to, especially if your boondocking spot is quiet.

You are getting good advice above.

Jerry

[wanderingaimles]

Sandy5 wrote:
There is currently one battery box 11.5x8x8
And may I ask why marine or RV batteries are not as good?
A few replies stated:
"compromises like the RV/Marine batteries"
and "marine deep cycle are compromised batteries"
Are they not truly deep cycle?

True deep cycle batteries are designed for lower amp, slower drains. They handle being drawn down to lower points without damage, and generally last longer than the dual purpose batteries. An automotive battery because of the demand for high amp output (read that as engine starting) and do not do as well for low draw.
Since your tray will only hold a single, your basically limited to the RV/Marine units unless you spend considerably more. Take your measurements to verify, but I believe a group 27 is what will fit.