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Old 08-29-2020, 03:28 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by Pete'sMH View Post
Good explanation of the options. But it assumes the buyer needs a maximum performance option. We never boondock and have always found one or two flooded 12V deep cycle batteries to be more than adequate for our needs. If you keep them full and charged they can last 5 years or more. Not bad for $75.
You are correct. If you keep your battery switch off until you use the coach, start it and drive to an camping site with power, plug it in and run it off of AC power until you disconnect, start the engine and drive home, almost any battery will do.

But if you want to leave it sitting not hooked up to shore power with lights and other DC systems powered up for more than a few hours, then you should consider some of the options discussed. In this case your simplest will probably be a 75-100 Ah AGM battery for $200-250. An AGM will last several times as long as a generic non deep cycle constructed battery.

BTW 95% of the batteries stamped deep cycle are no different inside than their starting batteries, just a label. Two sure fire indicators that they are not built as deep cycle- no filling ports (except AGMs) and no amp hour specification.

David

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Old 08-29-2020, 08:39 PM   #22
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I don't see any KOA Parks along the river Styx; so I think we're safe.

Oh! Another question:
I've currently got a pair of 27s under the steps; but there's more than enough room for 31s.
How much would the 31s improve my battery capacity?
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Old 08-29-2020, 08:52 PM   #23
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I don't see any KOA Parks along the river Styx; so I think we're safe.

Oh! Another question:
I've currently got a pair of 27s under the steps; but there's more than enough room for 31s.
How much would the 31s improve my battery capacity?
Group 27s usually have 70 Ahs of capacity and Group 31s have 100 Ahs each. Two G31s would give you 60 Ahs more than G27s.

And if you have more headroom, golf cart batteries which have roughly the same footprint but are taller than G31s will give you 220 Ahs at 12V with two in series or 80 Ahs more.

David
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Old 08-29-2020, 09:06 PM   #24
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I'm not comfortable with the extra weight of the 6 volt batteries.
But it sure sounds as if going to 31s makes sense. Thanks!
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Old 08-29-2020, 09:06 PM   #25
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Old 08-29-2020, 09:12 PM   #26
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While I'm not comfortable with the extra weight of the 6 volt batteries: a pair of size 31 AGM Batteries makes good sense.
Thanks!
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Old 08-29-2020, 09:15 PM   #27
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While the 31 has that difference be sure to divide by 2 because you won't run them to less than 50% except by mistake.
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Old 08-29-2020, 09:19 PM   #28
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Old 08-29-2020, 09:53 PM   #29
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Good explanation of the options. But it assumes the buyer needs a maximum performance option. We never boondock and have always found one or two flooded 12V deep cycle batteries to be more than adequate for our needs. If you keep them full and charged they can last 5 years or more. Not bad for $75.

I agree about the flooded batteries. My tractor batteries are over 5 years old and only died because i left the lights on for a week and killed the batteries beyond holding a charge for more than a day. I suspect one plate is shorted bringing the entire system down from leaving the lights on and the battery sulfating

My MH has very large batteries that are flooded and I have never added water in 3 years. I just checked last month and they were all fine. they are Group 8D . They are 21x11x10. big suckers which last a long time when running only on batteries. Will they fit into your area you will have to determine that.
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Old 08-29-2020, 10:04 PM   #30
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We tend to dry camp in the National Parks and other places which in cooler weather places a pretty good load on the battery bank keeping the heat on all night, fridge and other items.
With the batteries getting discharged often they tend to use more water and create a corrosion mess I don't like to deal with. Very hard on cables as well. Some of you are lucky with batteries but that has never been my experience so almost everything I own has AGM for very good reasons.

If you are a moderate user then that would make a huge difference in the off gassing and acid corrosion.

Should you just like to blow the dust out of the compartment and not have to deal with the corrosion then AGM or better is the best choice. There are some other benefits as well such as faster charging and slower discharge rates when idle or stored.
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Old 08-29-2020, 10:22 PM   #31
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Group 27s usually have 70 Ahs of capacity and Group 31s have 100 Ahs each. Two G31s would give you 60 Ahs more than G27s.

And if you have more headroom, golf cart batteries which have roughly the same footprint but are taller than G31s will give you 220 Ahs at 12V with two in series or 80 Ahs more.

David
Having Walmarts marine/RV batteries (made by Johnson Controls), I looked up the specks. The group 27DC has 109 amp-hour rating (20 hour) while the group 29 (with-in a 1/4" of a group 31) has a 133 amp-hour (20 hour) rating. I had one two years and the other one year. Both never seen to need any water. The batteries will run the portable ice maker (3.5 amps @ 120 volts) and RV fridge for 8 hours (3 amps @ 120 volts) (that is as long as we have been without generator or shore power in the past year) - 70 amps @ 12.6 volts through my Xantrex Freedom Xi 2000. Of course the fridge and ice maker did not run continuously for the 8 hours we were away from the coach, so that is not much of an endorsement, but it is all I got.
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Old 08-29-2020, 10:47 PM   #32
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Wal-Mart Marine/RV batteries...
Are they FLA, or AGM?
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Old 08-29-2020, 10:49 PM   #33
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wal-mart marine/rv batteries...
Are they fla, or agm?
fla.
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Old 08-29-2020, 11:48 PM   #34
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Thanks!
I'm going to stick with AGMs...
I'd figure it never hurts to ask: there are Wal-Mart's everywhere.
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Old 08-30-2020, 12:57 AM   #35
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Op.
Go to Walmart and buy 24's
You say the 27 won't fit.
The 24 will.
I'll trust you on your judgement of 27's.
Forget the six volt.
No one knows why it was said and they absolutely won't fit and require a rewiring and cut your amps in half for the same space.
AGM is very nice. Buy the 24's because you know they fit.

The lithiums might require equipment you don't have.
Spend the $200, and not the $2,000

Lithium as we know it is on the way out already.

Just. Go. Buy. 24's at Walmart.
It cures your problem.
The $200 is to buy you the time to see which six volt or lithium faction you want to join.
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Old 08-30-2020, 01:06 AM   #36
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Wal-Mart Marine/RV batteries...
Are they FLA, or AGM?
Walmart carries the complete line Johnson Control batteries - Flooded, VRLA (sealed batteries), AGM and GEL. They can't ship flooded batteries, but the rest can come to your door, but you loose the trade in. If you have the shipped to the store, they credit your exchange. Both my red and yellow top batteries are AGM (Optima) from Walmart.com. They also carry the Odyssey AGM as well as a few Everstart AGMs. My garage/shop battery is a Everstart valve regulated lead acid (VRLA) group 86 battery. By the way Everstart group 29DC flooded batteries 133 a-h are $90.00.
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Old 08-30-2020, 01:11 AM   #37
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Oh, I love the Oddesy batteries like I use used love optima.
I have an Oddesy half size(I'll check what it says the size is.)
It's small, about the size of a small box of cereal.

I used it just today.
I grab that 16lb battery, flip it upside down and jam it onto the posts of whatever is dead.
It's faster than jumpers.

Oddesy is my current choice
But
I think the full size oddesy battery in my avalanche was $360....
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Old 08-30-2020, 11:44 AM   #38
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Point well taken: I'll see if I can find Odyssey's AGM Batteries through Wal-Mart.
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Old 08-30-2020, 11:46 AM   #39
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Thank you all for your experiences and advice. We did end up going to Walmart and getting the FLAs for now. It was all our rural store had to offer. Since this is all new to us and our first foray into this, be figured we'd start here and see how long the batteries last for what we end up doing (hopefully a fair amount of boondocking in or near National Parks).

The AGMs sound intriguing and something to research more for the future. We do have a solar panel on top, so have to do more learning/looking into how all those system components interact. Hubby is retiring soon so hopefully there will be more time for that.

The space under the steps on our Axis is pretty limited. Two type 27s fit, with not much room to spare, so we have to work with that as well.

Again, thanks all.
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Old 08-30-2020, 01:51 PM   #40
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You are correct. If you keep your battery switch off until you use the coach, start it and drive to an camping site with power, plug it in and run it off of AC power until you disconnect, start the engine and drive home, almost any battery will do.

But if you want to leave it sitting not hooked up to shore power with lights and other DC systems powered up for more than a few hours, then you should consider some of the options discussed. In this case your simplest will probably be a 75-100 Ah AGM battery for $200-250. An AGM will last several times as long as a generic non deep cycle constructed battery.

BTW 95% of the batteries stamped deep cycle are no different inside than their starting batteries, just a label. Two sure fire indicators that they are not built as deep cycle- no filling ports (except AGMs) and no amp hour specification.

David


Well, it’s not QUITE that dire using flooded 12V deep cycles. We recently spent 3 days at a relatives house with no shore power and we did just fine. Sure we didn’t have air conditioning or coffee makers but we were comfortable enough with lights, a fan and TV. Do your research and buy what you like and need. I’ll probably switch to AGMs next time (about 3 more years) unless I see us selling the coach for some reason within the ensuing 3 - 5 years. And since it’ll be 8 or 9 years old by then I might.
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