Flooded battery recommendations

[Lumatic]

I am looking for recommendations for 12 volt flooded deep cycle batteries. Thanks

[Bill M.]

I buy either Interstate or Walmart. Awful easy to slip into the Walmart parking lot and exchange batteries when on the road. Both seem to work fairly well. You do have to be sure to get the deeo cycle.

[lewster]

If you like to replace batteries often, go cheap. If you want a quality battery that's well made…….Trojan.

[idroba]

I have had good service with two Costco 6 volt golf cart batteries in series, but your rigs may or may not accommodate them. Sam's club golf cart batteries are about the same in my opinion.

[idroba]

I love Trojan T-105 golf cart batteries but the price in my area has gone so high (about $160 each) that the $85 Costco's seem to be a better deal overall. They may not last quite as long, but they are slightly more than half the price. My oldest Costco's are only 5 seasons old now, and are still very strong. My Trojans gave me 10 years of service in the same rig. So, ask again in 5 years!

[BoldAdventure]

My Costco Interstates were garbage and didn't even last us 7 months on the road. I'd avoid them.

[ROBERT CROSS]

“If your happy with what you're using......it's adequate.
If others are unhappy with what you're using......it's not.”
RLC

I've had a 6v Deka battery,(cheep), in our 53 Victoria for years....relevance, none whatsoever.



Bob

[Lumatic]

Bold Adventure/ Thanks for the lithium update. This trailer will be mostly used in areas with full hookups. Occasionally for a boondocking weekend. Rarely for a more extended period. The Excella has 2 series 27 enclosed battery cases. For now I think I am going with just replacing the 2 series 27 batteries with flooded batteries.

[n2916s]

Buy cheap from a national chain -- Autozone, Wally, O'Reilly. If one fails on the road, you want a replacement nearby. If you were going to boondocks a lot, well that would be a different story.

Mike

[AtomicNo13]

I've switched to Rolls batteries. Looks like I'll be stuck with them for the next 20 years or so.....

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by AtomicNo13

I've switched to Rolls batteries. Looks like I'll be stuck with them for the next 20 years or so.....

About how much for a pair of series 27?

[BoldAdventure]

Just make sure you are getting Marine/RV deep cycle flooded group 27's.

[sgschwend]

You need to have a good charger. Rule of thumb, if the charger has temperature compensation (which means a probe that measure the battery temperature) you might have a good charger to keep your batteries in top condition.

[Lumatic]

I am not looking for charger or converter recommendations. just batteries, thanks

[BoldAdventure]

Trojan or Full River.

Interstates are crap.

Personal recommendation: Trojan 31XHS

I know you have a different model AS but here is a pic anyhow

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, after the original Interstates, I have bought all of my batteries from Costco. No need for expensive batteries for an occasional one, two, or three days without hook-ups.

[mpsgolf]

There is a ton of expert advice on the web. Below are some links I've been studying as I plan an upgrade to my oem Interstate type 24s to allow some short term dry camping.

Get a true deep cycle not a hybrid deep cycle / starting battery. Deep cycles are spec'd in Ah not cold cranking amps. I believe Interstate is a hybrid. True deep cycle batteries have thicker plates than a car type starting battery and thus have better life since a deep cycle is made to be repeatedly discharged and recharged.

Most respected brands seem to be Trojan and Lifeline. I've also noticed US Battery has some good choices. Flooded is cheaper but can only be discharged to about 50% without sacrificing life. AGM can be discharged to about 80% without killing the life but costs much more, about 2x.

Deep Cycle Battery Information and FAQ

Deep Cycle Batteries Guide : Energy Storage - Energy Matters

BatteryStuff Knowledge Base | Tutorials

[lewster]

Originally Posted by mpsgolf

There is a ton of expert advice on the web. Below are some links I've been studying as I plan an upgrade to my oem Interstate type 24s to allow some short term dry camping.

Get a true deep cycle not a hybrid deep cycle / starting battery. Deep cycles are spec'd in Ah not cold cranking amps. I believe Interstate is a hybrid. True deep cycle batteries have thicker plates than a car type starting battery and thus have better life since a deep cycle is made to be repeatedly discharged and recharged.

Most respected brands seem to be Trojan and Lifeline. I've also noticed US Battery has some good choices. Flooded is cheaper but can only be discharged to about 50% without sacrificing life. AGM can be discharged to about 80% without killing the life but costs much more, about 2x.

Deep Cycle Battery Information and FAQ

Deep Cycle Batteries Guide : Energy Storage - Energy Matters

BatteryStuff Knowledge Base | Tutorials

Don't know if the links you provided have this information, but if you discharge a Lifeline AGM repeatedly to 80% you will kill it in short order. They, along with flooded cells, should be kept to the 50% discharge regimen for maximum life. If you're looking for repeated draw capacity to 80% you need to be in the lithium arena.

If you look at the Lifeline tech documents, you will find a graph of cell life (# of charge cycles) vs. depth of discharge. The sweet spot is at 50% DoD however, the less you draw your batteries, the higher number of charge cycles (and longer life) you get.

The MOST important thing regarding lead based battery systems is to fully re-charge them to 100% after use to prevent sulfation, which is the leading cause of premature battery failure.

[mpsgolf]

Originally Posted by lewster

Don't know if the links you provided have this information, but if you discharge a Lifeline AGM repeatedly to 80% you will kill it in short order. They, along with flooded cells, should be kept to the 50% discharge regimen for maximum life. If you're looking for repeated draw capacity to 80% you need to be in the lithium arena.

If you look at the Lifeline tech documents, you will find a graph of cell life (# of charge cycles) vs. depth of discharge. The sweet spot is at 50% DoD however, the less you draw your batteries, the higher number of charge cycles (and longer life) you get.

The MOST important thing regarding lead based battery systems is to fully re-charge them to 100% after use to prevent sulfation, which is the leading cause of premature battery failure.

Thanks for clarifying my comments. As you note, DoD vs Life is a curve with 80% being the worst case (shortest life).

[alano]

After poking around for some time I couldn't find any intrinsic reason why DD flooded batteries should exhibit shorter cycle lifetimes than AGM batteries. Both can happily be discharged to 80% and recover, albeit with some minor degradation.

This was an eye opener to me - that I can safely discharge my flooded lead-acid batteries to 80% every once in a while to stay comfortable without worry. Just last week I was boondocking my my wife and I cranked down the temperature to 50 deg F inside the trailer at night to try and limit my furnace usage. Next time I'll keep warmer and not stress so much.