AGM 6-Volt Battery Recommendation

[gandttimes]

Crown 6v 235amp. Absolutely no reason to go AGM on the outside compartments of a trailer unless you are planning on spending part of your trip upside down.
If your batteries are on the inside then different story go AGM or if you can afford it and don't spend a lot of time in a cold climate go Lithium.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Any time you have batteries die early (2 to 3 years is early ) you should step back and ask why. Indeed a very few will run a full charge / discharge cycle 365 days a year. Much more common is < 50 cycles a year. Even with minor abuse that’s not enough to kill a set.

Letting them run flat / dry for long periods is not in the “minor” category..... Some brands of automotive chargers will kill batteries if run to often / to long. Better monitoring may be a more important upgrade than fancier batteries....


Bob

[JohnTF]

Originally Posted by ProTech

Our Trojan 6 volt AMG batteries have failed after two years. So we are going with lithium with the hope of have something that will last longer and give more AH.

If you killed your Trojans - you are doing something wrong .
Mis-use can kill any battery / chemistry .

[AirMiles]

Originally Posted by Milo1952

You can buy extenders to make the box taller

I did this on my 2017 25' Airstream so I could install a blade cut-off switch, but this cannot be done on a 27' Airstream because the front storage door would not work with an extended battery box. I just did not install the cut-off when installing my 6V golf cart batteries in my 27' because I have solar and never disconnect the batteries. I would disconnect the battery when in storage without either shore power or solar charging. I think that most battery damage occurs in storage because my batteries would be nearly dead in less than 30 days of storage before I added the solar.

[kscherzi]

Why the AGM batteries? The 27FB has an exterior battery box. The benefit of AGM's is they're sealed so can be used in an internal storage environment. I guess the other benefit is no having to add distilled water on occasion.

On the flip side AGM's are pretty expensive, maybe around $400 each whereas an equivalent wet cell is $100 to $150 each.

[Pencilpusher]

I would not put AGM batteries inside my trailer. They do vent and the hydrogen gas is very explosive. How likely they are to vent is unknown and I know many folks have done it for years. I believe the RVIA standards say not to do it. The only battery I am aware of that truly will not vent are the lithiums. FWIW

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by Pencilpusher

I would not put AGM batteries inside my trailer. They do vent and the hydrogen gas is very explosive. How likely they are to vent is unknown and I know many folks have done it for years. I believe the RVIA standards say not to do it. The only battery I am aware of that truly will not vent are the lithiums. FWIW

Hi

Unless you have a very unusual charge profile, the amount of gas coming off of an AGM is quite small. Any gas (hydrogen included) needs to get to a certain concentration before it will ignite. They generally need to be at a higher concentration before they will explode. For hydrogen, you need about 4% by volume before it will ignite. To detonate you need to get up around 18%.

Even a small trailer represents a very large volume of air. At the detonation point you would have almost as much hydrogen in the trailer as oxygen (it's 21% ). You are not going to get to this level (or the flammability level) with any rational AGM setup.

If it still concerns you, put in a vent. Hydrogen is much lighter than air. It will rise out of a space if you give it someplace to go.

Bob

[Pencilpusher]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi



Unless you have a very unusual charge profile, the amount of gas coming off of an AGM is quite small. Any gas (hydrogen included) needs to get to a certain concentration before it will ignite. They generally need to be at a higher concentration before they will explode. For hydrogen, you need about 4% by volume before it will ignite. To detonate you need to get up around 18%.



Even a small trailer represents a very large volume of air. At the detonation point you would have almost as much hydrogen in the trailer as oxygen (it's 21% ). You are not going to get to this level (or the flammability level) with any rational AGM setup.



If it still concerns you, put in a vent. Hydrogen is much lighter than air. It will rise out of a space if you give it someplace to go.



Bob

Hi:
You may be completely correct in how small the risk is by having AGM's inside the trailer. What you are not factoring in is how hot is inside the trailer (the hotter it is the more likely an AGM will vent) and how close they are to an ignition source. This may never ever be an issue 99% of the time but there is a reason RVIA standards do not recommend it. Each person should make their own decision.

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by Pencilpusher

Hi:
You may be completely correct in how small the risk is by having AGM's inside the trailer. What you are not factoring in is how hot is inside the trailer (the hotter it is the more likely an AGM will vent) and how close they are to an ignition source. This may never ever be an issue 99% of the time but there is a reason RVIA standards do not recommend it. Each person should make their own decision.

Well, let's see. Auto manufacturers put AGMs inside the passenger cabin. How hot does the interior get in AZ? Even here it is commonly 120* inside during the summer. The do install a vent hose, typically through the underbelly in case the pressure valve opens. I wouldn't hesitate to put AGMs inside the AS, WITH a vent hose to the outside.
Question: do the common brands for RV use have a nipple for those attachment like the auto batteries?

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by Pencilpusher

Hi:
You may be completely correct in how small the risk is by having AGM's inside the trailer. What you are not factoring in is how hot is inside the trailer (the hotter it is the more likely an AGM will vent) and how close they are to an ignition source. This may never ever be an issue 99% of the time but there is a reason RVIA standards do not recommend it. Each person should make their own decision.

Hi

With a battery just sitting there, you don't get any hydrogen coming off. The only time you see hydrogen is in the charge mode. Hydrogen is very light. It will rise / move around. If it's close to anything, it wold be close to the ceiling. If the Fantastic Fan is running then it's blowing air out of the trailer.

Again ... you need a *lot* of hydrogen for it to be a problem.

Bob

[dznf0g]

AGMs dont gas at all, unless there is a problem. Then the pressure valve pops off. They are completely sealed prior to pop off. The hose is for a failure only.

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

With a battery just sitting there, you don't get any hydrogen coming off. The only time you see hydrogen is in the charge mode. Hydrogen is very light. It will rise / move around. If it's close to anything, it wold be close to the ceiling. If the Fantastic Fan is running then it's blowing air out of the trailer.

Again ... you need a *lot* of hydrogen for it to be a problem.

Bob

[uncle_bob]

Hi

If you have ever run leak tests on stuff, that little rubber gizmo isn't doing much to stop hydrogen .....

Bob

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

If you have ever run leak tests on stuff, that little rubber gizmo isn't doing much to stop hydrogen .....

Bob

True, Hydrogen molecules are the tiniest. But as you said above, that amount is virtually undetectable at any given time, and certainly is not ANY explosion threat.

Hey, your tire carcasses leak oxygen molecules....you're going to have a blowout!!!!

[paporter]

Originally Posted by GMFL

LifeLine GPL-4CT. Mil spec quality
https://lifelinebatteries.com/produc...eries/gpl-4ct/

I just installed 4 of them. They are AWESOME!

Hello,
We have a 19' flying cloud with 2 dead intrastate group 24 batteries. Looking to purchase new for this season. I was wondering if you still like your 6 volt batteries? Are the amp hours for one 6 volt, 220 amp hours?

Thank you!