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Old 12-21-2015, 11:09 AM   #1
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Any experience with Fullriver batteries?

Anyone had experience with Fullriver brand AGM batteries?

I contact a local retailer for Lifeline batteries and he also recommended I take a look at the Fullriver batteries. He recommended the DC335-6 as a option one the Lifeline GPL-6CT.

This Fullriver battery is roughly the same size as the lifeline and about the same price (only $5 more) but it provides an additional 35AH plus a 24 month full replacement warranty vs 12 months for the Lifeline.

I understand the Fullriver batteries are made in China vs. the US for the Lifelines and this alone may steer me towards the Lifelines, but I thought I would ask the collective wisdom of the forum for any first hand knowledge or experience.

Thanks,

-J
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Old 12-21-2015, 11:59 AM   #2
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Just some general observations to consider.

Battery country of origin is not as important as how well they are designed and what the manufacturer wants to do over time. If they want to establish a great reputation and presence in the market, they will build a good product from the get go. But unfortunately, that is not always done, and price or warranty or some other thing drives their presence in the market.

A longer warranty does not necessarily mean a better product. They may simply be wanting to use it as an advertising point, and be willing to take the losses to get established. How difficult is it to prove a defective battery? How long will it take to replace it? Are there any shipping costs involved? Can you get a replacement battery on the road?

Again, I have absolutely NO information on Fullriver batteries. They may be great, they may be average, they may be poor. Someone has to try them and build up enough experience so we know. Years and years ago, Honda was making cars, and no one really knew of their quality, but they kept at it, making satisfied customers. They started making little generators, and in the early 80's I got one. It was a great little unit. I sold it with one Airstream. I got a new Honda inverter generator, and it too has been great. A friend later bought a Kipor inverter generator because of the good price. In less than a year the inverter section went belly up. Kipor replaced it, and the friend was happy with that, but it was quite a hassle to get it repaired. Kipor made a big splash in the inexpensive inverter generator market for a while. I see they are still available and listed on the web, but is the product as good as the bulletproof Honda? I still don't know but Hondas are everywhere, and Kipors are not.

I use Apple products. Virtually all of them are made in China. Most of them are excellent and have few issues, and are fully backed up with great service.

I am rambling, but some products are good, no matter where made, if they are specified well. Some are not. And that includes US made products.

Try the Fullriver batteries and report back in a few years.... LOL. That is the way reputations are built and lost.
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Old 12-21-2015, 12:04 PM   #3
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That model of FullRiver battery is 13" in height. You may need to look at the DC250-6. How are you going to fit such a large heavy set of batteries, 80/90lbs each?
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Old 12-21-2015, 09:59 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KJRitchie View Post
That model of FullRiver battery is 13" in height. You may need to look at the DC250-6. How are you going to fit such a large heavy set of batteries, 80/90lbs each?
Kelvin
I wonder that when folks recommend the Lifeline GPL-6CT. When I consider this it came out to 360lbs added to my Airstream to get four of them in an attempt to get a usable 300Ah. That's a lot of weight. And they take up a lot of space.
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Old 12-22-2015, 03:42 AM   #5
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People do this all the time. You modify the battery box to accommodate the larger batteries. As far as modifications are concerned this is a pretty minor one.

Again I am looking for first hand experience or knowledge of the Fullriver batteries.

-J


Quote:
Originally Posted by KJRitchie View Post
That model of FullRiver battery is 13" in height. You may need to look at the DC250-6. How are you going to fit such a large heavy set of batteries, 80/90lbs each?
Kelvin




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Old 12-22-2015, 12:06 PM   #6
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I have 3 Full River DC 105 Amp-Hr 12V batteries for my AS. They are 11 months old. I also have about 350 watts of power from 3 solar panels and a Blue Sky MPPT controller. The Voltage on the batteries has never dropped below 12.4 so I am happy with the performance.
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Old 12-24-2015, 04:19 AM   #7
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Nice! Any particular reason you went with Fullriver vs Lifeline?


Quote:
Originally Posted by wcrockett View Post
I have 3 Full River DC 105 Amp-Hr 12V batteries for my AS. They are 11 months old. I also have about 350 watts of power from 3 solar panels and a Blue Sky MPPT controller. The Voltage on the batteries has never dropped below 12.4 so I am happy with the performance.




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Old 12-24-2015, 05:42 AM   #8
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No experience with Full River, but I recently purchased this AGM battery:
http://www.amazon.com/Vmaxtanks-Vmax...ords=vmaxtanks
Though made in China, they are designed, engineered, and tested in the USA. Have not had it long enough to comment on performance, but it appears to be a very high quality battery and arrived fully charged. They claim it can withstand a high number of deep discharges but I plan to keep it above 50% at all times. 125 AH capacity should be adequate for my needs.
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Old 12-25-2015, 08:17 AM   #9
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I bought them while traveling in Yuma, Az last winter. There were not a lot of choices available in Yuma but the 4 75 Amp-Hr AGM batteries I replaced were not holding a charge and I needed to continue boon docking. There were other batteries available but I do not remember if they were lifeline. One 27 series battery fits in the battery box on my 27' AS. There were two 24 series battery in that box. Then I put 2 27 series batteries in the storage compartment where two 24 series batteries were originally mounted. Going from 4 batteries batteries, with a total of 300 Amp-hrs, to 3, with 315 Amp-hrs, was the deciding factor for me. I think the cost to by 4 24 series with 300 Amp-hrs was about the same.
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Old 12-30-2015, 04:19 PM   #10
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Considering the price, this is a decent alternative to either the Lifelines or the Fullrivers.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BambiTex View Post
No experience with Full River, but I recently purchased this AGM battery:
http://www.amazon.com/Vmaxtanks-Vmax...ords=vmaxtanks
Though made in China, they are designed, engineered, and tested in the USA. Have not had it long enough to comment on performance, but it appears to be a very high quality battery and arrived fully charged. They claim it can withstand a high number of deep discharges but I plan to keep it above 50% at all times. 125 AH capacity should be adequate for my needs.
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Old 01-12-2016, 09:50 AM   #11
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So far so good

Quote:
Originally Posted by jpons View Post
Considering the price, this is a decent alternative to either the Lifelines or the Fullrivers.
Will update after more use.
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Old 01-31-2016, 01:04 AM   #12
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I have 2 of the Fullriver DC220-6 Volts in the existing battery case. Was in Yellowstone last October and they ran the furnace at night (high 20s temps) and would be down to 75-80% by morning but would turn on the generator and bring em back up. I installed the Progressive Dynamics 4600 charger. Recently I have run into an issue with parasitic draw that is bring the batteries down a good 30% overnight with only the propane sensor running. No fridge, no radios, fans, etc. So been trying to trouble shoot what maybe causing the problem.
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Old 02-08-2016, 08:01 AM   #13
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If you have an inverter make sure it is off, if it is in a standby (auto on) mode you could potentially have a 15w standby power drain. Consult the documentation for your equipment
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Old 02-09-2016, 08:22 AM   #14
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If you have an inverter make sure it is off, if it is in a standby (auto on) mode you could potentially have a 15w standby power drain. Consult the documentation for your equipment
MyCloud9,

I will look into that to confirm that it is indeed off.

Thanks!
Mike
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Old 02-09-2016, 08:57 AM   #15
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Replacing a battery with an "off brand" is OK, if you don't go very far on a trip.

Part of the advantage of a well known brand, is that you could if necessary, in warranty, easily find a replacement.

Andy
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Old 12-13-2018, 08:45 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jpons View Post
People do this all the time. You modify the battery box to accommodate the larger batteries. As far as modifications are concerned this is a pretty minor one.

Again I am looking for first hand experience or knowledge of the Fullriver batteries.
When I saw this a couple years ago, it made me think more about Fullriver. Had been hearing about them but nothing to get excited about yet. Finally took them on when I realized they made the 6 volt 220 AH in a group 27 case (DC-220-6) and they have now surpassed Lifeline for our Airstream applications for that very reason. 220 AH packed in a 27 size box means none or very little box modification depending on year. That and the better warranty. Zero failures as of this date. Certainly worth considering if space is an issue.
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Old 12-15-2018, 03:48 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by WheelnStones View Post
I have 2 of the Fullriver DC220-6 Volts in the existing battery case. Was in Yellowstone last October and they ran the furnace at night (high 20s temps) and would be down to 75-80% by morning but would turn on the generator and bring em back up. I installed the Progressive Dynamics 4600 charger. Recently I have run into an issue with parasitic draw that is bring the batteries down a good 30% overnight with only the propane sensor running. No fridge, no radios, fans, etc. So been trying to trouble shoot what maybe causing the problem.
Thanks for bumping this thread Randy. I’m due for a new set of batteries in the spring and I”m starting my research. WheelnStones is making me believe I can fit the DC220-6s in my 2014 vintage box. I’m thinking I will figure out how to wire in a shut off switch while I’m at it.
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Old 12-15-2018, 09:32 PM   #18
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Thanks for bumping this thread Randy. I’m due for a new set of batteries in the spring and I”m starting my research. WheelnStones is making me believe I can fit the DC220-6s in my 2014 vintage box. I’m thinking I will figure out how to wire in a shut off switch while I’m at it.
Here is a link from Dirk installing group 27 Fullriver 220 AH 6 volts on a 2017 Airstream. No way this would have worked with Lifelines without more modifications. I think he is a member here but don't remember his handle. Maybe he will see and chime in.

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Old 03-07-2019, 08:49 PM   #19
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I have been looking at going to 6v batteries and Randy at Best Converter recommends the FullRiver 220-6 to replace my Grp 24 since they are Grp 27 size and will fit in my battery box with no alterations. I have measured the box and it appears that they will be a tight fit, but will work. He tells me that Fullriver started making the 220-6 at the request of Forum members.
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Old 03-12-2019, 05:39 PM   #20
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Lifeline vs Full River

For over 6 years we lived on a Selene trawler. The boat was 24V, we used 8 Lifeline LT16 6v batteries for the house bank and I thought they did a good job over the years. Eventually I had to replace the bow thruster, stern thruster, and start batteries, each system being two 4D units. I used Full River for the replacements and had about 2 years of use on them before we sold the boat. At least for that period of time, I thought the Full River was equivalent to the Lifeline.
I have just completed upgrades on our new 26U Twin and used two Lifeline LT16 AGM 6V batteries mounted on their sides under the starboard side twin bunk for a nominal 400 Ah of capacity, usable 200-220 Ah. The 26U is very tongue heavy and I wanted to remove the factory batteries and get the weight behind the axle. The installation is new so I cannot comment on how the batteries will hold up
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