Interstate Brand Batteries

[Gringo]

Originally Posted by wulfraat

Why not just order online and have them shipped to your door in a matter of days? No need to settle for local selection....

amazon.com
batteryguys.com
BatteryStuff.com
sepbatteries.com
etc.

Good idea, except for Amazon. I stopped using Amazon couple years ago. You cannot specify shipping carrier you want with Amazon and it caused me a lot of grief as we move around a lot. If I want to pick something up at the nearest Fed Ex office, for example, I've had Amazon ship via UPS or USPS. Whoops, sorry. Didn't mean to get off on my anti amazon rant...

And I don't exactly have a "door" to ship them to, at the moment. and need them day after tomorrow.

[Wayne&Sam]

Originally Posted by Gringo

Last Oct I put the trailer in storage, batteries fully charged, put the switch in Store mode.

Last week I went to check on the trailer. Batteries sitting there at 9.5 volts. Got to be a better way.

Seven months and the batteries ran down? That's not unusual. Even in store mode the LP detector is on.

On my last Airstream the Interstates lasted 7 years, this one is on four and still fine. In storage, I connect a "smart" charger to the batteries.

[Gringo]

Originally Posted by Wayne&Sam

Seven months and the batteries ran down? That's not unusual. Even in store mode the LP detector is on.

On my last Airstream the Interstates lasted 7 years, this one is on four and still fine. In storage, I connect a "smart" charger to the batteries.

I'd love to be able to connect a charger over the winter, but it's not really an option in the open storage lot. Solar might be a way to go next season, I'm looking into that.

And I will definitely disconnect the batteries from the trailer circuit completely this time around. I'm planning to buy another set of Interstate 27s this time around. This set lasted two summers, and one winter. Maybe with a better charger, disconnecting from trailer, and a solar top up I'll have better luck.

And if I could just walk into a store Monday morning and buy a set of the Lifelines, I would.

Thanks to everyone for the info and suggestions.

[carl2591]

depending on where you live I bet Randy at bestconverter.com can get you lifeline batteries in a few days.

in deciding on waiting a few days to get lifeline agm or interstate do you self a favor and go lifeline or if cost is an issue get Trojan or costco golf cart batteries seem to get a good review around here.

[21Airstream]

Originally Posted by lewster

Sorry for the rambling but I deal with this situation every day and the primary culprit that I have found over the last 17 years in the RV business is the quality of both the batteries AND the charging systems. Yes, some have success with Interstate batteries with careful monitoring and charging, but there are far better systems that work well with much less human input!

As always....YMMV!!!

I joined this forum to learn more about our Airstream. I appreciate your input (and will upgrade our batteries and charging system in the future).

[MamaG]

So my husband looked under our 2018 at the batteries and the cable is corroded. It has been in a garage for a year with no exposure to moisture but anyway can some of you recommend a replacement house battery.

[BayouBiker]

I'd rinse off the acid, spray some corrosionX or WD40 on the corroded part and see if the batteries will take a charge. If it was just parked with the batteries still connected and nothing to maintain the charge, then there's not much chance they are still good.

If you are going to maintain them going forward some AGM batteries of the same size is a good option. Some brands are better than others but in your case budget might be the way to go. If you are going to let them sit connected and not on a maintenance charger, I don't have a recommendation.

[Steamguy]

Originally Posted by MamaG

So my husband looked under our 2018 at the batteries and the cable is corroded. It has been in a garage for a year with no exposure to moisture but anyway can some of you recommend a replacement house battery.

From an old Apprentice Mechanic, who learned under some genius Masters:

Mix some bicarb of soda in hot water and flush off the cable and tops of the batteries. This will foam up like mad, give it a chance to stop foaming, then hit it again and again until you run out of mix. We used to make the mix in a 2-quart utility container with a spout and handle. Rinse with clean hot water.

Responding to brand names in posts above (yeah, I know the thread is 3 years old): We used to have "class" on slow days, when we could get an expert in to teach. Battery class was one.

At that time, there were really only two makers of batteries in the US. Interstate and Exide. From a lot of the above, you can tell who was the better quality manufacturer...

Exide had a special arrangement with Sears for their DieHard batteries and special build specifications, that's why they were so good. DieHard Gold used to be just the best thing you could get.

If you can get Marine-grade "House", not "Starting" batteries, then get them. Marine-grade are made for applications with repeated pounding, big bumps, and vibrations, much like in a trailer. "RV" batteries are built with a sprung chassis in mind, thinking that it's not so subject to the pounding that a Marine battery has to take, so they can fail sooner.

There used to be a big thing about military tank batteries a few years ago, they were rugged and had a good discharge depth, but the cases are non-standard sizes and man, they are HEAVY.

Duty differences: Starting batteries are built for high-current applications, like starting an engine. They have less discharge depth and shorter longevity than House batteries. It's all in the way the internal plates are built, and how much empty space below the plates there is.

Golf cart batteries remain a good alternative, because they are made for moderate current drain, and repeated deep discharge cycles. But they cost in weight.

Hope that helps.