Batteries

[wa8yxm]

You ask if AGM's are worth the added cost.. You have already heard from many who think they are.. I do admit they have their place.. Personally. I do not think they are worth the cost.

But that is my opinion... Clearly, others feel differently.

I tried them, I did not like them the ones I had died fairly quickly compared to my flooded wet cells, which by the way are still going strong.

[Jack1234]

Originally Posted by 1skier

I determined that standard flooded cell batteries with a flow-rite filler system would best fit all my needs.!

I agree with Skier.....as long as your charger is set-up properly your battery compartment will stay bone dry & clean....with the flow-rite system it will keep water levels good & maintenance become a breeze.... at this point AGM's offer us no significant advantages to justify the significant cost premium.

[hes4all]

Originally Posted by Cat320

AGMs normally do not require equalization, bing "battery equalization" and you'll see ...here is one verbatim quote:

"Gel cells and AGMs require no maintenance once the charging system has been properly set up. No equalization charges (usually), no electrolyte to replenish, no specific gravity checks, no additional safety gear to carry on board in order to protect yourself. If you want to be anal retentive about VRLAs you can load test them. However, proper charge control and protection is much more important with VRLAs because once fried it is impossible to revive them."

I will check into this a little more. As I mentioned earlier, AM Solar set up my Lifeline AGM's to be equalized automatically with the solar systems. So I will give then a call first and ask. I do know that AM said this was for Lifeline only, don't know if that makes a difference or not?

I will also call my friend that works at Lifeline and ask him. He sold me the batteries so I think he would know too!

Good information to know!

Here is a post that was shared a while back on another forum.

At Quartzsite, and again at FMCA-ABQ, I was getting quite frustrated with our battery performance (Lifeline AGM 4-6V) while dry camping. It was a stretch to limit the batteries going below 50% charge running the furnace with a cold nite, even after running the generator until 11PM. The batteries took a long time to recharge and discharged much faster than in the past. Since they are more than 7 years old, I was thinking maybe they needed to be replaced.

Talking with the Lifeline people at FMCA-ABQ, I got some good advice. When I first purchased the batteries, Lifeline did not recommend equalizing, but that changed a couple of years later. I have my Xantrex controller set for AGM batteries and it has an equalization program, so I have been equalizing about once a year. I described the symptoms to the Lifeline guys and told them that I had the batteries load tested a few months ago and they were good, so wasn't sure what the problem was. I also mentioned that when I equalized, the voltage reading was 14.1, about the same as bulk recharging, which really didn't make much sense.

They said I did need 16+V to equalize and that I should change the battery settings on the Xantrex controller to wet cell/warm when I equalize. I equalized again with the new setting after FMCA-ABQ and did get the 16.1V readings. Last nite, here at WallyWorld, was my first opportunity to see how the batteries work after equalization and I have to say it was a success. The batteries recharged faster and higher, and even with freezing temperatures last nite there was still plenty of juice for Marlene to run her computer on the inverter during the nite, and the voltage drop on the inverter with usage this morning was about half or less than before.

If you are using AGM batteries, you might try the different setting when you equalize, I think you'll be pleased with the result.

[CountryFit]

Originally Posted by Mr_D

Or, you could add mineral oil to the cells and almsot totally eliminate corrosion and adding water like a lot of us have.
Here are pictures of my batteries after 4 years of not being cleaned and just adding water as needed.

Mr D, your adding mineral oil to the cells sounds very interesting... May I ask any particular type/brand of oil you are using and how many drops for each cell?

[Tony Lee]

I would be VERY wary of subjecting any AGM battery to a full wet-cell-type equalization charge of 2 or 3 hours at 16 volts as just suggested without first sighting printed and published recommendations from the battery manufacturer/

AGMs and flooded cell have quite different characteristics and my info is that even when a manufacturer does recommend equalization of AGMs, it is nothing like the brutal regime that flooded cell batteries are (often unnecessarily??) subjected to

[TechWriter]

Originally Posted by Tony Lee

I would be VERY wary of subjecting any AGM battery to a full wet-cell-type equalization charge of 2 or 3 hours at 16 volts as just suggested without first sighting printed and published recommendations from the battery manufacturer.

AGMs and flooded cell have quite different characteristics and my info is that even when a manufacturer does recommend equalization of AGMs, it is nothing like the brutal regime that flooded cell batteries are (often unnecessarily??) subjected to

Unless you have some compelling information, I'd go with Lifeline's AGM Charging Recommendations which, for Equalization, call for 15.8V for 8 hours.

[Gary RVRoamer]

Neither Trojan nor Deka (East Penn) want their AGM batteries equalized. Lifeline (Concorde) says its ok but gives specific instructions that are slightly different than a typical equalizing cycle. The bottom line is, don't do it to an AGM unless the battery manufacturer says so.

I use AGMs and are satisfied with them. My Trojan 31AGMs are 5 years old and still doing fine and the zero maintenance aspect is really nice. However, feel I could do as well performance-wise with a good quality golf cart deep cycle. ANd for a lot less money. I take care of my batteries anyway, so occasional watering is not a big deal.

Many RVers always use electric hook-ups and probably don't need the benefits of an AGM except for the no-maintenance aspect.