AGM batteries

[BRP]

Any pros or cons on AGM house batteries for. 2015 Winnebago your, Thanks in advance for your comments.

[2Newsomes]

One of the pros would be less maintenance, one of the cons would be expense. I would expect the Tour came from the factory with AGM batteries.

[Mark_K5LXP]

There are pro's and con's to everything. It's a more direct decision path to define what power problem you want to solve, and let that answer decide the solution.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

[Arch Hoagland]

I put two 6 volt AGM batteries in my coach about a year ago, got tired of checking water levels all the time.

I got them at Sam's Club $179 each.

[Winemaker2]

Originally Posted by Arch Hoagland

I put two 6 volt AGM batteries in my coach about a year ago, got tired of checking water levels all the time.

I got them at Sam's Club $179 each.

I too think Sams Duracell is a Best Buy.
Yes close to $2/AH vs 1$/AH wFLA
Look at the condition of your batty compartment / slide, corrosion around terminals, i figure the $ for a pair of jeans and shirt every year over the batty life alone covers the $ difference.
Repaired my batty compartment / slude for the last time.
I now have bought 13 AGM battys from Sams / East Penn for boats, MHs & autos and VERY satisfied.

[bigchick]

our trailer has the batteries installed in the same compartment as all the electronic devices (level up control board and motor, transfer switch, inverter, remote receiver, etc). the batteries are installed in vented battery boxes. but they are a real pain to get to as you have to get one you hands and knees to reach in, unscrew and remove the battery box tops. obviously the vented battery boxes are an attempt to keep battery corrosion away from and all the electronic items. but this makes checking battery water levels a real time consuming pain!

that's why agm looks so attractive to me. no need to check water levels and minimal to no corrosive outgassing.

[Nwcid]

Big generalization here, but this is the reason to choose each one.

FLA batteries: Low cost/AH

AGM batteries: Provide smiler ratings as FLA but no maintenance and reduced corrosion from no/very minimal off gassing. Cost 1.5-2x of FLA but 1/3-1/2 the cost of lithium.

Lithium batteries: Large output and large reserve as you can use 80-100% of rated AH vs ~50% on FLA or AGM. Need to conserve weight.

[okcnewbie]

Originally Posted by bigchick

our trailer has the batteries installed in the same compartment as all the electronic devices (level up control board and motor, transfer switch, inverter, remote receiver, etc). the batteries are installed in vented battery boxes. but they are a real pain to get to as you have to get one you hands and knees to reach in, unscrew and remove the battery box tops. obviously the vented battery boxes are an attempt to keep battery corrosion away from and all the electronic items. but this makes checking battery water levels a real time consuming pain!

that's why agm looks so attractive to me. no need to check water levels and minimal to no corrosive outgassing.

I found two telecom AGM batteries locally for and installed them and the controller/inverter, etc. under the bench seat in our old Class C. The whole system was copied from Handybobs and was still going strong after 6 years of use when we sold it.

[Switchflicke]

Originally Posted by Arch Hoagland

I put two 6 volt AGM batteries in my coach about a year ago, got tired of checking water levels all the time.

I got them at Sam's Club $179 each.

Arch, is there any cons to the install of the AGM batteries?
such as endurance and voltage drop?
Stan

[vsheetz]

Wet vs AGM true deep cycle batteries:

Both wet and AGM are lead acid technology. Typically the number of discharge cycles are similar. So similar longevity. Both have extended cycle versions available, at a higher cost. Lifeline is a popular such AGM.

Wet batteries will typically take more abuse than AGM (examples of abuse are being discharged excessively, let sit discharged, over charged, etc.).

SoC / voltages are similar. Both recommended to discharge to about 50% for good performance and longevity.

Capacities in amp hours are similar for same sized battery.

Charge times are similar.

Slightly differing charging parameters. So ensure your charger is configured appropriately.

Wet batteries should be equalized periodically or have a desulfidator device. Most AGM should not be equalized, but some do - refer to manufacturers recommendation.

From the above you can see the primary difference is the maintenance required by the wet battery vs the maintenance free AGM. And the AGM typically 2x to 3x the purchase cost.

###

The other type of battery becoming popular are Lithium technology. A whole differing topic.

Typically best advantaged in dry camping senarios.

Technically better in most every way. But have a high initial cost. But can be cost effective in the long run as they typically have 3x to 5x or more cycle longevity as compared to a extended cycle AGM.

[Arch Hoagland]

Originally Posted by Switchflicke

Arch, is there any cons to the install of the AGM batteries?
such as endurance and voltage drop?
Stan

None that I'm aware of. They've been in for about a year now with no problems.

My coach is stored next to my house with full hookups and I usually keep power supplied to the coach for one week, then turn off the power for a week or so and then turn it back on.

We use the coach occasionally when we have house guests but have only done a couple trips since the covid hit.


I did notice that the AGM batteries were a lot heavier than the old batteries so I invested in a battery strap to help carrying and installing them.

I have a voltmeter wired across the battery terminals so at a glance I know what the voltage is by just opening the battery compartment door.

https://www.amazon.com/4-0-30v-Digit...649846&sr=8-19

[DancinCampers]

I replaced our original 6 NAPA 12v AGM's with Duracell 12v AGMs from Sams club Jan last year. 8 years of trouble free service. Cost after core return and 9.2% Louisiana tx was $1,059.72. Mine are located between the chassis rails, below the pass thru compartment floor. Completely open to the atmosphere. Other than a lot of dust not any sign of corrosion. A pain to replace in the tight space, but I was lucky enough to have a body builder friend that made it look so easy swapping out those batteries.

[Cheryl Bisson]

Our first set of four Lifeline 6volt batteries lasted 11 years. Very happy with them and replaced them with the same.