Difference Between Cheap/Expensive Batteries. Performance vs Cost

[adlerx]

So what really is the difference? The dealer I bought me 99 La Palma from put new house batteries in it when we bought it.
He no doubt put in the cheapest batteries he could get, they're labled "Econo-Power".
Anyhow, I am just wondering the difference in battervie on a performence vs cost basis.
How long do your house batteries last dry comping. What about furnace use? how bad does this darw em down?

[RJay]

My guess is that the Econo-Power battery is a relabeled Interstate battery manufactured by Johnson Controls. If you can find the Group designation on the battery you can determine its capacity. For the most optimum battery life try not to discharge them more than 50% of their full charge.

[offthewall]

Originally Posted by RJay

My guess is that the Econo-Power battery is a relabeled Interstate battery manufactured by Johnson Controls. If you can find the Group designation on the battery you can determine its capacity. For the most optimum battery life try not to discharge them more than 50% of their full charge.

Actually the group designation of a battery is an indicator of it's physical size only. It does not give information about is capacity. Ah is the spec that you need to be concerned about with deep cycle house batteries. The larger the Ah spec, the longer they will run.

As with any other product, there are cheaply made batteries and there are quality made ones. There are better and worse warrantys. Usually that follows price.

There are also two basic types of deep cycle batteries. Flooded cell and AGM. Flooded cells are cheaper but require proper maintainence and do not hold a charge as long in storage. AGMs are expensive but require zero maintenance and can hold a full charge for a year or more in storage. They also can be mounted in any orientation and never leak acid.

[adlerx]

Appreciate the responses but neither comes close to answering the question.
Maybe it's my fault, maybe I wasn't clear.
How much do good quality house batteries cost and how much better are they in practicle use? How long should I expect them to last when dry camping?
Thanks for telling me that better batteries are better, I figured that was the case. The question is how much better, why and at what cost?
One new question, can I add additional house batteries to the two I already have and what's required to do so?

[a k]

It's like a water heater. 6 year and 12 year heater is the same thing, you are just paying the difference in the warranty.

[Wanabee FTer]

Do you have 2-6 volt batteries or 2-12 volt batteries.
I have 3 Interstate (cheap) 12 volt batteries rated at about 85 ah ea. For an appx total of 255 ah. That gives me about 125 useable amps. I just completed a 7 day dry camping experience. It was somewhat nerve racking. My wife has to have the heater on at least 65 degree's at night. This can be a huge draw if you are camping anywhere near freezing temps. Also we watch TV for a couple hours every night. This and making sure battery voltage never drops below 12.2 volts was causing me more stress then I was aware of at the time. My challenge was to charge the battery bank back up the next day without running the genset more then 4-5 hours. With a good charger it should be ok, but I have a magnetek 7345 that is less then desirable for genset charging. I plan to upgrade to a Progressive Dynamics PD9245 soon. I was using an automotive battery charger along with the magnetek to charge the battery bank back up. What a hassle.
If I had a good solar array I suspect it would have been stress free for my minimal power requirements. I believe I had just enough battery power for my needs, but a larger battery bank would be even better. Oh well, looks like I have a few more projects in my future.

[offthewall]

Originally Posted by adlerx

Appreciate the responses but neither comes close to answering the question.
Maybe it's my fault, maybe I wasn't clear.
How much do good quality house batteries cost and how much better are they in practicle use? How long should I expect them to last when dry camping?
Thanks for telling me that better batteries are better, I figured that was the case. The question is how much better, why and at what cost?
One new question, can I add additional house batteries to the two I already have and what's required to do so?

As I said AGM batteries are the best because they require no maintenance, typically have a higher Ah rating for a given physical size, can be mounted in any orientation, don't leak, hold a charge longer and charge back up faster. That is what you are paying for. I just bought 4 group 31 Lifeline batteries for $1100.00. I have 420 Ah. A lot of money for a lot of power, fast recovery, convience, and durability over cheaper flooded cells.

How long your batteries are going to last is an impossible question to answer without more info. What is the Ah rating of your batteries? Do you have 2 twelve volt or two six volt batteries? Can you add more? That depends on your charger/converter and physical space.

[Dutch Star Don]

adlerx.....Unfortunately, your question can't be answered with a simple response. There are a ton of variables that have to be considered.

1st) How many batteries does your coach have.

2nd) Are you running 6 volt or 12 volt.

3rd) Do you have a quality charging system.

4th) Do you have solar panels.

5th) Are you going to be boondocking a lot.

6th) What type of power do you need (do you have a lot of electronics or watch TV)

7th) Do you travel around frequently or tend to stay in one spot.

8th) How often do you use the coach (Weekends, weeks at a time)

9th) What batteries will fit in your battery bay.

10th) Amp hours and Cranking Amp ratings.

You're asking for information on performance vs cost. I think you need to answer all of the above questions before you can decide that. As an example. My coach has four 6 volt coach batteries and two 12 volt chassis batteries. I'll leave the chassis batteries out of the equation.

Over the past 5.5 years we've used out coach at least once a month for a weekend trip and three to four times a year for a 1-2 week trip. I like to watch TV and we do a combination of full hook-ups and dry camping. My coach came with four Interstate batteries and they performed well for 5 years with a minimal amount of mantenace issues. The Interstates are a mid quality acid battery. They served me well and produced the amount of power I needed for all of my camping situations. Being a gadget guy and always liking to buy the best quality product I can afford, I looked at Lifeline AGM batteries when it was tine to replace. For me and the type of camping I do, they were not cost effective. They are probably some of the best you can buy, but I wasn't willing to spend $1200.00 for them. If I was travelling more and relying more on my battery power, I would have bought the Lifelines.

In each type of battery, you can have different levels of quality. In acid batteries a better brand may use heavier plates, a better designed/sturdier case and as one poster stated, you pay more for the length of the warranty, even though the guts may be the same. The rated cranking amps and amp hours will tell you a little bit about the quality of the battery when comparing one to another.

In your case, if you occasionally camp, most often use hook-ups, the batteries that came with your coach will probably be fine. If you decide to start boondocking on a regular basis, want to run an inverter and watch a lot of TV, you may want to go to a better quality battery. Change to 6 volt if you have 12 volt or go with an AGM battery.

There are too many variables and that's why there are so many batteries out there, even though most are made by only a few companies.