Community Forums

akeagle · 02-13-2021, 07:47 PM

A battery that has lasted 7 years is/was certainly a good one, but its a virtual guarantee it will fail at a most inopportune time. I'd replace it before the next trip.

The 2016 Minnie Winnie (2015 chassis) we bought used 2 1/2 years ago had a strong original battery, but after its 2nd year in winter storage it was losing starting power last spring.

Had it tested and sure enough it failed the load test.

In years past I had always bought Die Hard batteries but that was no longer feasible since Sears went belly up here in Alaska. The place that did the test carried Interstate batteries which I know to be a very good brand so I sprung for a good one. Cost was around $160.

SuperDad · 02-14-2021, 05:33 AM

Thanks for all the feedback. I went out to Sam's and bought a new Duracell AGM Group Size 65 Battery yesterday. Getting ready for a 600 mile trip so I wanted the piece of mind.

YC1 · 02-14-2021, 08:48 AM

One less thing to worry about now as you said. It is not if a battery will fail, just when and most batteries are murdered do to poor maintenance and use. Running them down too far and long for example. Poor battery connections. In some cases, not keeping them watered.

They are the heartbeat of the systems.

Arch Hoagland · 02-14-2021, 11:11 AM

Thanks for the update. You should be in good shape for a few more years.

LETMGROW · 02-15-2021, 05:15 AM

Smart........Very smart.

Sweetbriar · 02-15-2021, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperDad

Thanks for all the feedback. I went out to Sam's and bought a new Duracell AGM Group Size 65 Battery yesterday. Getting ready for a 600 mile trip so I wanted the piece of mind.

Installed the a Sam's Club Duracell battery way back in May of 2011 and was replaced with the same last spring (9 years in service) after the first time I had to use the Aux Start switch for no apparent external cause.

Tegu · 02-15-2021, 10:44 AM

After reading through this thread, I got to thinking. I have a 2013 coach that was actually built on a 2012 chassis. The guy that I bought it from always had maintenance done at Ford dealer. It had a motorcraft battery when I bought it over four years ago and I assumed it was the original battery, but it really didn't matter, because it was getting weak and needed to be replaced. Even if your battery was a 2013, wasn't it eight years old.

DurangoNick · 02-16-2021, 01:32 AM

I just replaced the original Motorcraft in my 2013 build. Had to use the axillary start which, with the age, said it was time. 7 years is darn good. Did my homework and went with a Walmart unit. Walmart is everywhere should I have an issue. $100 with the tax after core return. Group 46 battery. They are all maintenance-free I am told even though they have what looks like caps. Two different guys told me if I remove the caps, it voids the warranty. Works for me.

TeJay · 02-16-2021, 08:21 AM

As previously said any RV battery will last until it fails. You as the one involved need to do proper maintenance and charging to achieve or exceed the expeted life from your battery's.

Some battery's are constructed to a higher standard and therefore should reach their expected life in months or total years. There are studies made on battery's that can be searched on the net. That can give you a somewhat better idea where to spend your money. This battery discussion just came up last week and a friend said he just did a search on that exact subject. The Wally World higher end battery's came out on top of that study.

Here's some questions and statements to ponder.

1. If my battery is not being used will I do harm either by keeping it on the RV charger all the time or do I need to say do 2 weeks on then 2 weeks off?
2. When snow birds head to AZ for 6 months to their favorite winter camping resort besides checking the water level do they leave it hooked up and charging on shore power all 6 months or do they disconnect for a time? I guess the same would hold true if one is parked at home for say 4 months of inactivity.
3. I believe we can agree that 12 volt storage battery's need to be charged on a regular basis when not in active service. We know this when we try the lawn mower that has set for 5 to 7 months in the garage. Or the motor cycle that has set for 9 months or longer inactive. Usually the battery's are dead and sometimes will not recharge.
4. Think about your regular care or truck battery. We used them daily when we were working. When we reach retirement that daily cycle of charging does not occur regularily. That might affect the life of the battery or not. The battery still has a finite life span. I always tell folks asking questions when a storage battery is placed into servie it is beginning it's life cycle until it finally fails down the road in X number of months or years.
5. I was always told but not really verified there were some basic design differences between a regular cranking battery and a deep cycle battery. The deep cycle battery use on boats could absorbe more abuse like the pounding a boat gets riding the waves. In addition it was not recommended to use a deep cycle as a cranking battery and vice versa. I'm sure using them for short periods wouldn't do much if any harm.

The cranking battery was designed to allow a high current draw in the range of 150 amps or higher for a short period of time. The high amperage draw is needed to overcome the cranking resistance on cold starts. Much worse in winter climates. The deep cycle was designed to allow slow discharging like using a depth finder or trolling motor fishing until the battery was close to depleated. Instead of an immediate high current draw the deep cycle allow a slow draw for extended lengths of time.

Years ago when I'd buy a storage battery some shops would add the electrolyte to activate the battery. I'll presume my new battery just came to life. I guess beause of the sulfuric battery acids potential for bodily harm they don't activate wet cell batteries anymore. So the question is when you buy a new wet cell battery how old it it? When was it activated? How much of the life of my new to me battery is already gone? Do they cycle those battery's so I'm not getting one that is 6 or 12 months old?

Tires have the same issue. They have a manufacturers date on each tire side wall and do have a shelf life. They begin to deteriorate as soon as they are made. Yes the sun exposure is the big factor. Do you check for a manufacturer date when changing all 6 of your RV tires. I know I sure do and I want them all to be made close to the same time. Maybe some tire shops have tire sales to get rid of their older out dated tires?

If you perform the required battery service as needed you are left with two choices. When a battery reaches its expected life you can either change them as preventative maintenance or push your luck. As usual the choice is yours.

THenne1713 · 02-22-2021, 08:28 PM

I will replace my starting battery next week, after stores restock, the cold finally weakened it, it is DATED 2011 :-) I have seen some OEM 36-month battery totally fail at 36 month, but this is a WM or Interstate :-)

THenne1713 · 03-02-2021, 09:23 AM

Yup, the WM chassis battery I changed last week was dated 2011

GoneToTheDog · 03-02-2021, 02:22 PM

Sometimes it just depends on your locale also. For instance, we live in the Arizona desert...most of the time. Over the years I have had a few batteries fail prematurely, which can be quite common here due to the extreme heat.

Our motorhome starting battery (4 years old) tested weak when I last had it serviced, and I had a new one installed. I was lucky with that one.

With our cars....experience has taught me to live by the 'two year rule', and I don't care if the battery still tests good. Chances are good that it will fail just beyond the two year mark. We install a new battery in both cars every two years. It's only money, and provides peace of mind. Definitely no fun and can be dangerous, to have a dead battery in 110 degree heat, at an inopportune time and place. (picture ice cream, in your grocery bag)-(or your 88 year old parent in the car)