Questions on Replacing Coach Batteries

[JMSCTB]

Hi all,
We purchased a 2005 Fleetwood Bounder a month or so ago, and just checked the batteries, there are 4 in the battery compartment (basement) and 2 under the entry step. The 4 in the basement all had dry cells/plates. I filled each cell, of each battery with distilled water, and now have the MH reconnected to shore power to let the charger work. (the 2 under the steps had 'damp' cells/plates, but need distilled water - when I get more).
My questions are:
1. is there any realistic chance my 4 batteries are still useable? (or any for that matter?)
2. I'm confused as to what to replace them with. I understand AGM is better than my flooded lead acid, but my confusion lies in the specs of the battery.
I've attached a pic of my batteries (all 6 the same).
Should I stay with the 12V 232Ah similar to what's there, or could I go with something like a 'Lifeline 220Ah 6V AGM Deep Cycle Battery GPL-4CT' ? Would 6V be enough?
The only Interstate batteries in the GC2 series are 6V, would they be enough?
I understand I need to stay within the size constraints of the GC2, but I have a bit of wiggle room, at least in the basement bin.
Also, my Inverter is a Xantrex Freedom Marine 20 for whatever that plays into this.

Too many choices, and obviously I'm new to this. Any help and/or advise would be greatly appreciated!!
And just one more question; do all 6 of my batteries function as one 'bank' feeding the inverter, or are the 2 under the step somehow separate from the other 4?, and if so, why/how?
Thank you all!

[Julia2005]

I would give anything for six batteries. I only have one chassis battery and two house batteries. I went with the AGM batteries as they seemed to be the best bang for the buck. I am also limited on space and found two 6v Crown AGB batteries for a great price at High Tech Batteries. So far so good. Also no need to change my Xantrex inverter/charger for these batteries.

[arcaguy]

The two batteries under the step are likely the "chassis" batteries which start the engine and power the chassis part of the coach. These are likely tied to the other 4 batteries, the "house" batteries, but with some safeguards so you don't drain all of the batteries and can't start your coach. There is also likely an "emergency start" switch on your dash which will allow you to use your house batteries to start the coach if the chassis batteries are dead. Even though the batteries are all the same now they likely weren't originally, but they could have been. The chassis batteries were, and probably should be, "starting" batteries which are generally rated in CCA or Cold Cranking Amps. They are also likely FLA or Flooded Lead Acid batteries. The other 4 batteries are the "house" batteries which power the house part of the coach and are generally in "amp hours" (AH). Generally these power everything in the coach that is not part of the chassis. Things like lights, the refrigerator, the 120V side of the coach when you are not plugged in or not on shore power. If you have 12V batteries they will be connected in parallel which means that all of the positive (red) posts are connected to each other and all of the negative (black) posts are connected together. In this arrangement the positive wire going into the coach and the negative wire going into the coach will be connected to opposite ends of the battery pack. It will work if you connect them both to the same battery but it is not optimal as that battery will discharge quicker.
When folks talk about using 6V (golf cart) batteries they connect two of them in series and then the other 2 in series which provides you with 2 12V batteries which you then connect in parallel. I know this sounds confusing but once you figure out what is going on it's actually simple. This video should help. Just be very careful not to connect your positive and negative posts together on the same battery and they can and do explode. This is the most dangerous thing about batteries. Please be careful. Hopefully this video will help you if you choose to go with 6V batteries, which is generally a good choice. Good Luck.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WF_aKB_JcPY

[bhammond1980]

I have 3 chassis and 4 house batteries. The house batteries are 6 volts wired in series for 12-volt output. Last year I replaced all of them and while shopping looked at AGM's as possible replacements for the house batteries. Although I would have preferred to go with AGM's I couldn't find them anywhere. I ended up going with flooded types with a battery watering system made by Flow-Rite on the 6-volt house batteries. This system makes it very easy to keep the water levels correct without having to pull caps and inspect individual cells. After a year of use they are working fine, and maintenance is no big deal.

[windsorbill]

Originally Posted by JMSCTB

Hi all,
We purchased a 2005 Fleetwood Bounder a month or so ago, and just checked the batteries, there are 4 in the battery compartment (basement) and 2 under the entry step. The 4 in the basement all had dry cells/plates. I filled each cell, of each battery with distilled water, and now have the MH reconnected to shore power to let the charger work. (the 2 under the steps had 'damp' cells/plates, but need distilled water - when I get more).
My questions are:
1. is there any realistic chance my 4 batteries are still useable? (or any for that matter?)
2. I'm confused as to what to replace them with. I understand AGM is better than my flooded lead acid, but my confusion lies in the specs of the battery.
I've attached a pic of my batteries (all 6 the same). Attachment 355307
Should I stay with the 12V 232Ah similar to what's there, or could I go with something like a 'Lifeline 220Ah 6V AGM Deep Cycle Battery GPL-4CT' ? Would 6V be enough?
The only Interstate batteries in the GC2 series are 6V, would they be enough?
I understand I need to stay within the size constraints of the GC2, but I have a bit of wiggle room, at least in the basement bin.
Also, my Inverter is a Xantrex Freedom Marine 20 for whatever that plays into this.

Too many choices, and obviously I'm new to this. Any help and/or advise would be greatly appreciated!!
And just one more question; do all 6 of my batteries function as one 'bank' feeding the inverter, or are the 2 under the step somehow separate from the other 4?, and if so, why/how?
Thank you all!

Your pictured battery is not 12 volts. They are 6 volts each. The 4 for the coach are wired series/parallel to give you 232 amps at 12 volts. If after you load test them and they are shot, I would replace with same, or similar 6 volts.

If you have 2 more exactly like your picture for the engine starting, that's not common. Depending on which engine you have, I would go with probably 1 but maybe 2 (12) volt batteries designed for starting engines.

Take lots of pictures before you remove any cables from the batteries. Hooking up new batteries wrong will ruin your day real quick.

[Crasher]

What is your intended use for your coach? If you will be plugged into shore power most of the time, cheap lead acid batteries will serve you well and give a good bang for the buck. If you will be off the grid a lot, the AGM might be a better choice. 7 years ago, I went with 6 300 amp Lifeline AGM's for 900 amps storage. (three pairs of six volt battery banks hooked in parallel) with 620 watts of solar because we were doing more Boondocking. Now not so much, but the solar keeps my house and chassis batteries @ 13.6 volts when parked in the back yard.

[JMSCTB]

windorbill,
Thank you so much for clarifying that my existing batteries are, in fact, 6V batteries!
"Who Knew??"
Just to help me understand...
I do have a 'chassis' battery under the hood, which, I assumed was the 'starting' battery. But, I do have a switch on the dash for using the 'house' batteries for starting the engine (Auxilary Start System" as stated in the Owners Manual). Is that what the 2 under the step are for?
Thank you so much for the information!! We really appreciate it!!

[JMSCTB]

Originally Posted by Crasher

What is your intended use for your coach? If you will be plugged into shore power most of the time, cheap lead acid batteries will serve you well and give a good bang for the buck. If you will be off the grid a lot, the AGM might be a better choice. 7 years ago, I went with 6 300 amp Lifeline AGM's for 900 amps storage. (three pairs of six volt battery banks hooked in parallel) with 620 watts of solar because we were doing more Boondocking. Now not so much, but the solar keeps my house and chassis batteries @ 13.6 volts when parked in the back yard.

Crasher,
Thanks for your input and advice!
We're new to RVing, and are not sure if we'll be doing much boondocking.
So far, we pretty much plan to hit RV parks along the way to various destinations until we 'get our feet wet', exploring the RV life. Eventually we'd like to spend 4 to 6 months on the road, and have even thought about solar already!
We'll see where this all takes us, but for now, we just want to get to Phoenix in 2 weeks (from NW Washington) as safely and trouble-free as possible with a 'new-to-us' Motorhome.
Thanks Much!

[JMSCTB]

Originally Posted by arcaguy

The two batteries under the step are likely the "chassis" batteries which start the engine and power the chassis part of the coach. These are likely tied to the other 4 batteries, the "house" batteries, but with some safeguards so you don't drain all of the batteries and can't start your coach. There is also likely an "emergency start" switch on your dash which will allow you to use your house batteries to start the coach if the chassis batteries are dead. Even though the batteries are all the same now they likely weren't originally, but they could have been. The chassis batteries were, and probably should be, "starting" batteries which are generally rated in CCA or Cold Cranking Amps. They are also likely FLA or Flooded Lead Acid batteries. The other 4 batteries are the "house" batteries which power the house part of the coach and are generally in "amp hours" (AH). Generally these power everything in the coach that is not part of the chassis. Things like lights, the refrigerator, the 120V side of the coach when you are not plugged in or not on shore power. If you have 12V batteries they will be connected in parallel which means that all of the positive (red) posts are connected to each other and all of the negative (black) posts are connected together. In this arrangement the positive wire going into the coach and the negative wire going into the coach will be connected to opposite ends of the battery pack. It will work if you connect them both to the same battery but it is not optimal as that battery will discharge quicker.
When folks talk about using 6V (golf cart) batteries they connect two of them in series and then the other 2 in series which provides you with 2 12V batteries which you then connect in parallel. I know this sounds confusing but once you figure out what is going on it's actually simple. This video should help. Just be very careful not to connect your positive and negative posts together on the same battery and they can and do explode. This is the most dangerous thing about batteries. Please be careful. Hopefully this video will help you if you choose to go with 6V batteries, which is generally a good choice. Good Luck.

Thank you so much for so much information!
We really appreciate it!!

[JMSCTB]

Originally Posted by arcaguy

The two batteries under the step are likely the "chassis" batteries which start the engine and power the chassis part of the coach. These are likely tied to the other 4 batteries, the "house" batteries, but with some safeguards so you don't drain all of the batteries and can't start your coach. There is also likely an "emergency start" switch on your dash which will allow you to use your house batteries to start the coach if the chassis batteries are dead. Even though the batteries are all the same now they likely weren't originally, but they could have been. The chassis batteries were, and probably should be, "starting" batteries which are generally rated in CCA or Cold Cranking Amps. They are also likely FLA or Flooded Lead Acid batteries. The other 4 batteries are the "house" batteries which power the house part of the coach and are generally in "amp hours" (AH). Generally these power everything in the coach that is not part of the chassis. Things like lights, the refrigerator, the 120V side of the coach when you are not plugged in or not on shore power. If you have 12V batteries they will be connected in parallel which means that all of the positive (red) posts are connected to each other and all of the negative (black) posts are connected together. In this arrangement the positive wire going into the coach and the negative wire going into the coach will be connected to opposite ends of the battery pack. It will work if you connect them both to the same battery but it is not optimal as that battery will discharge quicker.
When folks talk about using 6V (golf cart) batteries they connect two of them in series and then the other 2 in series which provides you with 2 12V batteries which you then connect in parallel. I know this sounds confusing but once you figure out what is going on it's actually simple. This video should help. Just be very careful not to connect your positive and negative posts together on the same battery and they can and do explode. This is the most dangerous thing about batteries. Please be careful. Hopefully this video will help you if you choose to go with 6V batteries, which is generally a good choice. Good Luck.

You're AMAZING!! you described my config. almost to a T!
Yes, we do have a switch on the dash for Aux. Start, which, according to the manual, uses 'house' batteries to start the engine if necessary.
My hubby knows a lot about hooking-up batteries, (35+ years as a H/V Electrician/Lineman), so I think we're OK w/that.
So, for my situation, what would YOU recommend for replacement batteries?
We'd appreciate your advice, again!

[mrboyer]

I would still use sealed AGM batteries for the coach. Since we did 7 years ago, I have yet to clean corrosion off cables. Before it was yearly or semi yearly cleaning. I still check yearly and spray the connections and battery posts with battery spray that you can buy at most auto parts stores.

[arcaguy]

Originally Posted by JMSCTB

You're AMAZING!! you described my config. almost to a T!
Yes, we do have a switch on the dash for Aux. Start, which, according to the manual, uses 'house' batteries to start the engine if necessary.
My hubby knows a lot about hooking-up batteries, (35+ years as a H/V Electrician/Lineman), so I think we're OK w/that.
So, for my situation, what would YOU recommend for replacement batteries?
We'd appreciate your advice, again!

I really don't have a lot of experience with various brands of batteries so I wouldn't want to comment on them. I will tell you that I bought Universal brand batteries for my coach but that was more for the size than anything else. Hopefully some other folks will come around that have more experience with various battery brands.

[Mark_K5LXP]

Kind of like tires, there aren't that many manufacturers of batteries. Most you see are from the same factory with different vendor labels and what you pay more or less for is varying degrees of warranty (insurance) coverage.

Best bang for the buck are flooded 6V GC2's from costco or sam's club. They are usually interstate or duracell branded and will offer good performance for a good price. From there you can "upgrade" to better performing and possibly longer lived models and brands but this increased benefit is highly situation specific. Generally even pedestrian models of batteries will last 5 years and give good service, so it's a mixed bag to pay 2 or 3 times as much for batteries that likely will not last 2 or 3 times as long. AGM (sealed) batteries offer reduced maintenance (no watering) but are typically 2x the price of flooded models, so that convenience comes at a price. If one doesn't boondock at all and are always plugged in at campgrounds or RV parks then there is limited benefit to having high capacity/high performance batteries since they'll hardly be used. So the first part of the decision process is to know how the RV will be used, then deciding on a particular battery size and type. Generally the brand choice will be driven by the form factor and performance point, not the other way around.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

[Domo]

OP's question was;

1. is it conceivable the batteries are good or bad? - take them to a Batteries Plus and have them load tested - if you need a replacement they'll probably have one in stock for the best price around. (Cheaper than an auto store.)

2. should OP get a different battery type? - Stick with the same battery type and size - it worked for years - why redesign it? You'll have enough troubles with other systems to keep you busy and eliminating one unknown (battery configuration change) will save you lots of sleep.

While you're in the battery cabinet, clean all the connections and the ground to chassis connection by removing and wire-brushing and then apply a dielectric spray (the red stuff).

The rest is just academic conjecture and education.