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Old 01-05-2025, 05:17 PM   #1
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Replacing house batteries

We are brand new to the RV life. Just picked up our new to us 2020 Fleetwood Bounder. Our house batteries have died. My question is-would it be advisable to replace with lithium batteries or stay with the Interstate 24M-EFB 12v enhanced flooded battery we currently have?
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Old 01-05-2025, 05:37 PM   #2
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Welcome. Not sure how many house batteries you have, but the most bang for the buck will be 6v golf cart batteries paired up to make 12v. Recommend AGM's if you go that route. However if you do go lithium the advantages are many, but with all newfangled anything comes a cost. You have the make sure your charger/inverter is correct, consider charging off the alternator (while under way) and also remember the cold weather issues. Simple answer, as a new RV'er maybe just go AGMs. That being said, I went lithium and don't regret it.
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Old 01-05-2025, 06:52 PM   #3
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12.8V direct replacement LIFePO house batteries

I'm planning this purchase too. Also a newbie, so I don't know much. But I have learned a lot about house batteries from my days with big boats.

Recent product development...12.8V lithium batteries for essentially the same price as lead acid. About $169 - $199 each.

12.8V can be a drop-in direct replacement without worrying about your converter.

Be careful if you need your batteries in subfreezing temps. Otherwise...easy peezy. As far as I have read...
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Old 01-05-2025, 09:53 PM   #4
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First thing i would do is to find out why the current battery bank "died"before starting to throw parts at it.
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Old 01-05-2025, 10:02 PM   #5
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First thing i would do is to find out why the current battery bank "died"before starting to throw parts at it.

This is excellent advice above!


Also, BEFORE you make any decisions about batteries, type, etc you would be wise to FIRST assess/understand what YOUR battery needs are.


Do you camp 100% of the time plugged in? If so, you don't need lithium, or a large battery bank (likely), or solar.


Do you primarily boondock without power hookups? Then batteries, charging, and solar become very important.


How many AHs do you typically use from your batteries in a 24hr period? This will be important to know if you want to make wise decisions about how to proceed.


If your RV came with 1 house battery, then perhaps it is set up with minimal power needs. One of the largest consumers of battery power is a refrigerator. What kind of refrigerator do you have? Is it a residential refrigerator that runs through an inverter when not plugged in? Is it a propane/electric dual source refrigerator? These do not use too much battery power. Is it a 12v only refrigerator?


Summary: If you want to have the best chance at making solid, value-realistic decisions about your battery selection, these are some of the things to consider. Since none of us here know your answers to any of these questions, nobody here can give you good information.


Questions welcome here!
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Old 01-05-2025, 10:07 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by ASarizona View Post
We are brand new to the RV life. Just picked up our new to us 2020 Fleetwood Bounder. Our house batteries have died. My question is-would it be advisable to replace with lithium batteries or stay with the Interstate 24M-EFB 12v enhanced flooded battery we currently have?

How many coach/house batteries do you have? (not the chassis batteries)
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Old 01-05-2025, 10:14 PM   #7
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If your house battery or batteries, is used for starting your onboard generator, you’re best to stay with AGM battery design for the cranking power needed at startup. Lithium don’t usually provide that sudden power need….their strength is in longevity of sustained power.
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Old 01-05-2025, 10:17 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ASarizona View Post
We are brand new to the RV life. Just picked up our new to us 2020 Fleetwood Bounder. Our house batteries have died. My question is-would it be advisable to replace with lithium batteries or stay with the Interstate 24M-EFB 12v enhanced flooded battery we currently have?
I am surprised that a 2020 Bounder would use those group 24 batteries. That has to be amongst the worst choice out there. I would definitely consider something else. At a minimum you could drop in 2 lithium's of the same size and that will work as a drop in. This may also be a good time to have your system evaluated along with future needs and wants and to come up with a plan that will mee those needs. Your will get a lot of advice here but best to reach out to someone that will put together a real plan and stand behind and warranty the results.
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Old 01-06-2025, 02:23 AM   #9
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How many coach/house batteries do you have? (not the chassis batteries)
There are 4.
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Old 01-06-2025, 09:26 AM   #10
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We have since learned that the inverter should have been kept on while hooked up to shore power.
Your "inverter" is probably really an "inverter/charger", in which case the charger portion should be left on when stored with a shore power connection.
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Old 01-06-2025, 02:12 PM   #11
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The current house batteries-there are 4- were replaced in November by the dealer/seller. The chassis battery was, too. Drove it home and stored it plugged into shore power. We were told to turn the inverter off. We returned 17 days later to find absolutely no power in the coach nor engine. No lights, nothing. There is power to the coach from the shore power as the microwave clock is on, the residential refrigerator is on, the red lights on the tv are on. Had the chassis battery checked and it was dead. The house batteries volts are 3.6; 8.58; 3.6; 12.9. We have since learned that the inverter should have been kept on while hooked up to shore power. We don’t think there is power to the battery disconnect buttons as there is no click when pressed. Could not having the inverter turned on drain all the batteries over the course of 17 days?? Maybe another issue?? We have talked to the previous owner who had no electrical issues during the 4 years he owned the rig. He’d kept the inverter on while on shore power. Once we can get the engine to start, we’ll be taking it in but thought we’d ask about replacing the batteries with lithium since it sounds like we’re probably going to have to replace them now. Thank you for all your insight.

If the batteries were installed new (coach AND chassis) in November, then even though they are drained now they are likely fine. Yes, they get damaged when drained to zero AND left in that state for months and months, but they can usually survive this scenario a few times especially when they are newer.


What I would do....
1) Make sure you have a voltmeter. If you don't have one you can buy one for less then $10 online or at a hardware store


2) Get the RV started (jump start it). Once it is started and idling/running for 5-10 minutes, measure the voltage on your chassis battery. The chassis alternator should be charging it at 13-14v. If the chassis battery is starting from dead, it might take 45 minutes to an hour to get it mostly charged back up with the alternator.


3) With the engine still running, measure the voltage on the coach/house batteries. Most RVs are set up such that the chassis alternator also charges your coach/house batteries. Check this voltage with the Salesman switch (aka battery disconnect) in the On position. If you have another switch for what you are calling the inverter, try measuring the coach/house batteries on different settings. Basically, you need to understand when/how your batteries allow for charge (many RVs are wired differently). With your chassis battery starting at dead, it might take an extended amount of time (5-30 minutes) before your solenoid to the coach/house batteries activates and allows a charge to pass through to your coach/house batteries.



With all the above, you should start learning more about your battery charge system.


4) On most RVs, and the engine running, you will start to see that your coach/house batteries are starting to charge. After 10-30 minutes, you will likely have enough battery capacity to try to start your generator WHILE YOU CONTINUE TO HAVE THE ENGINE ON. The alternator charge will be primarily what is helping your generator get started. If your generator starts, then you should see that your coach/house batteries are getting charged by your generator (via your converter-charger).


After doing all the above for 30-45 minutes, and if your generator is running, you should be able to turn off your engine. With your generator running, you should measure the coach/house battery voltage and you should see a charge of 13-14v. This means your batteries are getting charge via your generator. Play around with the different switches you have (...what you are calling your "inverter", the Salesman switch (battery disconnect) so that you can learn how your charging system works.


Some RVs are wired so that if you are plugged in and charging your coach/house batteries it will ALSO charge your chassis battery. You can check this with a voltmeter.



Hopefully in doing this, you will learn what you need to know about your batteries and charging system and the related switches.


Charge up all your batteries for 24hrs or longer. That should get them back up to health.


Small (or not-so-small) parasitic draw is normal on RVs. That means if you leave them (in storage for example) for long enough (sometimes just for a week) they can get drained if there is no charging going on. For storage, some people put on something like this to allow them to completely disconnect their RV batteries when in storage:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SBFKM5Y

If you store your RV with batteries fully charged, and then you disconnect them with a switch like this (or removing the negative terminal on all batteries), your batteries should last for 5-6 months or longer without doing anything).


One last thing...Adding a battery monitor is incredibly helpful for monitoring all these things. Here is an inexpensive one I've used:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07FGFFHC6



Hope that all helps!
Chris
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Old 01-06-2025, 02:37 PM   #12
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You got bad advice about turning the inverter/charge off, and since you did nothing to limit 12v usage in those 17 days, it's not too surprising that the batteries were dead. As a newbie, you probably don't realize how many things eat a little bit of battery power each day and those quickly add up when there is no charging to replace it.


I agree with SJ-Chris that your batteries will likely recover OK. The onboard inverter/charger should handle it automatically once it gets turned on. However, the two batteries with less than 4v may need some extra help because the inverters self-protection circuitry may cause it to refuse a severely discharged battery. If the voltage on those doesn't begin to rise within several hours, remove them from the battery bank and slowly charge them independently with a simple car-type charger with a 5-10A charge capacity. Once they climb to around 11v, you can hook them in again and let the onboard charger finish them up.


The Interstate 24-EFB is not a great choice except for a relatively low price. It's a pretty basic marine/RV battery with only 77AH capacity and I don't see anything in its specs or sales brochure that makes it "enhanced". But if you mostly camp with access to shore power, they should be adequate for needs. Maybe even more than adequate. Not everybody needs top-flight battery technology or oodles of Amp-Hours of capacity.
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Old 01-06-2025, 04:50 PM   #13
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You got bad advice about turning the inverter/charge off, and since you did nothing to limit 12v usage in those 17 days, it's not too surprising that the batteries were dead. As a newbie, you probably don't realize how many things eat a little bit of battery power each day and those quickly add up when there is no charging to replace it.


I agree with SJ-Chris that your batteries will likely recover OK. The onboard inverter/charger should handle it automatically once it gets turned on. However, the two batteries with less than 4v may need some extra help because the inverters self-protection circuitry may cause it to refuse a severely discharged battery. If the voltage on those doesn't begin to rise within several hours, remove them from the battery bank and slowly charge them independently with a simple car-type charger with a 5-10A charge capacity. Once they climb to around 11v, you can hook them in again and let the onboard charger finish them up.


The Interstate 24-EFB is not a great choice except for a relatively low price. It's a pretty basic marine/RV battery with only 77AH capacity and I don't see anything in its specs or sales brochure that makes it "enhanced". But if you mostly camp with access to shore power, they should be adequate for needs. Maybe even more than adequate. Not everybody needs top-flight battery technology or oodles of Amp-Hours of capacity.



I'm not 100% certain, but if when your engine is running and your alternator is charging your chassis battery, I believe it should also start to charge your coach/house battery even if it is quite low. Give it a shot and run your engine (and maybe drive around a bit) for 20-30 minutes and then re-measure all the battery voltages. I think you will find them all climbing back, on the way towards normal 12v voltages (11.6-12.8v depending on state of charge). Once you get them in that voltage range, you should be able to plug in and/or fire up your generator and get those batteries fully charged.


Important....lead acid batteries take a long time to charge the last 10-15% to get them fully charged. Since yours were dead, it is really important to get them FULLY charged back up. This will likely require that you are plugged in to shore power for at least 24hrs. Might take 48hrs or longer.


Please let us know what you try and how it works out. Good luck!



Chris
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Old 01-07-2025, 09:27 AM   #14
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Lithium not quite plug and play

Initially you were considering the possibility of changing to Lithium. I am in the process of doing the same on my 2020 Bounder. As others noted your batteries are probably recoverable and should get you several years... But if you do decide to switch to Lithium it is not quite Plug and Play. You have the Magnum Inverter, the charging profile needs to be changed for Lithium. Their website has instructions, it is a simple change but one that is necessary.

You will also need to decide if you need a DC to DC Charger to protect your alternator. You should have a 210amp alternator.

Based on the advise I have received from folks far more knowledgeable then me I will be dropping in 2-200Ah LiFePO to replace the 4 6v Chassis battery. Because of how I use my rig I will not be worrying about the DC2DC as our alternator is quite robust and I am comfortable relying on the Genny for deep charging if required.
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