Community Forums

brobox · 10-20-2020, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dieselgem

At the rate you are changing coaches batteries will be the last of your problems.

Good point, and so far it is working.

The 14 the first set lasted less than 2 years.

brobox · 10-20-2020, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twinboat

Some folks replace their batteries because they don't last overnight.

They may not last overnight because the isolation solenoid fails, a frequent issue, and they are not starting with a full charged battery bank, after driving for hours.

One thing I do check when stopping for the night is the battery voltage on the inverter and now the Vega Touch screen to see that I am starting fully charged. Good habit to get into, kind of like checking the water level in the tank before spending a dry camping night.

Persistent · 10-20-2020, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hobart22

What is the life expectancy of the house batteries.

Lots of good advice above!
There are other big rig owners who shared actual experience.
There are posts showing the technical performance.
However, as far as I can tell, lead acid batteries do not age out in less than 10 years. I have had one set that was working perfectly when I sold the TT after 10 years of use. I have another set in my latest TT that is 3 years old and working perfectly.

Battery maintenance is the key to long life. The tech data for various lead acid batteries show you can get 300 to 400 full discharge cycles before capacity drops to 80% of rated capacity. Discharging to 50% SOC can double the number of cycles. So, first estimate how often you discharge your batteries and how deeply you discharge. That is the longest length of time they will last.

Next how long do you store the batteries that are not fully charged? Always store lead acid batteries fully charged.

Plugging in while in storage counts as fully charged. Charging while driving does not count as fully charged. It takes 14 to 18 hours to get a full clean charge. Do you drive 14 to 18 hours at a time?

If you plug in at every destination, that counts as fully charged. Running generator for 4 hours does not count as fully charged.

Storing lead acid batteries at less than full charge kills batteries. Spending time at 75 % SOC slowly kills capacity. Spending time at 10% of capacity kills batteries fast. Recharging on a generator for 4 hours every day for weeks at a time means you are storing at less than 80% SOC.

Not maintaining water level above the top of plates damages the plates. Charging lead acid batteries consumes water. Check and refill after frequent charging. Overcharging or charging for long periods at high voltage consumes water. 14.4 volt fast charging consumes more water than 13.6 volt charging. 15.0 volt charging consumes water fast.

Drawing flooded cell batteries down flat damages the plates. Thick heavy plates survive with less damage. Much used flooded cell batteries drawn down flat may fail suddenly.

AGM batteries are not hurt much by drawing down flat, but they do loose capacity fast when overcharged. 14.4 volt charging for more than about 4 hours causes loss. 14.4 for days will kill them. 15.0 volt charging will kill them fast. (All this depends on battery design. See manufacturers specs for best information.)

I wish you good luck and happy trails ahead!

EVsCoach · 10-20-2020, 11:41 AM

We have a 2014 Anthem with original AGM batteries. Coach was built later part of 2013, I’m trying to replace all batteries (chassis & house) with AGM but locating AGMs I continue to get the same answer that availability is delayed because of the covid issue and plants are trying to gear back up. No problem with obtaining flooded lead acid batteries but that is not an option I’ll consider. Just gotta keep calling and maybe I’ll connect with a reasonable price.

Cutch · 10-20-2020, 05:10 PM

Contact Battery Guys. They were out when I called last week and I just received notification that they new Lifeline AGM’s have shipped and will arrive at my place the first of next week.