6 Volt AGM House Batteries

[Mike Canter]

It is time to change my house batteries. I would like to hear opinions as to what is the best brand 6 volt AGM battery and where is the best place to buy them?

[Norm4015]

In my opinion Concorde Lifeline is the King of AGM batteries. I've used my set of four 6-volt batteries over nine year including about 1,000 nights of boondocking. They are still performing like new. I have no idea where to buy them, but I would look locally because they weigh 66 pounds each so shipping will be expensive.

[DAN L]

Originally Posted by Mike Canter

It is time to change my house batteries. I would like to hear opinions as to what is the best brand 6 volt AGM battery and where is the best place to buy them?

in sep'08 i bought 2 lifeline gpl-6ct agm batteries from BD batteries online. they had the best prices then and their prices included shipping. they are working well.
i cannot tell what kind of rv you have as you have no signature info.
in my case, i had 2 12v <95 ah deka marine batteries in parallel in the battery box under my entry stairway.
i was able to install 2 6v 300 ah lifeline agm's in the same space by installing them on their sides and hooking them up in series. it is a tight fit. my starting battery is a sears platinum agm battery and it fits in the same space as before.
i went from <200 ah capacity to 300 ah capacity just by changing the batteries. my lifelines weigh 90# each.

[davebw31]

Check out the Sailboat sites. I got an awfull lot of info on all kinds of types of batteries, especially on AGMs and the cons on using gell type. Also, lots of info on solar and wind generators.

I settled on FullRiver 6V AGMs, group 27, with 220 reserve mins. (total 440) @ 20 amps. I got them at a discount from work. Paid $235 each (list $268 each) and picked them up in Maimi (15 mile ride each way). I have 2 solar panels, totally 223 watts and can go dry champing indefininitly or no more than two cloudy days. That is with no A/c and refer on gas.

[wa8yxm]

Best AGM is Lifeline. No advantage to six volt over 12 volt in the AGM format however.

Now that said MK or Deka are also good AGM's and it is up to you to decide if the Lifelines are worth the additional cost

One more brand I will talk about is Optima: Optima is about 75% battery 25% air by volume. And thus for any given footprint only has 75% of the amp hours of a traditional retangular battery.. However, they also have higher cost (Save when compared to top line batteries like Lifeline, where they are about equal, but without the higher capacity)

IF. and I stress IF, access for maintenance purposes and/or ventelation of battery fumes is NOT a problem.. AGM's cost more per watt of storage than flooded wet cell batteries (or more per amp hour if you like) It is for this reason that I am NOT considering them for this rig beyond the pair I already have.. When they fail they will be replaced by something like Interstate U-2200's

[davebw31]

wa8yxm: ya gell is not the way to go. I would add they are very poor at deep cycling (charge/discharge cycle). I agree on the Lifeline, but when compared to the Fullriver, I like there specs. better. Also, I saved a lot over the Lifelines in shipping cost as there is no dealer willing to give me a discount in this area. BTW: AGMs have a lot higher life cycle (if using a PPM quality controller) than a flooded wet cell. Actually a AGMs is consider a "flooded type". AGMs uset a "glass mat" to suspend the liquid, causes less gasing, and acid depletion. When dry camping with wet cell batteries you will be adding a lot of distiled water!

[wa8yxm]

Dave.. I never mentioned GEL in my prior post.. I mentioned several brands of AGM's and said I felt OPTIMA is not your best choice due to the smaller capacity. Others you have to price and compare.... But I never mentioned any Gell battery in that post.

I have, however, in the past, in other threads, and I do agree, Gel is not suitable for RV use. IN fact for just about every possible use AGM beats gel

[JamesT]

Has anyone tried the Sears PM-1 batteries?
They look good on paper, plus they are maintenance free & 3 year free replacemnet.

Here is a link: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02850131000P


I noticed that no one near me has them in stock, so they probably aren't an option for me.

[69RoadRunner]

Originally Posted by JamesT

Has anyone tried the Sears PM-1 batteries?
They look good on paper, plus they are maintenance free & 3 year free replacemnet.

Here is a link: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02850131000P


I noticed that no one near me has them in stock, so they probably aren't an option for me.

That's a hybrid starting/deep cycle battery. I replaced my engine batteries with 2 of those. The original batteries had 950 CCA each and those have 1150 CCA each.

I replaced them at the end of last summer, so it's hard to give an evaluation.

I wouldn't use them for house batteries since they don't appear to be a true deep cycle battery. That's not to say they can't do a good job, but I would rather use a true deep cycle battery.

[JamesT]

Can you please explain "they don't appear to be a true deep cycle battery"?

I believe this battery is made by ODYSSEY p/n 'PC2150 S' and rebadged for Sears.
PC2150 S - Odyssey batteries

Under their specs:

• PHCA: 2,150A at 80°F (27°C); for 5 seconds
• CCA: 1,150A at 0°F (-18°C)
• CA/MCA: 1,370A at 32° (0°C)
• HCA: 1,545 at 80°F (27°C)
• Reserve capacity: 205 minutes on 25amps
• Short circuit current: 5,000A
• Deep cycling capability: 400 at 80% DOD
• Design life: 12 years
• Typical service life: 6 to 8 years

I knew the cranking amps were generally higher than any deep cycle I have seen. Looking at the RC and the AmpH, it looks almost as good as two 6V's from Interstate (U2200).

Believe me, I am not trying to be smart here, I am trying to figure out the best battery for my rig and I am not an electrical engineer (I don't know what the above numbers mean, expect for CCA). One other thing I like about getting these from Sears is, Sears is 'common place'. So if I need to have one replaced it is no big deal.

Thanks. I apologize if I am preceived to be 'hi jacking' this thread, I think it would be great if all the batteries could be the same (in case of a failure).

[DAN L]

Originally Posted by JamesT

Can you please explain "they don't appear to be a true deep cycle battery"?

I believe this battery is made by ODYSSEY p/n 'PC2150 S' and rebadged for Sears.
PC2150 S - Odyssey batteries

Under their specs:

• PHCA: 2,150A at 80°F (27°C); for 5 seconds
• CCA: 1,150A at 0°F (-18°C)
• CA/MCA: 1,370A at 32° (0°C)
• HCA: 1,545 at 80°F (27°C)
• Reserve capacity: 205 minutes on 25amps
• Short circuit current: 5,000A
• Deep cycling capability: 400 at 80% DOD
• Design life: 12 years
• Typical service life: 6 to 8 years

I knew the cranking amps were generally higher than any deep cycle I have seen. Looking at the RC and the AmpH, it looks almost as good as two 6V's from Interstate (U2200).

Believe me, I am not trying to be smart here, I am trying to figure out the best battery for my rig and I am not an electrical engineer (I don't know what the above numbers mean, expect for CCA). One other thing I like about getting these from Sears is, Sears is 'common place'. So if I need to have one replaced it is no big deal.

Thanks. I apologize if I am preceived to be 'hi jacking' this thread, I think it would be great if all the batteries could be the same (in case of a failure).

i have had a sears platinum agm starting battery for over 3 years. it is working well.
check these sites for more info on starting vs hybrid vs deep cycle batteries:

Deep Cycle Battery FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - DC Battery Specialists

Electrical Tutorial

there is a LOT of battery info on the internet. these sites will get you started.
good luck with whatever kinda battery you decide on.
dan

[69RoadRunner]

When a battery, like the Sears battery, advertises it as a good starting battery, to me, that's a sign that it's not a true deep cycle.

I'm not an expert, and don't play one on the internet.

[JamesT]

From what I read, the spec'd "Deep cycling capability: 400 at 80% DOD" is pretty standard. I agree though, the CCA seemed to high.

Thanks for the information.

[Gary RVRoamer]

Wow! If you can believe the specs on the PC2150, it's a miracle battery. Top performance at starting and deep cycling both. Even at its $323 list price, it's an RVer or boater's dream come true.