Best coach battery

[moot4rv]

I'm looking for recommendations on the best battery for my coach.
I've gone through a lot of brand names and have only been getting 2-3 years before having to replace battery.

[Mr_D]

Lifelines are considered to be among the best. I need four 8D AGM's at $625 each although I have room for six in the bay.
On my last rig I got 10 years out of the four Interstate U-2200 wet cell deep cycles it came with.

[Winemaker2]

Are you looking at Flooded Lead Acid or AGM?

[moot4rv]

Originally Posted by Winemaker2

Are you looking at Flooded Lead Acid or AGM?

Been using Group 27, Flooded Lead Acid. I just got a SLI27MDC ($99.99).
I want the most bang for the buck. Although AGM are more expensive, I would hope to get more out of them...
I can get one Group 31 to fit in my coach. I've been considering moving my slide out motor to make room for another battery and adding a switch to use one or both. That's what I had in the sailboat.

[Winemaker2]

I'm assuming these would be for house battys.
If my opinion but shared by many is lowest $/Ah/ cycle would be a pair of 6V GCs.
Sams Club has Duracell made by East Penn for about $85 ea.
A pair will give you 12V 220 AH and will last a long time if taken care of. Costco has similar price.

I'll try to find an old post of mine w a great article about deep cycle battys. And add it in here.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/showthread.php?t=365954

[DGBPokes]

I just bought 4 Life Line AGM last week. GPL-4. 6 volt batteries. They are expensive!! But with proper maintenance should last a long time. Best deal was on google battery guys out of AZ. Saved $65 a battery over best local price, got them in 3 days,free freight, no core charge. Took,the old ones to the scrap/ recycle center and got $45

[bmurph44]

Originally Posted by moot4rv

I'm looking for recommendations on the best battery for my coach.
I've gone through a lot of brand names and have only been getting 2-3 years before having to replace battery.

2 or 3 years isn’t much, I just replaced a set that were 6 yrs old and we dry camp all the time. Are you keeping them maintained properly? The Sams Club mentioned are good batteries as are Interstate.

[twinboat]

That's about the expected life of a dual purpose battery.

Spend a bit more for a Trojan GP27, real deep cycle battery or make room for 2 cheap GC2, 6 volt types.

[Capt Steve]

I replaced the 2 {4+ year old} Group 27's in our 24' Class C at Batteries +. These are deep cycle {not dual purpose} Interstates {same as what they replaced}and were $99 a piece. They seem to be working fine 2 years down the road but I maintain them carefully and expect to get at least 4 years out of them as we did with the originals.

We can sit for 3 to 4 days without running the generator and then about an hour of charging or merely driving for a couple of hours tops them up nicely. Most folks don't use all that much DC power... a couple of lights for an hour or two at night along with the minimal draw of the frig control boards and the occasional use of the water pump. If we use the furnace it is a big draw to run the squirrel cage fan but at 35,000 BTU it is never on for very long, about 10 minutes is all we need to toast up the coach.

If you try to go to 6-volt replacements {so called golf cart batteries} you may not have enough room as they are always taller. IMHO: messing with a slide motor to accommodate a different battery configuration install is asking for trouble.

As always.... Opinions and YMMV

[Dan McMartin]

Most 12 volt, group 27 batteries are not true deep cycle, despite what the battery label might say. They are dual purpose. They will not last as long as a true deep cycle battery though they can last years if properly maintained.

6 volt golf cart batteries are true deep cycle and don't cost much more than a 12 volt group 27. But they probably give you more amp hours for the money. They can last 5-10 years if maintained and used properly.

[Cat320]

AGMs are the way to go...put 'em in and forget about them.

[Smitty77]

Some like Bud, and some like Cabernet's!

This comes down to what is important to you, and for sure no 'right or wrong' answer between Wet vs Gel vs AGM vs Lithium...

A few general comments:
-If your wets are dual purpose, then as mentioned, they are not going to last as long in cycling down/up house battery duty.
-Have you kept the cells properly watered?
-Is your charger set properly for your battery type? Is it sophisticated enough to go into a 'Maintenance Mode' after Bulk/Absorb/Float?
-AGM's cost more. Require no maintenance. Charge a bit faster then Wet.
-If you current batteries are undersized for how you use the coach, meaning more 50% cycles. Then upsize the battery to a larger capacity could extend battery life. (Pay more up front, but hopefully this balances out via longer battery life.) If you have the headroom, Trojan Wet T-125 and T-145's proved more Amp Hours with the same foot print as traditional GC2 (T-105's).
-If you go the AGM route, I'm a Lifeline fan (X's 4 L16's). That being said, many are reporting positive results at a lower cost with Fullriver.
-Will not comment on Lithium, as that was not what you asked about!

Best of luck to you,
Smitty

[cruzbill]

Moot, before going ahead and throwing good money after bad, you may want to analyze why you are getting 2-3 years life out of your existing batteries.

Do you store your MH plugged into shore power the entire time, or does it sit with no power for extended periods.

Do you have any solar, and do you store your MH outside?

Do you have a good, 4 stage battery charger/converter or is it a single stage converter?

Do you boondock or camp with full hook ups? When camping without
hookups, do you use a gen to recharge your batteries every morn and night?

Do you pay attention to your battery monitor or do your batteries go below 50% charge repeatedly? If flooded batteries, do you add DI water as needed (monthly) or have the cells been low on water?

Lots of things to consider before plunking down more $$ for new batteries.

[THenne1713]

TIP: Aside from water level, If you are leaving them not 100% charged during storage, especially during freezing weather, it can kill them from freezing and will short/ damage the cells/ plates. Terminal cleaning/ condition can greatly affect ability to charge; a small white lead oxide film on terminals can keep them from charging more than minimum, and you cannot even see it UNTIL you remove the terminals. Some keep charged by being plugged in, some turn OFF during storage, but maintain batteries; some remove to shop and connect a battery tender. OTOH, there is a reason why MFR normally only warranty an RV battery 12-months :-(