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Old 05-11-2016, 04:59 AM   #1
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House Battery Recommendation

Did a quick search and surprised I didn't get a quick hit. What do those who know batteries recommend as far as replacement for the house batteries? My initial thought would be a marine gel-cell battery, but the RV shop I took my rig to recommended golf cart batteries. My understanding is the gel cell is better as it doesn't require as much maintenance (topping off reservoir of regular batteries w/ distilled water routinely -the mounting position of the battery makes this extremely awkward and hence, not likely to be attended to as frequently leading to premature battery failure).
Why would the RV guy recommend golf cart batteries over gel cell? What do those in the know use and why?

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Old 05-11-2016, 05:23 AM   #2
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Ok, after searching through the stickies above I ran across this thread:

http://www.sportsmobileforum.com/for...olts-1448.html

Good info in there, especially about the system for topping off cells without dropping the batteries.
Is it true that the two in-series 6 volts will provide power for longer while the regular 12v batteries will stop providing power at 1/2 discharge? That would seem to be a good reason, especially if the maintenance problem is negated by the addition of the reservoir top-off system.

Do they make 6 volt batteries in gel-cell?

Any other input still appreciated!
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Old 05-11-2016, 06:04 AM   #3
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You would not want a GEL battery, unless you are confusing GEL and AGM. I think your choice would be between Wet Cell and AGM. While AGM and GEL share a lot of the same qualities,nonspillable, mount anywhere. The clear winner would be AGM, they work across a larger temperature span and are easier to charge then a GEL.

So you already kind of figured out why you don't want a Wet Cell, maintenance would be a pain in the in a$s.

There was a big push in RV's to use Golf Cart batteries two six volt in series a few years ago. Golf cart batteries are made with heavier or thicker plates, making them more robust. Other then that there is nothing magical about golf cart batteries you will not get twice the usage compared to a 12 volt deep cycle battery. Many times when comparing golf cart batteries, to other 12 volt batteries, they don't compare to a deep cycle battery.

So I guess for our vehicles I would recommend AGM.

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Old 05-11-2016, 06:56 AM   #4
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Can you go into more detail on how the AGM batteries work across a larger temperature range and are easier to charge? Do you mean they are quicker to charge if you draw them down? Is the performance better in freezing conditions/desert environments?

Thanks for the input,

-Mark...
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Old 05-11-2016, 09:44 AM   #5
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I would say that you can get faster charge rates with AGM, GEL batteries take very specific charge profiles, don't play well with a alternator (unless you have a special regulator). GEL's are better a higher temperature but I believe AGM have a broader range.

A couple of links to more info;

https://www.batterystuff.com/kb/arti...el-vs-agm.html


AGM Batteries vs. Gel Batteries | VARTA Powersports
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Old 05-11-2016, 11:36 AM   #6
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Old 05-11-2016, 07:47 PM   #7
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I have golf cart 6v batteries in my rig. The advantage is that they are a high volume product and can be had fairly cheaply. Got my pair at Costco for about $84 each. They are Interstate and ~230Ah. So that works out to about 73 cents an amp-hour. Some lower volume batteries can run twice that cost.

Our use rate is less than 5amps per hour and with solar the batteries normally get discharged 10-20%. With that kind of use and charging requirements I have not had any significant water loss over the last 12 months.
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Old 05-11-2016, 08:16 PM   #8
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LenS- Careful with 6v amp hrs and 12 v amp hrs comparisons. The two 6v 115 ah batteries equals one 12 v 115 ah battery. So it's likely $1.46/amp at 12 volts.

And a draw down of 5 Amps per hr@12 v over night is probably drawing your bank down about 30 to 40%
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Old 05-11-2016, 09:14 PM   #9
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Yes, batteries in series the voltage adds not the Ah while batteries in parallel the Ah add and not the voltage. The Interstate 6v golf cart batteries are 230 Ah each. So two to them (6v each) in series combine for 12 volts while the Ah do not and stay at 230.

My use rate is less then 5Ah and indeed is more like 3 amps per hour. I have solar and most days I am only getting battery drain in the late afternoon to about 10am. The solar keeps the batteries topped off during the day.

So with the above I have not noticed any water loss in the two golf cart batteries ove the last 12 months.
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Old 05-11-2016, 09:42 PM   #10
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Ah, cool. Sorry, you had it all right then.
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