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Old 09-23-2015, 04:31 PM   #1
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Replacing Group 27 battery

I have a group 27 battery in my van. On our last three day weekend trip it was getting dangerously low after 2 days of running the fridge/interior lights/water pump. We have a solar panel as well but it was unable to keep up with the demands.

In the past I haven't had this problem so I am starting to think the battery is on it's way out. I'll be testing it over the next few days to see what I can determine.

My question is this: Can I move up to a larger battery without making other changes to my system? The battery is mounted under my gaucho bed and I have plenty of room to go larger. I guess I'm just trying to figure out what I would gain from going larger.

Forgive me for my lack of proper technical terms......this is all fairly new to me and I'm no electrician.

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Old 09-23-2015, 04:43 PM   #2
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Re: Replacing Group 27 battery

You should replace your group 27 with a larger battery if you have room. If it's a wet cell battery mounted in a sealed box thats vented outside, I would measure the interior dimensions of the box to see how big you can go. You might be able to fit a group 31 in the same box.

When I replaced the batteries in my SMB (RB30 layout), I put in two group 31 AGM batteries. With AGM batteries, you don't have to stress about the off gassing into the cabin. If you decide to run two batteries, you would just need some extra wiring to connect the two batteries. I went to a local stereo shop and had them make me a couple custom length wires.

I think Boywonder found this guy in SD that sells remanufactured or rebranded batteries. He bought some for his van and if you've seen his build, you would see that he doesn't cut corners. Heres the link to the battery guy... http://deepcyclebatterystore.com/12-volt-rv-battery/
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Old 09-23-2015, 06:43 PM   #3
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Re: Replacing Group 27 battery

My van came with two group 27 house batteries. I modified the battery area and easily fit three group 27 AGMs in there by building my own vented battery box and ditching the space-hogging plastic boxes SMB used.

If you are east of the Mississippi River, Sam's Club sells "Duracell" AGM deep-cycle batteries for a pretty good price. I believe they are made by the same company that makes Deka. Mine are four years old and still working well.
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Old 09-23-2015, 08:23 PM   #4
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Re: Replacing Group 27 battery

Myvan came with room for two agms but only end to end.
I replaced the one group 24 it came with two HazeBatteries group27 6 volt batterie s for same capacity almost a 4D agm. Series always charges easier as they self balance, In parallel if one battery tanks it can cause the second battery to overcharge.
I only use agms as they much safer in an enclosed space.
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Old 09-24-2015, 11:59 AM   #5
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Re: Replacing Group 27 battery

Brian: As Viva mentioned......there is a guy in San Diego who sells large AGM batteries for cheap. They are slightly smaller than a 4D and have 175 ah capacity and are $125. They are labelled Alcatel Lucent brand and are blems.

His name is Jeff; I have his phone number somewhere. He delivers batteries in OC regularly.....if you haven't bought something yet I can get you his phone number. IIRC his website is 619battery.com
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Old 09-24-2015, 02:04 PM   #6
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Re: Replacing Group 27 battery

Quote:
Originally Posted by boywonder
Brian: As Viva mentioned......there is a guy in San Diego who sells large AGM batteries for cheap. They are slightly smaller than a 4D and have 175 ah capacity and are $125. They are labelled Alcatel Lucent brand and are blems.

His name is Jeff; I have his phone number somewhere. He delivers batteries in OC regularly.....if you haven't bought something yet I can get you his phone number. IIRC his website is 619battery.com
That seems like a really great deal! Thanks for the info. I'll likely give him a call once I confirm that my current battery is done.

Question: Is adding a second battery to my system as simple as finding a spot for it and getting the proper length cables made? Seems like his prices are good enough that I might want to add a second. I'd really like to get to a place where I could reliably camp for 4-5 days without starting the vehicle.
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Old 09-24-2015, 03:19 PM   #7
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Re: Replacing Group 27 battery

Quote:
Originally Posted by BrianBlair

Question: Is adding a second battery to my system as simple as finding a spot for it and getting the proper length cables made?
Yes, that simple. Wire them in parallel. Orange engine will make custom cables that are very nice but a bit pricey. You can also buy nice custom length cables on ebay for less $$. If you need a couple of short ones, Orange engine is probably competitive price-wise.

I'm not seeing the Lucent Alcatel 175 ah AGMs on either website, but call and ask. They should be $125 each for blems.
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Old 09-27-2015, 09:28 AM   #8
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Re: Replacing Group 27 battery

I dealt with Jeff via text and email.

His cell is (619) 315-5604. Just text him and he can tell you what he has.

He's affiliated with Battery World in north SD county if you're coming from up north. It was a bit of a trek coming from West LA, but made for a nice early Saturday morning drive.

They had a bunch of them in atop a month or so ago.


The guys were great and even loaded up the Alcatels for me.
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Old 09-27-2015, 09:55 AM   #9
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Re: Replacing Group 27 battery

...Those are the batteries.....looks like they have different labels......
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