4D AGM Batteries

[oldbonesclimber]

After almost 15 1/2 years I think it's time I replace my 4D AGM house battery. Believe it or not it still seems to hold a reasonable amount of power but by the end of the night the furnace seems to struggle until the sun comes up and hits the solar panels.


What seems to be the most reliable brand at this moment?

Paul

[dhally]

If it lasted 15 years then DEFINITELY get the same brand again! 5 to 10 years is more average.

[Twindaddy]

Fullriver seem to have a good reputation and have served me quite well. There are some YouTube videos showing how well they're engineered. Mine are now 9 years old and still going strong.

[jrobe]

Sportsmobile installed Deka Intimindator AGM batteries in my van and mine have also lasted over 5 years although may need replacement fairly soon. They are made by East Penn. There are only a few battery makers and then they sell their batteries under multiple different brand names. Our local Battery Plus store carries Duracell RV batteries that are also made by East Penn. I think they are the exact same battery as the original Deka Intimindator ones as they have the exact same specs and dimensions. I think I will buy those Duracell batteries next so I can get them locally and avoid any shipping charges which would be very high.

[Oogs]

Last year I replaced the original 8yr old house battery with a Lifeline 4D. Dimensions were slightly different than the original but I ended up rebuilding the cage so no issues there.

[REF]

I also went with the Duracell branded East Penn/Deka from Batteries plus

[ShuttlePilot]

We currently have several Batteries Plus Duracell East Penn batteries in our non SMB vehicles for starter batteries and all have worked well in the cold and seem to be lasting.

I have experience with several of the UPG (Universal Power Group) AGM's in my van and several at work in different rolls of deep cycle type duty. They work fine but they seem to have a much higher internal resistance than most all other manufacturers. Meaning that the voltage, capacity, and recharge ability drops off significantly when colder. The UPG's all have an uncanny ability to develop an internal short/ slow discharge right at 5 years old, regardless of how they are treated. What is more odd is that we have had some in large UPCs that use the 4D size that spent there entire life at 70*F just idling and would die at the same 5 years old. Others were abused and had high cycle rates and would still last 5 years and then die the same death.

I'm not bashing the brand. Before going to lithium in the van I went through two of them in ten years which was the same price as one Lifeline. I'm just sharing my experiences with them YMMV.

-Eric

[The_Vermonster]

Napa batteries are also made by East Penn. And you can often get a 20% off coupon for online orders. It makes it one of the best bang for buck batteries you can find.



If you're anywhere near the factory, near Allentown, PA, they also have a factory seconds store. It's way more hit or miss on size but you can normally call and they can check their stock for you.

[BrianW]

I’ve had great service out of the Duracell AGMs in my two SMBs.

I’ve tried the East Penn outlet a few times and have never scored an AGM battery, unfortunately. (Coincidentally, I was just in the Allentown area today but not near East Penn, which is west of Allentown.)

[86Scotty]

Originally Posted by The_Vermonster

Napa batteries are also made by East Penn. And you can often get a 20% off coupon for online orders. It makes it one of the best bang for buck batteries you can find.



If you're anywhere near the factory, near Allentown, PA, they also have a factory seconds store. It's way more hit or miss on size but you can normally call and they can check their stock for you.

What's the store called? I know there is an East Penn/DEKA plant near there, and we used to have a commercial battery dealer in my town that had multiple locations in the eastern US where you could sometimes get DEKA factory seconds, called Taylor Battery Systems if I remember right.

Any idea what their prices usually are on group 31's or 4d's? I used to get group 31 seconds from there that were a fantastic battery for like $50 apiece but I'm sure even the seconds would be more now. This was BC (before Covid), probably 10 years ago.