House battery suggestion

[wrapperman]

Originally Posted by tamdle

Thank Darugs and Wrapperman, I am learning a new thing every day. At first, I did not understand Darugs when he mentioned about 18%, now Wrapperman mentioned about 10% to 13% charge. Now I got it.

So assuming that I have 2 of 100Ah batteries bank, it would be 200Ah. For the 70Amp PD9270 charger that I have on my coach, the charging capacity would be at 35%. So, if I add 2 more batteries to the total capacity at 400Ah, my charging capability will be right around 17-18% which is still in good shape. Right?

Thanks for educated me.

You're right. Anything over 10% will charge the batteries quicker, but you don't want to charge them too quick, which is hard to do with a smart charger that you have.
If you connect the batteries in parallel then you add amp rating of batteries. If you use 6 volts, and connect in series, then you add the voltages. (Not amp ratings)
You can use 4 6 volts when you connect 2 6 volts in series then connect those 2 sets in parallel.
Now, if this is confusing you can look it up or I can explain it better.
The reason people use 6 volt batteries is because 6 volts batteries sometimes last longer. Pros and cons to them all.

[tamdle]

Originally Posted by wrapperman

You're right. Anything over 10% will charge the batteries quicker, but you don't want to charge them too quick, which is hard to do with a smart charger that you have.
If you connect the batteries in parallel then you add amp rating of batteries. If you use 6 volts, and connect in series, then you add the voltages. (Not amp ratings)
You can use 4 6 volts when you connect 2 6 volts in series then connect those 2 sets in parallel.
Now, if this is confusing you can look it up or I can explain it better.
The reason people use 6 volt batteries is because 6 volts batteries sometimes last longer. Pros and cons to them all.

Thank Wrapperman!

The 6 volts battery subject is another one that I am not understand nor have any experience with. Most of the people when they were talking about batteries, they were alway mentioned about Trojan 6Volts batteries connect in series to get the 12 volts and capacity that they want.

The question is:

Does the 2 x 6 volts in series configuration in general better than the 2 x 12 volts in parallel configuration or because just the Trojan 6 volts batteries are better than other battery manufacturers?

If the 2 x 6 volts in series configuration in general better then could you or anyone explain why in technical term?

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by tamdle

Thank Wrapperman!

The 6 volts battery subject is another one that I am not understand nor have any experience with. Most of the people when they were talking about batteries, they were alway mentioned about Trojan 6Volts batteries connect in series to get the 12 volts and capacity that they want.

The question is:

Does the 2 x 6 volts in series configuration in general better than the 2 x 12 volts in parallel configuration or because just the Trojan 6 volts batteries are better than other battery manufacturers?

If the 2 x 6 volts in series configuration in general better then could you or anyone explain why in technical term?

When connecting batteries in series you get the sum of the voltages for each battery. 2 6 V batteries = 12 v. You do not get twice the capacity (amp hours) as you would if you connected the batteries in parallel.

The most commonly used 6 V battery for RV's is a Golf Cart Battery with ~225 amp hour capacity. The most common 12 volt batteries used in RV's only have ~100 amp hour capacity (average).

With two of the above 6 volt batteries in series you get 12 Volts with a 225 Amp hour capacity.

With two of the above 12 volt batteries in parallel you get 200 amp hours of capacity (average).

In addition, the 6 volt batteries are heavier in plate construction and will, as a rule, withstand greater abuse from repeated deep cycling.

There are exceptions of course as one could find much larger batteries for each, 12v or 6 volt but my example is for the most commonly used batteries in the RV community.

For maximum capacity and durability the 6V batteries in series has the edge.

[tamdle]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

... the 6 volt batteries are heavier in plate construction and will, as a rule, withstand greater abuse from repeated deep cycling...

For maximum capacity and durability the 6V batteries in series has the edge.

Thank Mike, this is what I am looking for. I love to have the Trojan 6 volts as I was looking into this before (knowing they are good but not understand fully as your simple explanation), however, I could not find any place in Houston that have it with a reasonable price. Mail Order it is cheaper but the shipping is outrageous, therefore I sticked with the cheaper route for now until I could find a better price for the Trojan 6Volts.

Again, thanks for your explanation.

[jfp2673]

Have you tried Craigslist? That is how i found 2 local golf cart Trojan dealers in Fort Worth.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by tamdle

Thank Mike, this is what I am looking for. I love to have the Trojan 6 volts as I was looking into this before (knowing they are good but not understand fully as your simple explanation), however, I could not find any place in Houston that have it with a reasonable price. Mail Order it is cheaper but the shipping is outrageous, therefore I sticked with the cheaper route for now until I could find a better price for the Trojan 6Volts.

Again, thanks for your explanation.

You could check with the maintenance people at your local golf course. They should know who sells the Trojan batteries nearby.

Also, here is a link to the Trojan Dealer Locator:

Trojan Battery - Dealers

[babock]

There are a few semi local golf cart places that sell in high volume on eBay. If you get lucky, there might be one near you.

[wrapperman]

What I did was that I found the T1275's on Ebay then call a local golf cart repair facility and ask them to match the price, they did. They even included the tax with the price match.
Make sure, not only if there is enough width and length, but also height. My height was very close.
The T1275's are larger batteries than stock. I only had 1/4" clearance on length and width and a tight fit on the height. I also installed an automatic watering system.

[tamdle]

Originally Posted by wrapperman

What I did was that I found the T1275's on Ebay then call a local golf cart repair facility and ask them to match the price, they did. They even included the tax with the price match.

That is cool! I may want to try that...

[HaroldPE]

I just bought 2 Duralast (Autozone) group 29's with 205 reserve amps each. $100.50 each, including tax, but with a trade-in. The same battery I have had in my boat for 7 years, and it looks like it will keep going.

[GEugeneS]

Originally Posted by tamdle

I just went the to Interstate Battery Dealer. They have the RV/Marine Deep Cycle battery group 27 with 160Ah Reserve Capacity for $120 with only 1-year warranty while Costco has the same battery for 3-years warranty.

The Interstate Battery Dealer also has the Group 31 battery which should fit my tray ok with 210Ah Reserve Capacity for $140 with 1-year warranty while Costco does not have this battery. It seems to me that for another $20 ($40 for 2 batteries) I could have an extra 50Ah capacity for use. I think it worth the cost.

However, the only thing that I am concerning here is the 1-year warranty and not sure if Interstate is a good brand for use in the RV, I saw couple post here mentioned about the Interstate battery, but not sure if anyone else has any experience with this brand. It seems not costing that much, may be worth to try it out?

Interstate makes batteries for many, many other "resellers" including Walmart and AutoZone. Costco generally sells them for less and has a better warranty. Currently it's 42 months free replacement (if the battery fails) but no prorata. The thing I like about Costco is they almost never hassle you on returns - they just credit you back your money and you go on your way. I am currently using 8 Costco Interstate batteries, (4 golf cart in the trailer, 2 in my truck and 1 each in the family car and SUV. I have had a couple fail in the last 20 years or so (1 failure was my fault), and returning them to Costco was no hassle at all!.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by HaroldPE

I just bought 2 Duralast (Autozone) group 29's with 205 reserve amps each. $100.50 each, including tax, but with a trade-in. The same battery I have had in my boat for 7 years, and it looks like it will keep going.

I'm going to venture a guess that's 205 minutes of reserve capacity not amps. Amp hour rating will be more like 110 to 120 ah each depending on which manufacturer actually made the battery. I'm using Interstate grp 29's and they are supposed to be 120 ah each but I treat them more like 110 ah to determine 50% DoD on my monitor. About to start my third year on them and no signs of them giving up. I'm obsessive about checking water and cleaning terminals. When stored I have TT plugged in 24/7.

[CedarCreekWoody]

Originally Posted by tamdle

Ha

Ha ha ha... few people misread my name "TAMDLE" and sound as "TAMALE" like a Mexican food... No offend taken, just sound funny...
.

I suspect that was an autocorrect error, not his misreading of your name. It can do some weird things!

[babock]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

I'm going to venture a guess that's 205 minutes of reserve capacity not amps. Amp hour rating will be more like 110 to 120 ah each depending on which manufacturer actually made the battery. I'm using Interstate grp 29's and they are supposed to be 120 ah each but I treat them more like 110 ah to determine 50% DoD on my monitor. About to start my third year on them and no signs of them giving up. I'm obsessive about checking water and cleaning terminals. When stored I have TT plugged in 24/7.

If this is your battery, it's more like a 90AH battery. It's a hybrid battery that does neither starting or deep cycle that well.


https://www.interstatebatteries.com/products/srm-29


https://sciencing.com/how-8681870-co...amp-hours.html
Divide reserve capacity by 2.4 to get AH

[tamdle]

Originally Posted by CedarCreekWoody

I suspect that was an autocorrect error, not his misreading of your name. It can do some weird things!

Ha ha ha... I wrote that because I felt funny. Like I said, no offend was taken, I am just having fun, people called me worst in my life, therefore, TAMALE sound very good as well.

[tamdle]

The Interstate battery that I just purchased from Costco was really cheap, however, Costco only warranty 3 years for the car battery, but for the DEEP CYCLE, it carries only a 1-year warranty. That is fine for me right now, I will test this out and see how well it works along with my 200 Watts Renogy Portable Solar Panel and the MPPT Charge controller. The next time I need to change the battery out, I will go with the TROJAN T-150. I finally found the place close to me sell the Trojan at the very good price.

I will be leaving Houston toward Long Beach to enjoy time with the grand-kids for few days before heading toward Trona Pinnacle, the Death Valley, and Valley of Fire. I will have plenty of time to see how the Interstate and the portable Solar will work out for my 3 weeks of boondocking. I will certainly keep you all posted.

[amauri]

Originally Posted by 17 Oaks

Costco stands behind their batteries, so here is a TIP (From the Tire/battery Mgr at Costco, when I bought one for my solar cattle gate): About 3 mo before the Costco battery warranty expires, take the battery in, tell them it won't hole a charge and they will replace it no cost, no questions asked....

Not trying to be disrespectful to anyone, but to me that is wrong and dishonest.

[babock]

Originally Posted by amauri

Not trying to be disrespectful to anyone, but to me that is wrong and dishonest.

Agreed. There is another guy on here that has a "blog" that states that he always brings his batteries in before 3 years to get a new battery.

[Darugs]

Originally Posted by tamdle

Thank Mike, this is what I am looking for. I love to have the Trojan 6 volts as I was looking into this before (knowing they are good but not understand fully as your simple explanation), however, I could not find any place in Houston that have it with a reasonable price. Mail Order it is cheaper but the shipping is outrageous, therefore I sticked with the cheaper route for now until I could find a better price for the Trojan 6Volts.

Again, thanks for your explanation.

Sorry, the wrong name was definitely an autocorrect issue.

Not sure if you have purchased your batteries yet. I also like the Trojan 6 volt route. That’s what I did with my last MH that originally came with 2 12 volts. I also boondocks more with that coach so I wanted to max out my capacity.

This time, I priority was convenience, seeing the 369DS has a tight fit for any batteries and checking the rear batteries is tough. I am also not planning much boondocking because of the power hungry fridge. However, I should be able to go without hookups if needed with a little help from the generator.

[HaroldPE]

Yes, you're absolutely correct. 106 A-hr, 210 min RC.

Originally Posted by TitanMike

I'm going to venture a guess that's 205 minutes of reserve capacity not amps. Amp hour rating will be more like 110 to 120 ah each depending on which manufacturer actually made the battery. I'm using Interstate grp 29's and they are supposed to be 120 ah each but I treat them more like 110 ah to determine 50% DoD on my monitor. About to start my third year on them and no signs of them giving up. I'm obsessive about checking water and cleaning terminals. When stored I have TT plugged in 24/7.