Need new house batteries 2011 Georgetown 35 ft.

[campingPhil]

I own a 2011 Georgetown 35 ft. (there are some letters after the 35, but I forgot what the are.) I need to replace the two house batteries. They are no longer holding a charge. I also never knew that I should have checked the water in the cells. When I opened the caps, they were almost dry. Why do I think this is a bad thing !!!!!!!!!!! I cannot find any info on the batteries to know what type of replacements to purchase. I live in Northern New Jersey.
My questions are as follows.
1. What is the Model number and type of the battery ?
2. What is the best brand battery to purchase ?
3. Where is the best place to purchase the batteries ?

Thanks in advance Phil

[bend302]

If you didn't know you were required to check water regularly, you should probably leave the battery replacement to professionals.

If you have a dealer you trust, they can replace with appropriate size, voltage, etc. otherwise Camping World will also take care of you. They may be a bit more expensive but I have found their work to be good.

Good luck;

Bill

[BigMac8253]

We all have different bases of knowledge, but we all also have the capacity to learn from our mistakes. Replacing batteries should certainly be in your wheelhouse, especially that now you have a real interest and you are going to read up on the subject (I am sure). 1st, there should be information on your present batteries regarding Amp-Hr and Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) that you can use to begin a search for a replacement. Attached is a great article I found to help you understanding of just what you want to be looking for The 12 volt Side of Life.pdf. Hope you can access it. For me, I bought some Trojan replacement 12v Deep Cycle batteries that matched my requirement perfectly. And then finally, when you decide to do the actual replacement, take a few pictures of your existing battery installation with all wires attached so that you can reference the pictures when you install the new ones to be sure it's all back together the way it should be. You will be amazed how you question how the wires reattach when you don't have reference pictures. Go ahead and give it a try. It will be a lot less expensive than it you pay someone $100+ and hour to do it for you, and you will learn a lot in the process.

[campingPhil]

Unable to find the attachment that was very helpful information thank you

[Jon A]

Phil, that is good background info from BigMac8253 but dated. 1999 and 2002. I would continue your research online and in RV blogs and you will find that AGM batteries are, at this time, the recommended replacement. Maintenance free, but more expensive. They don't out-gas so you will not have the issue of corrosion and connections deterioration. Was going to attach some links but felt it is better for you to find the info. Do some Searches on the Forum; Batteries, AGM, Flood Cell, etc and read up. Make sure the info is fairly current and you will find the answers you need.
Good luck.

[BillMFl]

I use maintenance free marine deep cycle batteries. They usually can outlast standard batteries and never require adding water. Sam's Club now offers an AGM version at about the same price. I intend to give them a try when I need new. My OEM batteries that came with the coach new boiled the first year and out gassed frequently setting off alarm. Sealed marine deep cycle solved the problem. AGM's typically cost more but usually have longer lives. My 8D AGM's in my boat are 7 years old.


One last comment. If you let your batteries discharge too low you will significantly reduce their lifespan or even cause immediate failure. Wet cell are the most vulnerable. All are vulnerable to freezing if discharged. Keeping your batteries close to full charge when your RV is stored is very important. Newer RVs keep a low rate of charge going to the batteries if plugged in to regular household 15amp 110vac outlet and the RV house switch in the "on" position. Older or cheaper models may require disconnecting the battery ground cable when the RV is stored and using a separate trickle charger to maintain full charge.

[Jon A]

well said.........

[nothermark]

FWIW AGM's need a different charging pattern. Check and see if your converter has an AGM charging setting. IF not you will not properly charge AGM's. Considering their higher cost that does not seem to be a good idea.

If your house batteries are rated in CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) you have the wrong kind of batteries. House batteries should be deep cycle not rated as a starting battery.

Anyone who sells batteries can match up your size to what they sell. Make sure they are selling you deep cycle that they might have to order not marine deep cycle starting batteries they might have on hand. Different animals.

If you take a good look the batteries were shipped with some kind of label and part number. IF it has not disapeared that will give you a basis for a cross reference.

Batteries are made in standard sizes so once you know the size you can find the group number then look at what is available in that package. Measure the dimensions and you can look up the class by size. That is another way to figure out what you have. You can also look at space available and see if you can go a bit bigger by picking a different group number.

[Dc8mdtmech]

I put new batteries in my 2013 this past fall and there are a few things you should do. Take a photo, phone or otherwise of your connections before you remove them, so you can hook them back correctly. Remove the batteries is not easy as the location under those steps sucks, and the wire harness at the rear of the batteries makes removing the back hardware difficult. Once out, I found a lot of corrosion on the steel tray. You should clean that with baking soda and a wire brush. Clean and dry then repaint, flat black. I went to Sams and bought two deep cycle marine batteries ($85/$90)each. They come with an 18 month guarantee and are maintenance free. You can spend more BUT pay attention of the physical size of the new batteries as there is not a lot of room for larger batteries on the tray. You'll need the old batteries as a core charge. Reinstalled and its amazing how well the steps will now work. Good Luck, took me about 2-2.5 hrs total. Be sure you do this with no 110vac on and be mindful the batteries have a 12vdc charge so be careful with your tools.

[abjb]

Originally Posted by BigMac8253

We all have different bases of knowledge, but we all also have the capacity to learn from our mistakes. Replacing batteries should certainly be in your wheelhouse, especially that now you have a real interest and you are going to read up on the subject (I am sure). 1st, there should be information on your present batteries regarding Amp-Hr and Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) that you can use to begin a search for a replacement. Attached is a great article I found to help you understanding of just what you want to be looking for Attachment 98269. Hope you can access it. For me, I bought some Trojan replacement 12v Deep Cycle batteries that matched my requirement perfectly. And then finally, when you decide to do the actual replacement, take a few pictures of your existing battery installation with all wires attached so that you can reference the pictures when you install the new ones to be sure it's all back together the way it should be. You will be amazed how you question how the wires reattach when you don't have reference pictures. Go ahead and give it a try. It will be a lot less expensive than it you pay someone $100+ and hour to do it for you, and you will learn a lot in the process.

+1 on the pictures.
Here's a Google search for "rv batteries in parallel or series"
Be VERY careful hooking up your new batteries, YOU DO NOT want to wire them wrong, 24v will make the lights bright, make the fans turn really fast, destroy some, most or ALL the expensive circuit boards in your Georgetown.
https://www.google.com/search?as_q=&...llel+or+series

+1 on getting your batteries at SAM's club.

Good luck, take your time and let us know how it goes or if you have any doubt about your install PLEASE ask for help.

[camaraderie]

Phil.... you want to use TRUE deep cycle batteries as large as you can fit in the dimensions of your battery tray. In 12V batteries the sizes are Group 24, 27 and 31. Get the highest # that will fit.
Suggest Trojan brand IF you do a lot of boondocking. Suggest EastPenn Mfr. Deka or other house brand starting with model # DC .... if you mostly stay plugged in.
Stick with wet cells for the most bang for your buck unless you are prepared to spend at least twice as much for AGM's so you don't have to water them.
If watering is a chore...suggest you get a pro-fill type system to make it easy and convenient.
AGM's are a good choice IF you are setting up for boondocking with a BIG charger. They are also a good choice if you leave your coach unplugged and unattended for weeks or months at a time. They MUST be recharged to 100% or you will lose cycle life.

An alternative that I do not support but many do is to go for a pair of golfcart batteries (6V) hooked up in series to provide 12V. This provides a large and excellent deep cycle bank at a very attractive price and you can get such batteries from Trojan or from Sam's Club/Costco at good prices.
I like these in 4 battery banks...but worry about 1 bad battery wiping out the ability to camp with a 2x6V battery bank and 1 dead battery. Others are less conservative about it and remain happy campers.
Hope this helps.

[BillMFl]

The basic maintenance free Marine Deep Cycle Group 24 has worked very well for me for the last 4 years. They cost a little over $100. They are a hybrid of starter/deep cycle. I have also used them in boats and with trolling motors. They have thicker plates than an automotive starter battery and can withstand deeper discharge and recharge cycles than an automotive battery. Automotive batteries have thin plates that can release a large amount of voltage quickly. These thinner plates degrade faster if deeply discharged and are more susceptible to vibration damage. Those who boondock a lot would be better served with a heavy duty deep cycle battery and those can be over $200 but have more capacity. AGM batteries have no plates and properly maintained can last a very long time. I have had 8D AGMs last over 8 years in harsh marine conditions in my Trawler. If you are not familiar with removing/installing batteries, just be sure to disconnect the negative terminal first when removing and last when installing. In a dual battery set up that means disconnecting the negative cable going to ground first and then the negative cable that connects the two batteries. Use caution with metal wrenches when disconnecting the positive terminals. Its not really hard to do but as others said make a sketch or snap a pic before taking the cables off. Many shops will replace your batteries with no labor charge if you buy them there. It pays to shop around on price and compare based on reserve amp hours. Also compare the max level of discharge allowed and when boon docking run the gen set when they get low.

[siskom]

all a little tidbit on batteries Oreillys carries can order Motorcraft batteries and they warranty for 10 years. they dont carry them in the stores but I looked into them for mine. when I need them I will be ordering them. I work at Oreillys thats how I know.

[camaraderie]

Originally Posted by siskom

all a little tidbit on batteries Oreillys carries can order Motorcraft batteries and they warranty for 10 years. they dont carry them in the stores but I looked into them for mine. when I need them I will be ordering them. I work at Oreillys thats how I know.

As far as I know, Motorcraft (made by Johnson Controls) does not make a deep cycle battery. Can you point me to one with a link?