Battery options from Costco

[VR51]

Just got this from Costco and am wondering if any of the options would be good for use in my RPod -

https://www.costco.com/CatalogSearch...20_0527_Travel

[bikendan]

Well, not enough information to answer your question.

Is your current battery bad? Do you always camp with electric hookups or do you want to dry camp or boondock?
How much money do you willing to spend? Do you want the best or the best budget ones?
Also be aware that not all of them are available at all Costcos. Never seen the 12v or 18v golf cart batteries at any Costco.

[VR51]

My group 24 deep cycle Interstate is fine. I’m looking ahead and am interested in an AGM batt. next thanks to its fast charge rate.

[tomkatb]

Got four of the GC2 batteries.

Likely the best bang for a buck you will ever see. $200 for two.

Measure. The footprint is rather small but they are tall.

[VR51]

How fast do the GC’s charge compared to an AGM battery? This is important to me because I often camp in areas with lots of trees and my solar panels don’t get much direct sun.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by VR51

How fast do the GC’s charge compared to an AGM battery? This is important to me because I often camp in areas with lots of trees and my solar panels don’t get much direct sun.

If time to fully recharge is important then consider Lithium. AGM's may charge a little faster than standard flooded lead acid batteries but LiFePo batteries leave them in the dust.

Depending on size of battery bank it takes 6 hours or more to complete the absorbtion phase and get lead acid batteries to a true 100% state of charge. Often 10-12 hours.

My 2 Battleborns recharge fully in 4 hours or less from my 160 watt solar "suitcase", replacing everything I've used overnight (average 35-45 amp hours). If running generator they will recharge from 40% SOC in just under 3 hours.

Yes, they are more expensive than Golf Cart or AGM's but the benefits are so nice.

[tomkatb]

my understanding is that most rv's have wet cell charging systems. Less then ideal for AGM. You need the switch.

AGM? So the answer is sort of longer. they prefer low and slow.

Wet cells charge to about 80% rather quickly but take low and slow to get to 100%

AGM improperly charged do not last as long as GC wet batteries.

In you situation I would guess you would like wet cells better except the adding water thing. AGM batteries do not last as long.

I agree with Titan mike. The lithium's are the best. Except for needing a different converter and $1000 per 100 amps thing and a new monitor. . Conversion for me would be $2500. Or $400 for new wet cell batteries for a ten year thing for two sets.

[Oaklevel]

If you do not boondock regular Interstate RV batteries are fine. While Lithium Batteries are nice they are a waste of the extra money.


Just a side not my golf cart dealer sells 12V Trogans for $184.95 ...... Costco (who ever they are) seems high.

[MOODMAN]

From the OP, he showed Costco prices. I wonder if there is any advantage to getting two 6 volt golf cart batteries as opposed to ONE 12 volt golf cart battery?

[VR51]

Thank you to everyone so far. I hope the discussion continues.

[garyp1951]

Originally Posted by bikendan

Well, not enough information to answer your question.

Is your current battery bad? Do you always camp with electric hookups or do you want to dry camp or boondock?
How much money do you willing to spend? Do you want the best or the best budget ones?
Also be aware that not all of them are available at all Costcos. Never seen the 12v or 18v golf cart batteries at any Costco.

go to a battery shop , and get a Golf Cart battery.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by garyp1951

go to a battery shop , and get a Golf Cart battery.

Shouldn't you be telling the OP this, instead me?

[camaraderie]

Originally Posted by VR51

My group 24 deep cycle Interstate is fine. I’m looking ahead and am interested in an AGM batt. next thanks to its fast charge rate.

Not a good reason for AGM... they are barely faster than Wet Cell to recharge from 50%. see marinehowto.com for test results.
There are of course other good reasons for AGMS but at twice the price you will NOT get more cycles OR deeper cycling OR longer life OR quicker charging compared to Wet Cells.
You will get 10x greater STORAGE time without losing a charge and NO maintenance and ability to store inside since there is no gassing off.
Since you apparently boondock...may I suggest instead that you get a battery monitor like the Victron ($150) to figure out how MANY amp hours you use, when you need to recharge, when you can stop charging etc. instead of another battery...until you know your daily use you don't know what you need or how long you can go till you hit 50% and need to recharge. The Victron will pay for itself.

[pgandw]

The 6V Costco/Interstate GC-2 batteries are a cost-effective option for a several nights dry camping or boondocking with reasonable use of heater. Cost about $200 for both batteries (varies slightly depending on area of the country).

Recharging flooded lead acid batteries at 50% with a generator and a good converter (not WFCO), as stated, takes about 3 hours to get to 90%, and 6+ hours to get to 100%. Not worth it to run the generator for those last 3+ hours to get from 90% to 100%. Which limits you to using about 40% of your battery capacity.

Everything - except below freezing temps - is better with LiFePO batteries if the use will bear the cost. Faster recharging, lighter weight, smaller size.

With my A-frame, the dual GC-2s get me 4 nights of temps in the high 30s/low 40s without recharging. By then, my 20 gal of water is gone, and the fridge is getting pretty empty. So it's time to move on. I don't need to carry a generator or solar. If I'm staying put longer than 5 days, we plan on an electric site to give us the microwave and air conditioning. But we're very simple people in an A-frame.

Fred W
2019 Flagstaff T21TBHW A-frame
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time

[babock]

Originally Posted by VR51

My group 24 deep cycle Interstate is fine. I’m looking ahead and am interested in an AGM batt. next thanks to its fast charge rate.

Yes...AGM does have a faster charging rate due to lower internal resistance. Don't believe the naysayer who constantly says the opposite. It is a well know advantage of them.

Back when I was working on electric vehicles for GM, we did some test cars with AGM before we switched to NiMH. We saw a huge decrease in charge times over the FLA that were previously being used.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by tomkatb

I agree with Titan mike. The lithium's are the best. Except for needing a different converter and $1000 per 100 amps thing and a new monitor. . Conversion for me would be $2500. Or $400 for new wet cell batteries for a ten year thing for two sets.

Yes, more expensive initial cost. A new converter is not necessarily needed as Battleborn, for example, says their batteries can be charged with regular converters that meet their parameters for absorbtion and float voltages. Yes, some capacity may be sacrificed but adding back the ability to draw the batteries down farther without damage tends to make up for it.

I consider the money invested in my batteries and charging system to be a "one and done" expense. 3,000 to 5,000 cycles will take the average boondocker well into the next decade.

FWIW, if one is getting 10 years from "wet cells" they are most likely taking extremely good care of them by not discharging deeply, charging regularly, and checking water more often than they check oil in their engines.

About the only maintenance required for Lithiums is to periodically look in their compartment to see if they're still there.

[Steve W indy]

If you're going for max power (in Amp-hours, Ah) for the buck, a pair of the 6V golf carts seems right. They are 210 Ah (@ 20A) 6V each, so in series, 210 Ah 12V for $200. Compare to the 12V golf cart, 160 Ah for $238. But they're bigger and heavier. So how many Ah do you need. If you need a lot of Ah cheap, golf cart pairs of 6V are usually the most economical.

For no maintenance, good reliability, vibration resistance, use in any orientation, it's hard to beat AGM.