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Old 03-01-2022, 08:58 PM   #1
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Question for the battery guys

After a sudden and unexpected ambulance ride at the end of September, sixteen days in the hospital (nine in ICU) and recovering for the next four months at home, I finally got back to check on the trailer at the campground last week. We were fortunate enough to have it winterized, with the exception of the battery cutoff switch. I kind of expected it, so I wasn't really surprised to find the battery completely dead. Just for kicks, I brought it home and put it on the charger, on "recondition" mode. After a day of that, then (again, just for fun) a day of charging set at 2 amps, I was shocked to get a 13.2 volt reading! Figured I'd check each cell with the hydrometer. they were all consistently.... not good. It's been sitting for three days and I checked the voltage again today - 13.17 volts. So my question is, how can I get a 13.2 volt reading on the mulitimeter when the specific gravity is so low? Do you think there's any hope for this battery? It's an Interstate Group 24, and came with the trailer, so it's over three years old. If this doesn't work out I'll most likely replace it with a couple of the Deka 6 volt GC batteries from Lowe's.
TIA
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Old 03-01-2022, 09:05 PM   #2
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You're getting a decent reading because there's no load on it. Once you put a load on it, will probably die rather quickly. My Dekas from Lowe's are almost 4 years old and still going strong. Glad to hear you are back from the dead, sounds like a real rough road you traveled.
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Old 03-01-2022, 09:17 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NJKris View Post
You're getting a decent reading because there's no load on it. Once you put a load on it, will probably die rather quickly. My Dekas from Lowe's are almost 4 years old and still going strong. Glad to hear you are back from the dead, sounds like a real rough road you traveled.
Thanks Kris. Yeah, it sucked. Almost died twice. All because of complications from a kidney stone removal. Just very happy I made it back. I've still got a lot of glamping to do!

BTW, it was one of your recent posts that put me on the trail to those Deka's, so thanks for that too!
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Old 03-02-2022, 08:53 AM   #4
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Those Dekas are made by East Penn, good company. Here are the details for them, as the dumb Lowe's listing has been wrong for years. And wow, all that from a kidney stone. I'm lucky I've never had them yet. Keep drinking lots of water!.
https://www.eastpennmanufacturing.co...Flyer-0248.pdf


Here is the 2 gauge cable needed to hook them up in series:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1


You will also need a battery lifter strap
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Geeze, that strap was 7 bucks 4 years ago, it's almost doubled in price now!
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Old 03-02-2022, 09:16 AM   #5
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Charging at 2 amps for a day doesn’t put much of a charge on a battery of that size. Put her on the charger for a week or so then, just for giggles, take it to your local auto parts chain store and have it load tested. If it doesn’t fail we will all be surprised.
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Old 03-02-2022, 10:59 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NJKris View Post
Those Dekas are made by East Penn, good company. Here are the details for them, as the dumb Lowe's listing has been wrong for years. And wow, all that from a kidney stone. I'm lucky I've never had them yet. Keep drinking lots of water!.
https://www.eastpennmanufacturing.co...Flyer-0248.pdf


Here is the 2 gauge cable needed to hook them up in series:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1


You will also need a battery lifter strap
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1


Geeze, that strap was 7 bucks 4 years ago, it's almost doubled in price now!
Thanks again Kris. I have had them in the past and no big deal to get rid of them. Lithotripsy twice, worked well. They can be very painful, and I wouldn't wish them on anyone.This one was too big, and in a bad spot. Yep, plenty of water, and adequate amounts of beer.

I have cables and a battery strap, so savings there.
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Old 03-02-2022, 11:00 AM   #7
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Charging at 2 amps for a day doesn’t put much of a charge on a battery of that size. Put her on the charger for a week or so then, just for giggles, take it to your local auto parts chain store and have it load tested. If it doesn’t fail we will all be surprised.
Thanks Doug, I'll give it a shot, just for fun. I'm not expecting any miracles either, but I've got time, so might as well try.
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Old 03-02-2022, 11:51 AM   #8
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My understanding is that over-discharging a battery lowers the number of charge/discharge cycles in the batteries expected life. Not that a total discharge will absolutely kill the battery, though it might. If you don't boondock and rely on the battery, you may well get more use out of it - it only needs to hold enough charge to enable the brakes in case of a break-away.

With that said, getting one of the auto parts places to do a load test will tell you what to do.
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Old 03-02-2022, 12:09 PM   #9
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Depends on how low. If it went below 10.5v, it is most certainly severely damaged.
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Old 03-02-2022, 01:09 PM   #10
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My understanding is that over-discharging a battery lowers the number of charge/discharge cycles in the batteries expected life. Not that a total discharge will absolutely kill the battery, though it might. If you don't boondock and rely on the battery, you may well get more use out of it - it only needs to hold enough charge to enable the brakes in case of a break-away.

With that said, getting one of the auto parts places to do a load test will tell you what to do.
True, and this is for the family trailer that's going to be in a seasonal spot. I do keep the generator in the back of the truck most of the time, so it would only be a problem if the campground lost power and for some reason the genny was at home. Thanks for your reply Sam.
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Old 03-02-2022, 01:10 PM   #11
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Depends on how low. If it went below 10.5v, it is most certainly severely damaged.
Yeah, it was reading like 1.06 volts when I first got it home. Another reason I was so surprised that it came back to over 13.
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Old 03-02-2022, 01:19 PM   #12
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13.2 is kind of a strange voltage for a 12.6 volt battery. That is either a residual reading, something is charging or a defective meter. Meaningless reading..

If you have a 4 year old car battery in there from the dealer it is likely history. That battery was installed to meet the requirements for the break way braking system. Not for camping.

A pair of GC2 batteries or one lithium might be a good plan.

First I would go camp somewhere for a weekend. Charge the battery Friday on the shore power. Turn the converter off with the breaker for 24 hours and see what the voltage is Sunday morning. No big users. The furnace would naturally wipe your battery out quickly.
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Old 03-02-2022, 01:27 PM   #13
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13.2 is kind of a strange voltage for a 12.6 volt battery. That is either a residual reading, something is charging or a defective meter. Meaningless reading..

If you have a 4 year old car battery in there from the dealer it is likely history. That battery was installed to meet the requirements for the break way braking system. Not for camping.

A pair of GC2 batteries or one lithium might be a good plan.

First I would go camp somewhere for a weekend. Charge the battery Friday on the shore power. Turn the converter off with the breaker for 24 hours and see what the voltage is Sunday morning. No big users. The furnace would naturally wipe your battery out quickly.

Not that it makes much difference, I know, but it is a "dual purpose" battery, not just a car battery. And honestly, even though we don't travel or boondock with the big camper, I would like to have some reserve power, just in case. Really leaning toward a couple of the Deka's that Kris mentioned to replace this thing.
Thanks for your reply.
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Old 03-02-2022, 01:33 PM   #14
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You'll certainly have plenty of power in case you have to overnight somewhere without shore power. Greatly increases your options traveling.
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Old 03-02-2022, 01:59 PM   #15
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We have seen campground power outages 4-5 times, so it is nice to have backup.

Most rv's function sort of without a battery. However, that wide spot in the line is useful.

Many of us purchased the GC2 Costco, Interstate battery at $100 each or less.

Since there is only a few manufacturers in the US the Deka is likely the same battery with different decals.

GC2 batteries are built differently that marine batteries. The plates are bigger and thicker. Takes abuse better. Car/marine batteries use thin copper plates and more of them. Allows the big discharges necessary to start that big old diesel. Multi purpose gc2 batteries are not as good for starting. They also tolerate deeper discharges.
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Old 03-02-2022, 02:08 PM   #16
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We have seen campground power outages 4-5 times, so it is nice to have backup.

Most rv's function sort of without a battery. However, that wide spot in the line is useful.

Many of us purchased the GC2 Costco, Interstate battery at $100 each or less.

Since there is only a few manufacturers in the US the Deka is likely the same battery with different decals.

GC2 batteries are built differently that marine batteries. The plates are bigger and thicker. Takes abuse better. Car/marine batteries use thin copper plates and more of them. Allows the big discharges necessary to start that big old diesel. Multi purpose gc2 batteries are not as good for starting. They also tolerate deeper discharges.
Thanks for your reply Tom. I did a little research and discovered that I can get the Deka's at Lowe's using a gift card purchased with points from my Mastercard, so basically FREE! (We don't have a Costco locally) This is turning into a no brainer pretty quickly.
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Old 03-02-2022, 02:11 PM   #17
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Just an FYI, the Costco Interstates are 210 amp hours vs. 230 amp hours for the Deka's. Also, the Costcos are 58 lbs, where the Dekas are 64 lbs each, 6 more lbs of lead plates.
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Old 03-02-2022, 02:11 PM   #18
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Chaz, if you were military, you get a 10% discount at Lowes
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Old 03-02-2022, 04:07 PM   #19
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Chaz, if you were military, you get a 10% discount at Lowes
Nope wasn't, but thanks Kris.
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Old 03-04-2022, 11:22 AM   #20
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Nope wasn't, but thanks Kris.
You can still get 5% by accepting a Lowe's card.
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