Replacing 12 volt battery

[carlson]

I am due to replace the 12 volt battery that came with my 2013 Rockwood. The dealer installed battery was an Interstate HD24-DP RV/Marine but I don't believe the new battery need have cranking capacity and I am looking for a deep cycle 12 volt in either the 24 or 27 group as I have the room in the battery holder. Any suggestions? The interstate has served me well but it is now 7 years old and charging it only gets it to low no matter how long I charge it. Thank you.

[SlowrideHD]

If your desire is to stay with one single 12 volt battery, I would recommend a Trojan 27MTX deep cycle 12 v battery. If your interstate gave you satisfactory service, you'll be thrilled with this Trojan.

If you have the room, two Trojan T-105 six volt batteries will give you twice the amp capacity of the single 12 v.

[Flybob]

What you get will depend on how you use it. If you never were short power with the dual purpose battery that might be a good replacement. If you boondock often and need more 12V power than you have in the past then a true 12V deep cycle battery is a good choice.

[NMWildcat]

If the Interstate lasted 7 years, why would you want something different? I've used the 12v dual purpose marine Interstates for many years. And we usually boondock.
I stay with the Interstates because they are usually cheaper and I can get them in any podunk town I find myself in. Just my 2¢.

[carlson]

Thank you all for your responses. I was interested in hearing if anyone had any problems with the dual purpose Interstate and I figured I really didn't need the cranking capacity and was wondering about peoples experience with plain deep cycle 12 volt batteries. Pretty much straight campground camping and almost always plugged in to 30 amp service so no boondocking for me at present.
Always nice to hear from people with more experience than I have. Stay safe.

[Hatchee]

Interstate makes great batteries and they stand behind their warranty. (Had one fail, my fault, outside of warranty and they still gave me 50% credit) I have used them for years in our boats, RVs and tractors. They make both dual purpose and marine deep cycle. I use 2 - 12v marine deep cycle in series for our 24v trolling motor and one for the house batt in our 5th wheel.

IMO, their marine deep cycle is the way to go. You don't need the dual purpose.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by carlson

Thank you all for your responses. I was interested in hearing if anyone had any problems with the dual purpose Interstate and I figured I really didn't need the cranking capacity and was wondering about peoples experience with plain deep cycle 12 volt batteries. Pretty much straight campground camping and almost always plugged in to 30 amp service so no boondocking for me at present.
Always nice to hear from people with more experience than I have. Stay safe.

You are right... you don't need the cranking capabilities.

But in YOUR case, where you are almost ALWAYS hooked up to shore power, the cranking capabilities are not really an issue/hindrance and switching to a full blown deep cycle battery wouldn't gain you much for the increased price of a full deep cycle -vs- dual purpose.

Now... IF you want to do more boondocking and you don't use a generator or solar... then you 'might' want to consider a deep cycle or 6 volts.

If you got 7 years from your original, that's what I'd be replacing it with.
That is an excellent amount of service time for a battery.

[Jay2504]

You have had good luck with your Interstate dual purpose battery, I would stick with what you are running but upgrade to a 27 or 31 if the box haas enough room. 2 of the best batteries that I have ever owned were Interstate 27M-XHD. Jay

[rsdata]

Group 27 RV/Marine batteries at Costco sell for $89... I believe they are made by Interstate... these are the batteries I usually purchase for the trailer and my boat. Be sure to take the old one for a core credit when buying any new battery.

[Telstar]

Get 2 Interstate golf cart batteries at Costco. I put mine in a durable box made for golf cart batteries.

[Hatchee]

Originally Posted by Telstar

Get 2 Interstate golf cart batteries at Costco. I put mine in a durable box made for golf cart batteries.

Did not know that Costco sold Interstate or had batts made for them by Interstate. The 2 - 6 volt batts will give you more capacity....good idea Telstar!

[itat]

Originally Posted by carlson

I am due to replace the 12 volt battery that came with my 2013 Rockwood. The dealer installed battery was an Interstate HD24-DP RV/Marine but I don't believe the new battery need have cranking capacity and I am looking for a deep cycle 12 volt in either the 24 or 27 group as I have the room in the battery holder. Any suggestions? The interstate has served me well but it is now 7 years old and charging it only gets it to low no matter how long I charge it. Thank you.

My usage is probably the same as yours - always campgrounds with electrical hookup. However, I’ve had a couple occasions where the campground lost power and in those cases a single dual purpose battery goes down fairly quickly if you need the furnace or you don’t conserve power like you would when boondocking. For that reason I decided to go to two 6V Trojan T-105s. The bonus is we now have the option to camp without an electrical hookup for a night or two if we want.

[camaraderie]

Since you don't need cranking power OR deep cycling life cycles since you almost never cycle your batts or lots of amps since you are always plugged in...get a cheap dual cycle 12V in the same group 24 size you have...Walmart comes to mind! Take the money you save and buy a pro-fill kit to make keeping the water up to level a 1 minute task.
You also don't need golf cart batteries!

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by 5picker

You are right... you don't need the cranking capabilities.

But in YOUR case, where you are almost ALWAYS hooked up to shore power, the cranking capabilities are not really an issue/hindrance and switching to a full blown deep cycle battery wouldn't gain you much for the increased price of a full deep cycle -vs- dual purpose.

Now... IF you want to do more boondocking and you don't use a generator or solar... then you 'might' want to consider a deep cycle or 6 volts.

If you got 7 years from your original, that's what I'd be replacing it with.
That is an excellent amount of service time for a battery.

I would submit that in an RV with slideouts and levelers, that CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) DOES matter. Slideouts, levelers, and engine-cranking are all high-current, short duration events.

The myth that CCA doesn't matter stems from the days before slideouts and levelers. It's obsolete now.

[Tundra 2014]

Type in battery, many posts on this.

[jimmoore13]

If you are anywhere near a "Batteries Plus" store, they sell Duracell brand batteries of all types. And they sell battery boxes for the tongue.

I just installed 2 x 6 volt golf cart batteries (235 AH each) and bought really nice individual battery boxes that fit the battery frame on the tongue. The boxes were only about $12 each. Batteries were about $125 each.

They sell all types and sizes of 6, 12 and 24 volt batteries.

Again, if one is nearby, you can shop online and pickup at the store.
https://www.batteriesplus.com/?locat...MaAmXnEALw_wcB

[rsdata]

the myth that cca doesn't matter stems from the days before slideouts and levelers. It's obsolete now.

excellent point

[Trawlerphil]

If you've got the room, get a pair of GC2 Golf Cart Batteries. Crown's are made in the USA, The venerable T-105s are now made in China.

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by rsdata

excellent point

X2. Never thought about it that way.

[jvalich]

Single Battleborn battery, 12 v, 100 AH No maintenance required. 3000 - 5000 cycles, can use ALL 100 AH if needed, 10 yr warranty. Plus weigh in at ~ 30 lbs compared to ~130 lbs of 2 gc2 batteries.

2 Trojan T105 gc2 batteries at $400 each together in series get you your 12 v and all the deficiencies of a flooded battery.

Put 2 in my coach this last week. One came with a small crack in the case, called battleborn Customer Service and they had a new battery to replace it overnighted to me in Fla, 12 hrs Turn around. Just amazing customer service

https://battlebornbatteries.com/