2016 Fleet Replacement Batteries -- AGM 24 DP

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New Man

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Sorry if I've missed earlier discussion of this (I have a helluva time finding specific things like this on WTW).

My 2016 Fleet came with two Exide Edge AGM 24 DP batteries. As the date shows, they've lasted six plus years, and they served my purposes well, but they are on their last legs.

As I measure them they are about 9 3/4" x 6 1/2" x 7 1/2" (l x w x h) [I didn't pull them, so these are approximate, especially the height].

I don't need (that is, don't want to spend the money) on lithium.

Question: Any suggestions on AGM replacements? I really don't want to mess around rebuilding the battery compartment (two plastic boxes, and the cables custom fit) unless I absolutely have to. Looks to me like FWC built the battery compartment in this Fleet to custom fit these batteries. As far as I can tell, this particular battery isn't around any more, and the Exide Nautilus 24 DP at Home Depot that seems to be its replacement appears to be too big to fit in my existing boxes.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions. John

PS: I haven't called FWC yet; in previous interactions they've been really great on a lot of things, but on stuff like this I've gotten the vibe they expect owners to figure it out, and the website is no help.
 
Isn’t the whole idea of battery “group” number to standardize on exterior dimensions? Be aware there are group 24,24F, and 24R batteries with slightly different standard dimensions. You can easily find a table of the group dimensions on line. I would think any battery of the same group and terminal arrangement would fit.
 
Yes, a standard size I've found for "Group 24" [only, no letter modifier] is 10.25 x 6.8125 x 8.875 (inches L x W x H), but there are variations "24F" "24H" "24R" and "24T" (at least), all different sizes. It looks to me like this version of "Group 24" would be too big for my slots, thus my question: "Has anyone replaced their Exide Edge FP-AGM24DP batts [which FWC put in my 2016 Fleet] with something that will fit in a 2016 Fleet?"

I've been bouncing around the web (Amazon, Walmart, Home Depot, etc), and -- for me at least -- it is a nightmare trying to find something 1) the right size, 2) in AGM dual purpose (DP), 3) for a reasonable price. I plug in my search criteria, and they give me a thousand choices, none of them what I am after.
 
New Man
Welcome, I find myself in your shoes today also. I am currently trying to determine if Costco has something that will work. I’ll be sure to update you as I can.
 
You actually want to avoid dual purpose if you can get a single purpose, solar type battery. Dual purpose - aka marine - battery is designed for both starting and long discharge. We need long discharge batteries.

That said, you got a nice long life out of your old batteries, so anything that fits will likely work for you.
 
Thankz, Breakinstuffzfun.

Further details on the Great 2016 Fleet Replacement Battery Hunt: I went on the FWC website and looked at what they are currently offering in the "2nd 12 Volt Deep Cycle Battery" option ($450 [!!!]) for the current Fleet Side Dinette build. The picture isn't clear, but looks like they are now using what seems to be the Exide Nautilus 24 (Home Depot $149), which seems to be Exide's replacement for the Exide Edge batts that I've got. I'm going to pull one of my old batteries tomorrow so that I can measure it properly. Clearly, the devil is in the details when one is wandering in the wild west of rv batteries, and it's real easy to get one that won't fit -- the "standard" sizes seem to be fuzzy in fact.

(Strangely[?], in the current standard equipment [no extra charge] battery picture on this web page FWC shows a Deka Intimidator...)
 
Thanks Dr. Electric [Vic], I was wondering about that, and your comment makes sense. I'll continue my quest, including looking for long discharge models. I had long wondered if in an emergency I could pull one of my camper batteries to use to jump-start my truck in case the truck battery died in the boonies. I'm guessing the DP batteries would be better for that, but I've never had to test that theory, and I'd much rather get longer service time out of the camper batteries.
 
Follow-up and (Hopefully) Final Post on 2016 Fleet Replacement Batteries

1) I pulled one of the old, dying Exide Edge AGM batteries and measured it: W 6 5/8" x L 10 1/4" x H 8 3/4" (H includes the terminal posts). So that is in fact pretty standard "Group 24," as far as I can determine. The twin plastic battery boxes FWC installed in my 2016 Fleet battery compartment offer a (very) little wiggle room; not enough to install anything significantly different than a standard 24 without seriously monkeying-around with the battery compartment.

2) Brenda Cary at FWC very promptly responded to my question about replacement batteries. In brief, she said FWC now offers US Battery AGM 24 for $245/ea that would fit my 2016 Fleet, but they don't ship them, so no help unless you are going to go to the factory. I looked these batteries up on the web: US Battery; AGM Deep Cycle 24. All the specs look good, but good luck finding them! I went through the US Battery web site, got sent to the dealer nearest to me (Tucson AZ at the moment); called them up; very helpful guy explained that that particular battery is gosh-dang hard to find (took him ten minutes), but confirmed that the FWC price of $245 is what they would sell it for if I gave them at least three weeks to track some down. Fugedaboutit.

3) My current plan is to go with the Exide Nautilus 24 (Home Depot $149). Their specs aren't as good as the US Battery AGM 24: the Exide is "dual purpose" whereas the US Battery is "deep cycle" and as Vic pointed out the latter is typically better for camper use. But for $100/each cheaper I hopefully can live with that. Also, I assume if have problems it will be a lot easier dealing with Home Depot than US Battery, an outfit whose web site does not engender a lot of confidence. (Insert the sound of wishful thinking...)

4) How many PhDs does it take to change a battery? Well, it's taken this one a whole lot more time than he expected. If I was independently wealthy and/or liked to spend my time rewiring my truck and my camper, messing with electronic components, and rebuilding my battery compartment, I'd have taken the plunge and gone deeper into studying the vast WTW literature on converting to lithium. I started it, and I have the greatest admiration for you dudes that know the difference between Amps and Volts, but its Greek to me. (I know Sanskrit, Tibetan, Hindi, and some German, but I flunked high school algebra three times.) To anyone who has read this far, hope it is useful. Now for me it's back to staring at the desert, the reason I got my camper. I'll post a follow-up follow-up if the Exide Nautilus does not work out, and this saga continues...
 
As Vic said, avoid the dual purpose battery for a house battery. Using a deep cycle battery to jump your truck isn't going to hurt the battery unless you make a regular practice of it. Have you thought about doing away with the dual battery setup and going to a single larger capacity battery like a 27 series?
 
Reply to Beach:

To switch to a single 27 group battery I'd have to reconfigure the existing battery compartment. To compare apples to apples, the Exide Nautilus 24 (10.25" wide) I'm looking at should fit into my two existing (FWC installed) plastic battery slots in my battery compartment. If I went with the Exide Natutilus 27 I'd have to dig out the two existing battery slots and replace them with some kind of bracket that would hold the 27 (12" wide) group. Also, the Exide Nautilus 27 says it has a Reserve Capacity of 160 minutes, so I assume a single one of those would give me quite a bit less minutes of power than two Exide Nautilus 24 (Reserve Capacity 120 minutes each).

As I said in my original post, I got more than six years of good service from the two Exide Edge 24 DP batteries FWC installed when I bought the camper (I kept them on a trickle charger when I wasn't using them), and I'd be happy with the same amount of power now. Over the first few years I had the camper I did many 4-5 nighters in the boonies without recharging, and the twin batteries were more than adequate for me (refer 24/7; lights; water pump as needed -- didn't need the furnace much on those trips).
 
Thanks to TacomaAustin and Vic for their info.

1) The VMAX 24 AGM (deep cycle) looks promising: At $259 ea. it is $110 more than the Exide Nautilus, but the superior nominal performance (85 Ah vs. 70 Ah) might be worth it. Also, looks like the "bargainstore" dealer (on Amazon) has good reviews and offers free shipping. For what it is worth, it seems to be a complete hassle to track down the US Battery AGM 24 (deep cycle) that FWC is using now: I've tried to locate them at dealers in a couple of cities I will be passing through in the next few weeks, and none of them seem to have them in stock.

2) Vic's note that the plastic battery boxes in my 2016 Fleet are not needed makes sense to me, but if I tear them out I would have to replace them with two battery hold-down brackets. I realize this isn't open-heart surgery, but... (I began this thread with the hope that I could just change my batteries the way I change the batteries in my headlamp, but that bird has flown the coop...)
 
TMI (?). But anyway, with the thought that there may be other tormented souls out there with my issue: I'm now leaning toward the VMAX SLR85 12V AGM 85Ah Group 24 Deep Cycle that TacomaAustin kindly brought to my attention. But wait! There's more! VMAX makes three visually identical Group 24 12V AGM 85Ah Deep Cycle batteries, so ya gotta be careful! (I almost got fooled by Walmart's look-alike version):

https://www.batteryequivalents.com/vmaxtanks-mr-107-mb-107-and-slr-85-agm-deep-cycle-batteries.html

Looks to me like the SLR85 version ($260 on Amazon) suits my purposes best:

https://www.amazon.com/SLR85-Battery-Compatible-Offgrid-Backup/dp/B07ZJVC137/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2NC0MEVLO52O5&keywords=Group+24+solar+agm+battery&qid=1676342586&sprefix=group+24+solar+agm+battery%2Caps%2C133&sr=8-2


Tho I am an ignoramus about this stuff, looks like its RC (Reserve Capacity) is significantly greater than the other two versions [and 70 minutes {!!!} more than the Exide Nautilus I was looking at], which will translate into more minutes of running my lights, water pump, etc. Also, appears this will work [better? -- the other's won't?] as a solar battery. (Note, however, that this website says you should never use this kind of battery [unlike the other two] as a starter battery -- I defer to the WTW electrical wizards to enlighten me on this...) The beat goes on...
 
To clairify: When I said "using a deepcycle battery to jump the truck wouldn't hurt the battery, just don't make a regular practice of it". I was talking about doing it once or twice over the life of the battery , not once or twice a week/month.. Best to carry a jump pack to avoid situations like the above, many here do..
 
To tie a ribbon on this thread: I bought the VMAX SLR85 12V AGM 85Ah Group 24 Deep Cycle that TacomaAustin kindly brought to my attention (see above in the thread). I rarely give recommendations, but the people at BargainShore were super efficient (their web site actually works!):

bargainshore.com

When I bought mine they were $244.99 each ($15 less than the Amazon price) because of a discount they offered for buying two, and I got an additional $25 discount for "an initial purchase of $300 or more." Total for two batteries: $464.98, including shipping to Bisbee, Arizona, where I am at the moment. [Needless to say, prices and discounts change over time!] BargainShore processed my order the night I placed it, and the packing and shipping was flawless (apart from a one day UPS delay due to the big storm last week).

This thread was engendered by my quandry about getting AGM batteries to replace the batteries FWC installed in my 2016 Fleet when I bought it, that would fit in the plastic slots in the Fleet without any further messing around. The VMAX Group 24s I got barely squeezed into the existing slots. Really, maybe a couple of millimeters to spare in the width, and the same in the height: they are just enough bigger than my old Group 24 batts that it was a bit of a chore to slide them into place. Also, looking deeper into the existing battery compartment setup, I would have had to do a bit of carpentry to accomodate anything bigger or with different dimensions.

The VMAX batts arrived more than 3/4 charged, and I plugged in shore power tonight to top them off. Check with me in five or six years for how they perform...
 
By keeping the battery on a maintainer when in storage to provide a float charge, I got 7 years of use from my 85Ah VMAX. My only regret was how heavy an AGM batteries is and I'm getting too old for heavy lifting. Happy camping. :rolleyes:
 
Thanks again to everyone for their helpful advice. TacomaAustin's last note on the weight of AGM batteries is worth emphasizing. The VMAX AGMs I just put in were real 55 lb beasts to wrestle with, and in years past I have regularly pulled my batteries to put them on a float charge when I wasn't going to be camping/driving my truck very much (think Wisconsin winters). Pretty sure my old back won't be up for that much longer...

A final note to younger folks that may be reading this: If I was ten years younger -- i.e., had more than ten years of boondock truck camping in front of me -- I definitely would have done my research, bit the $$$ bullet, and upgraded to lithium, regardless of cost and hassle. I have the (uneducated) impression that lithium batteries are better and cheaper (?) than they were when I got my camper seven years ago. They are a no-brainer on weight, and may be a no-brainer on price, too, if you are planning on using your rig for more than ten years. And for more on that I defer to the vast literature on this subject, starting with the thread "FWC Electrical basics and upgrading to lithium!" in this forum. Enjoy!
 
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