Happiness Is New Camper Batteries!

[MarkBC]

I just replaced my two Trojan SCS225 with a new pair of the same. $194 each at a local RV dealer.

The old ones weren't all that old -- maybe 3 years since I got them, but they were used when I got them.
(I bought them from a co-worker who had 10 of them in an electric car he built himself. He sold all the batteries because the car didn't work out for him, not because the batteries were shot. He sold them at half-price of new.)

I'd read of many people here on WTW who say they can go several days on a pair of batteries even running a DC fridge, and I sure can't go that long. If I didn't have the solar panel I'd be in trouble, and even then I have to be aware of my electrical usage -- especially if it's cloudy. So, I figured that maybe my batteries are just gettin' old.
I should also mention that not only did I get these batteries used, but I haven't always taken good care of them -- I've let the charge get very low when my truck is not driven for weeks/months...more than once. Yeah, I know -- I'm not a good battery steward.

Understand, they still work OK, but not as well as I think they should work.
So, if my new ones don't last much longer than the old ones then I'll know I made a premature purchase.

These are burly batteries, and if you're not anti wet/flooded-battery they're a top choice for deep-cycle.

Now I'm all set for a week of camping (starting Monday) in southeast Oregon...where there should be plenty of sunshine for solar power, but belt-and-suspenders, you know.

 

[pods8]

Did you keep on top of the fluid levels in your old one?

 

[MarkBC]

Did you keep on top of the fluid levels in your old one?

Ummm....mostly....except for recently:
A couple of days ago, in prep for my next-week trip, I decided it was time to pre-charge the batteries. I have a B&D VEC1093DBD Smart Charger -- I've had it for 4 years, and I like it. It had been a couple of months since I drove the truck on a trip (other than a couple of short in-town errands). I opened the caps to check the water level, and...

-- each of the batteries had one cell in which the plate was not quite covered by water/acid! That's not good.

So, I added water, as needed, to all of the cells, hooked up the charger, checked the current battery voltage, and...

-- it was only 11.0 volts. That's not good.

Anyway, I proceeded to charge them up, it took over night. Then I proceeded to run an equalization protocol...it took overnight before the charger deemed it done.
At the same time I called Jerry's RV and asked if they had any Trojan SCS225 in stock: They had two. I decided to abandon my old -- perhaps old before their time -- batteries, and now I have those two that Jerry's had in stock, and Jerry's has my old cores.

Yes, I know...as I already said: "I'm not a good battery steward." But I'll treat these new ones with the respect they deserve...check their water and keep them charged regularly when not in use, etc.

 

[Mark W. Ingalls]

...


I'll treat these new ones with the respect they deserve...check their water and keep them charged regularly when not in use, etc.


Will 'etc.' include not using tap water? (I hope so.)

 

[MarkBC]

Will 'etc.' include not using tap water? (I hope so.)

Nope -- no tap water.
Although...tap water in Bend is very soft because most of it was snow not long ago.

 

[pods8]

Hell for a few bucks more you could have got into an AGM and not worried about the fluid levels.

 

[MarkBC]

Hell for a few bucks more you could have got into an AGM and not worried about the fluid levels.

From what I can see in some online shopping, the AGM cost about 50% more, $/amp-hr.
And aside from the cost, "check the battery fluid" gives me something important to focus on -- and I need that in my retirement years.

Still, maybe next time...ask me how I'm doin' in a few years.

 

[Smokecreek1]

Well my new blue top AGM sure worked good last week up at Eagle Lake-in the green all the time (with some helpm from the solar panels i figure), bur for 270.00 they better be!

Smoke

 

[Roger]

Do these type batteries (Trojans) have to be vented to the outside or are they "sealed"?

Thanks

roger

 

[MarkBC]

Do these type batteries (Trojans) have to be vented to the outside or are they "sealed"?

Trojan makes all kinds of batteries -- included AGM (which are sealed), but the ones I got today (and have had for a few years) are not sealed.
Where I have mine mounted is in the box under the couch, right next to one of the turnbuckle-access ports, and I have that port open a bit (and fixed open), so that is my "vent". I think that mounting that kind of battery there is probably not recommended, but I don't think there is much gas evolved in normal charging...at least, not much compared to the rate at which it can be vented.
And the fact that my camper hasn't gone up in a fireball in the several years I've run it this way gives me comfort in my assumption and decision.

Nevertheless, any gas that is evolved is H2 and O2...so I recommend that everybody follow manufacturer's recommendations.

 

[pods8]

From what I can see in some online shopping, the AGM cost about 50% more, $/amp-hr.


Not when you're paying $194ea already. You can find a comparable capacity AGM for under 25% more regularly and sales bring them down. Cabelas has their group 30 agm on sale for $199 right now for instance.

 

[MarkBC]

Not when you're paying $194ea already. You can find a comparable capacity AGM for under 25% more regularly and sales bring them down. Cabelas has their group 30 agm on sale for $199 right now for instance.

I'd have to see that. Can you provide a link to an example of an AGM for under $245 with 130 amp-hr (20-hr rate) capacity? I haven't seen any. And comparing "on sale" to regular price doesn't count.
If you mean the Cabella's on this page, it's not the same -- it's a "dual purpose" not a true deep-cycle -- not the kind of battery primarily intended for RV use. The fact that they don't even list the 20-hr capacity (the standard for comparing deep-cycle battery capacity) shows that...and it means it can't be compared to the battery I bought. Group number is just the size of the plastic box -- not a measure of capacity.

 

[pods8]

Their regular price is within 25% and I just mentioned the sale since it is right now basically the same price. Someone elsewhere on the site picked one up and checked the casing and reported back it was a relabeled Universal Battery, the UB121100 which is a 110ah range battery: http://upgi.com/Themes/leanandgreen/images/UPG/ProductDownloads/45981.pdf

Flooded batteries main perk is lower cost in my mind is all, I'd probably have went with a couple golf cart batteries myself if going with that battery type which will arguably be even better designed for deep cycling (3cell battery verse 6cell) and only run about $90 at local stores.

Granted the particular battery you picked is an odd duck size at 130ah, most common larger 12V are going to be in the 100-110 range and the 6V are going to be 200-220ah range. Thus they seem to charge a bit of a premium for that it appears.

 

[craig333]

If I were running wet batteries I'd sure want to have a volt meter very visible just to make sure they don't get overcharged. Shouldn't happen but if it did it sure isn't something you'd want to experience inside the camper.

I'm also not a good battery steward. One reason I've gone agm. One less thing I need to obsess about.

 

[MarkBC]

Their regular price is within 25%...a 110ah range battery
But...130 is more than 110 -- they're not the same. That's why I made my "cost 50% more" claim based on $/amp-hr, in order to make a direct comparison between batteries with different capacities.

Flooded batteries main perk is lower cost in my mind is all.
Yep -- that was my point.

Granted the particular battery you picked is an odd duck size at 130ah
Yep -- that's why I bought it.


I made my "cost 50% more, $/amp-hr" claim based on looking at several online retailers, comparing their prices for AGM and flooded -- both for deep-cycle applications. Comparing prices within a retailer's selection reduces the effect of "deep-discounter" vs "full-retail". And when possible I made the comparison within the same battery brand in order to remove the effect of "high-end brand" vs "cheapo brand". Check it out yourself -- research is fun...and satisfying, when it's done properly!

I'm not trying to convince anyone to buy a particular type or brand of camper battery -- just explaining the rationale for my decision. And I think my rationale stands intact.

A valid point to bring up about my decision would be: "Aren't you the guy that compares the cost of camper gear to the cost of truck fuel spent to go camping, in order to justify an expensive camper-gear purchase -- such as the Lagun table frame? Why the inconsistency in this application?"
Yep, that would be a good point to make.

 

[pods8]

You're overlooking in your reply that you can get ~210ah of 6V golfcart battery for ~$90 thus you paid 75% extra to get a odd sized 12V 130ah battery by your criteria. That would be offbrand verse your Trojan, comparing to a Trojan T105 225ah ~$105 it seems online that comes down to 40%.

 

[MarkBC]

You're overlooking in your reply that you can get ~210ah of 6V golfcart battery for ~$90 thus you paid 75% extra to get a odd sized 12V 130ah battery by your criteria. That would be offbrand verse your Trojan, comparing to a Trojan T105 225ah ~$105 it seems online that comes down to 40%.

No, I didn't overlook it. I just focused on your initial point, that AGM cost only 25% more for the same capacity -- and I addressed that point.

But maybe next time (a few years from now) I will consider the 6v-in-series approach and not consider the more-expensive AGM approach at all. Thanks for the tip.

 

[pods8]

I think we can all agree that hopefully that is many years ahead!

*Raises glass to long battery life*

 

[MarkBC]

After 4 days camping with these new batteries, still happy!

They hold the charge more/better than the old batteries...so it wasn't just my imagination that the old batteries were getting tired.
Now I just have to take better care of these than I did of the old ones...feed and water them regularly, take 'em for a walk, etc.

 

[leadsled9]

After 4 days camping with these new batteries, still happy!

They hold the charge more/better than the old batteries...so it wasn't just my imagination that the old batteries were getting tired.
Now I just have to take better care of these than I did of the old ones...feed and water them regularly, take 'em for a walk, etc.


MarkBC,

Does your solar panel keep up with that large DC fridge now that you have the new batteries?