Batteries

[oldguy49]

For those of you that have converted over to 2 6 volt batteries for boondocking, I have a question.

The wife and I are considering trying some boon docking in the near future so I have to get a couple of GC@ golf cart batteries. I have pretty much ruled out both Costco and Sams club. Costco batteries have some of the worst reviews I have ever read about any product and I do not have a membership at Sams. I can get the same battery at Batteries Plus that you can purchase at Sams but for about 40/50 dollars more a piece. After looking around the web, I came across batteries at Rural King that are actually cheaper price wise than any of the others. The batteries are mfg. by Exide so I would think they would be just as good as any other.

The only problem I can see is that they are only rated at 186 amp hours . This is per RKs web site and not Exides. They may actually be a bit higher than that since the only one rated lower on the Exide site is part #GC110 and the Rural King is part number GC115G. Since wife and I have never dry camped and would like to try it, do you think this battery would work for our needs. I do have a Champion genny for backup.

My main thought is to not spend a small fortune on batteries and then find out this is not for us. If we end up liking this type of camping, I can always upgrade batteries at a later date. Please share your thought on this. All info is greatly appreciated.

 

[Neal]

@oldguy49 what batteries do you have now? You have to look at your amp hours and keep in mind charging them and then what demand you'll put on them. Different types of batteries from lead acid, AGM, lithium will depend on how far of a discharge they can stand.

 

[oldguy49]

Neal, I currently have1 Interstate Marine/RV battery. I am not exactly sure but I think it has around 90 amp hours.

As I stated, we are considering trying boondocking so I would have to change out the battery soon any how. I just felt that getting the lower than usual 186 amp hour battery may be a good start since we have not done this type of camping before.

 

[Neal]

If you can get a picture of the label on the existing battery so we can figure out what voltage it is, what aH it offers, etc. that could help. The more aH's you can bank is going to lead to the longer time between charges but you also have to consider what is charging your batteries and how long it would take to recharge them. Take account for how many you have room to hold and also the weight of the batteries.

 

[oldguy49]

This is the battery that is currently in my toy hauler; Interstate Batteries | SRM-24

I have had it for three years and it has gone dead twice. Once when I first picked it up and then another time while sitting at the dealer waiting on warranty work. It is currently holding a charge but I don't want to get out somewhere and have it fail. It already seems to struggle a bit with the canopy. So I just figure better safe than sorry.

 

[Neal]

I'm no expert on batteries but if batteries are not charged properly or discharged too far then they can be damaged. Also, I'm not sure deep cycle batteries are for house use but instead like in my motorhome for chassis (engine starts). Maybe others can chime in that are better versed on batteries or feel free to correct me.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

It has always been my understanding, @Neal, that "deep cycle" batteries are, in fact, better suited for use as house batteries rather than chassis (starting) batteries. I'm no battery engineer, so I could be wrong.

One consideration that needs some thought when adding batteries or changing battery types; energy management and charging. The system installed for use with a single lead-acid battery may not work well with a different type of battery (AGM, lithium, etc.) or more batteries. It may also be insufficient to keep a more robust battery bank properly charged. If it isn't, the system may need to be changed out for one that is.

TJ

 

[Neal]

I may be mixing up the cold cranking vs. deep cycle.

 

[oldguy49]

From every thing that I have read, the battery of choice for simple boondockiing is 2 GC2 golf cart batteries wired together to produce 12 volts. This is usually in addition to solar to recharge. Since I have never boon docked before my question was would 6 volt gc2 batteries putting out 186 amp hours be an acceptable alternative to the higher (200 amp hours +) battery.

I will admit that money is a concern but if these are not thought to be a good choice, I would purchase the higher out put battery. Here are the specs on the Rural King/Exide battery; 6 Volt Golf Cart Battery - GC115G

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Here's a pretty good description of the differences between starting/cranking and deep cycle batteries. Just ignore the brand-specific promotional references.

What is the difference between starter batteries and deep cycle batteries?

Starter or car batteries have high cranking amps needed to start engines. Deep cycle batteries give steady power for a long time. Learn more. %

dakotalithium.com

TJ

 

[Neal]

@oldguy49 do you have a generator? I wonder if a small quiet generator would be money better spent?

 

[oldguy49]

Yes, I do have a generator. Just purchased a Champion 3100. The generator was purchased to provide electricity for the a/c and some tv in the evening. Also to charge the batteries.

 

[Tjdave]

I am not a numbers guy, but I can share our experience with converting to 6v. Back with our previous Class C motorhome, it came with one 12v battery. We do plenty of boondocking with our off road club. On the first cold night camping, the heater fan motor drew our battery down during the night so far that things started beeping. We had to fire up the V10 for a while just to get the generator to run. Re-charging the 12v always took awhile. I was constantly monitoring the battery status, and firing up the generator to re-boost. Most likely more than I needed to. (OCD)! I changed out all light bulbs I could with led, which also helped a ton.
A friend in our club, who is an RV mechanic by trade, suggesting converting to two 6v batteries. He modified the hanging battery tray in the class C to be able to accommodate the increased height of the 6v batteries.
We did not have any boondocking battery problems since, and the 6v batteries sure seem to re-charge way faster with just a coffee making session in the mornings.
Our current Holiday Rambler gasser Class A has two 6v batteries in it. We bought it lightly used, so I am not sure if it came from the factory that way or not. By the way they are stuffed in the battery bay perfectly, I am assuming that is how it came from the factory. I also changed out all the bulbs I could with led. We have never had a low battery problem in the years we have had it.
I have no experience with the large battery banks in DP's, only gas motorhomes, but I am sure I will learn about those too when I retire. Soon I hope!

 

[Jim]

My main thought is to not spend a small fortune on batteries and then find out this is not for us. If we end up liking this type of camping, I can always upgrade batteries at a later date. Please share your thought on this. All info is greatly appreciated.

Yep, you can spend a lot of money on batteries. And then they only last 8 years at best. Probably a lot less in an RV application. When I knew I was going to enjoy the RV lifestyle, I upgraded my batteries as much as possible given the room I had and the amount of weight I was willing to add to the MH.

I installed 6 of these. Three sets of (2 each in series) and then I connected the three sets in parallel for a total of 1,290 amp hrs. (Effectively 645 AH at 50% usage)

 

[Kevin D Pem]

For those of you that have converted over to 2 6 volt batteries for boondocking, I have a question.

The wife and I are considering trying some boon docking in the near future so I have to get a couple of GC@ golf cart batteries. I have pretty much ruled out both Costco and Sams club. Costco batteries have some of the worst reviews I have ever read about any product and I do not have a membership at Sams. I can get the same battery at Batteries Plus that you can purchase at Sams but for about 40/50 dollars more a piece. After looking around the web, I came across batteries at Rural King that are actually cheaper price wise than any of the others. The batteries are mfg. by Exide so I would think they would be just as good as any other.

The only problem I can see is that they are only rated at 186 amp hours . This is per RKs web site and not Exides. They may actually be a bit higher than that since the only one rated lower on the Exide site is part #GC110 and the Rural King is part number GC115G. Since wife and I have never dry camped and would like to try it, do you think this battery would work for our needs. I do have a Champion genny for backup.

My main thought is to not spend a small fortune on batteries and then find out this is not for us. If we end up liking this type of camping, I can always upgrade batteries at a later date. Please share your thought on this. All info is greatly appreciated.

first and foremost, If you are not comfortable you will not be happy campers for long. Trojan batteries have a heavy/large following in the RV community when it comes to golf cart batteries. I will argue a 200ah glass mat battery will be lighter as well as offer easier charging and lower internal resistance. AGM batteries also last at least double life of flooded batteries(gc-2). AGM's also are sealed Keeping your terminals clean without the maintenance thing going on. Oh yes no adding water in a tight spot.

It has nothing to do with will you like to boondock. You will need a 12v battery for house systems. If not plugged in where you store your RV an AGM will not sulfate as much as the way of other "flooded" batteries do. The AGM will serve you better in any RV use you may have in mind. I use two max batteries AGM 200ah each in 24v config. My boat (Catalina 30 long gone) used 4 CG-2 in 12v config. Most of my RV's came with Marine start/deepcycle batteries that were replaced before the RV moved.